Following her husband John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis purchased a $200,000 New York apartment in 1964.She lived there with her children, Caroline and John Jr., before moving to Greece with her second husband, Aristotle Onassis. After his death, she returned to the New York apartment.Jackie lived in the home up until her 1994 death, which followed a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis went down in American history as one of the most iconic first ladies. With her effortless poise and chic fashion sense, it’s no wonder her apartment reflected that same elegance.
In 1964, following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, Jackie purchased a penthouse on New York’s Upper East Side, directly across from Central Park. She moved into the 15-story building with her children, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Kennedy.
In 1968, Jackie Kennedy became Jackie O, marrying Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Having been shaken by the assassination of her brother-in-law, Robert F. Kennedy, just a few months prior, Jackie relocated to Greece in search of a more private life. Despite remarrying, Jackie held on to her penthouse and returned to it following Onassis’ death in 1975.
She called the Fifth Avenue property her home until her 1994 death, which followed a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Here’s everything you need to know about Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s Fifth Avenue apartment.
The redecorated library, designed by Harrison Cultra and Georgina Fairholme, in Jackie Onassis’s New York apartment. Photographed in 1973.
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She purchased the Upper East Side apartment for $200k in 1964.
Jackie Kennedy at her New York apartment in 1967.
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Less than a year after her husband’s death and just before her 35th birthday, Jackie purchased the penthouse at 1040 Fifth Avenue for $200,000, The New York Times reported at the time. The real estate agent who sold the apartment told The New York Times that maintenance fees came to $14,000 a year, equivalent to about $145,000 today.
The residence was built in the 1930s by famous architect Rosario Candela, who designed some of the city’s most luxurious buildings, including the East 70th Street residence on Fifth Avenue where fashion designer Valentino once lived, per The World of Interiors. Jackie’s apartment encompassed what was originally two apartments. The 15th floor offered something few homes at the time could: privacy. It was also just a few blocks from Jackie’s sister, Princess Lee Radziwill, who lived at 969 Fifth Avenue.
Following JFK’s assassination, it served as a respite from media attention.
Jackie Kennedy at her fifth avenue apartment on June 1, 1971.
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After JFK was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, Jackie sought to raise her young children away from Washington. Following her departure from the White House, she returned to Georgetown, where she paid $175,000 for a 1794 mansion just three blocks the home she and her husband had shared before his presidency, according to Architectural Digest. However, due to an influx of tourists, admirers, and press who would frequently visit their home, she put the property on the market and moved to New York.
Caroline has since spoken about how she and JFK Jr. were raised with as much normalcy as possible. As a 12-year-old in 1970, Caroline told The New York Times “I don’t think of myself as famous…I’m not really [bothered by too many reporters or photographers.] It seems they’re only around when I’m with my mother.” Of course, the respite was relative, and photos show that paparazzi still gathered outside of the Kennedy’s New York home.
Jacqueline Kennedy and her children Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy, Jr. in New York on October 17, 1968.
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The 15-room, 5-bedroom apartment featured a conservatory and a library.
Jackie Kennedy’s apartment on June 1, 1973.
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The 5,300 square foot apartment featured 15 rooms, including five-bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus a wine room, a conservatory, a gallery, a library, two terraces, three fireplaces, and maid’s quarters. It had 14 windows overlooking Central Park, including the reservoir that would later be named after Jackie, and nine windows overlooking fifth avenue, per The New York Times. But it maintained a lived-in feel thanks to the style icon’s impeccable taste.
Jackie settled back into city life by decorating her home with pieces from the White House and artwork—she was said to prioritize preference over those considered good investment pieces, per Architectural Digest. She took a more feminine approach, decorating with pink wallpaper and floral patterned furniture.
The redecorated library in Jackie Onassis’s New York apartment, photographed in 1973.
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Billionaire David Koch bought the apartment for $9.5 million.
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy Jr., Edwin Scholssberg and Maurice Tempelsman outside of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s New York apartment on May 23, 1994 as the casket containing Onassis’s body is placed in a hearse.
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The former first lady died in her home on May 19, 1994, following a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The following year, David Koch purchased the Kennedy matriarch’s home for $9.5 million.
The developer lived there for over a decade with his family, completely redesigning the home. “Mrs. Onassis was very conservative financially, and she didn’t spend much on it,” Koch shared, per the Observer. “We gutted the apartment and redid everything.” Following the birth of his third child, Koch put the residence on the market, in search of more space for his growing family. Koch sold the apartment to hedge-fund manager Glenn Dubin $32 million in 2006.