From cinema to the assassination of John Lennon
John Lennon of the Beatles was assassinated on the evening of December 8, 1980 by Marc Chapman, in front of the carriage entrance of The Dakota building, where he resided. Lennon and Yoko Ono lived there from 1973 until December 8, 1980. They owned five apartments there, two apartments on the 7th floor where they lived and three apartments reserved for work, guests and storage. Yoko Ono and her son, Sean Lennon still reside there today.
The Dakota was built between October 25, 1880 and October 27, 1884. The Dakota was the first corporate apartment building for upper class people in New York City. It is located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
A 10-storey building, it is 34 meters (111.54 feet) high and has 65 apartments, some of which contain up to 16 rooms.
Its fascinating castle look blends with eclectic architecture in the Gothic style with a Victorian flavor from the neo-Renaissance period.
The Dakota is built around a courtyard accessible by a porte-cochere wide enough to allow teams of horses to pass through.
Several celebrities have called The Dakota home over the years, including: Gustav Shirmer, Leonard Bernstein, Roberta Flack, Bono, etc. The first actor to have lived there in 1930 was Boris Karloff followed by Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, Jack Palance, etc.
The Strawberry Fields memorial (linked to Lennon's 1967 song) is a memorial to John Lennon (1940-1980) accessible to everyone and located in Central Park, across from the Dakota Building.
The city of New York made the decision to dedicate this space in Central Park across the Dakota where John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono liked to walk.
Yoko Ono designed the memorial including the Imagine mosaic (linked to Lennon's 1971 song) with the help of landscape architect Bruce Kelly in this 5-acre space by inviting countries around the world to contribute through the donation of plants and rocks to create the International Peace Garden.
Frenzy Tours frequently stops here with its travelers to allow them to take photos of the Imagine memorial and mosaic and to pay their respects to the late John Lennon.
Links to see our beautiful video of the Dakota and the Strawberry Fields memorial:
Metro Laurier
