James Dean may have been Hollywood’s classic “bad boy” — but in 1953, he was living in a traditional Gilded Age brownstone on the Upper West Side. It’s now on the market for $6.25 million.
Built in 1884, the brownstone is located at 13 W. 89th St. — between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.
The “Rebel With a Cause” and “On the Waterfront” actor lived there in 1951 as a struggling young actor with his then-girlfriend, Liz “Dizzy” Sheridan, a dancer and actress who went on to play Jerry Seinfeld’s fictional mother, Helen, in “Seinfeld.” Sheridan later wrote a book about their love affair.
After a painful break-up, Sheridan burned many of her memories but later found Dean’s New York Public Library card with this property’s W. 89th St. address.
They used to go to the library, where he’d often read about bullfighting as a way to confront fear, he once said. The library card expired in November 1955, shortly after the actor’s 1955 death in a car accident at the age of 24.
While Dean was born in Indiana, he lived in New York in the early 1950s and studied at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan.
While he first lived in Midtown at places like the Iroquois Hotel, he later moved to this home farther north. He then relocated to 19 W. 68th St., where he was often on the roof rehearsing. There, he also once played conga drums with Sidney Poitier while Harry Belafonte sang “The Banana Boat Song: Day O,” according to reports.
Dean often left Hollywood to return to the Upper West Side, even after “East of Eden” made him a star. He also made his name with “Rebel Without a Cause.”
The 19.5-foot-wide residence now for sale is divided into a renovated owner’s duplex and four rental units, but can also convert back to single-family use. The home also comes with 570 square feet of outdoor space.
The seller bought it for $4.15 million in 2005, and is downsizing now that her kids are out of the house, listing brokers Richard Pretsfelder and Sophie Smadbeck, of Leslie J. Garfield, told Gimme Shelter.
Perks include two fireplaces and ceiling heights that range from 8.5 feet to just under 12 feet. The owner’s duplex is on the second and third levels — and features a formal living and dining area, and a home office.
A wraparound floating staircase connects both floors. Original prewar details include wood-framed bay windows.
There’s a two-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor with a private terrace and two one-bedroom units on the top floor — as well as a garden-level residence with an additional two bedrooms and private garden access.