Gigantic Soho loft from MTV’s ‘The Real World’ wants $7.5M

Ever wanted to own a piece of television (and Gen X) history? If you have $7.5 million, now you can: The Soho loft that once served as the setting for the first season of The Real World—one of three filmed in the five boroughs, and inarguably the best of the bunch—has listed for $7.5 million.

That true story of seven strangers was filmed in the loft—which was created by knocking down walls and turning two units into one expansive space—in the spring of 1992. Post-Real World, the loft was purchased by artist Edwina Sandys (who also happens to be Winston Churchill’s granddaughter) and her late husband, Richard Kaplan, an architect who worked on Manhattan’s Chatham Towers, among other buildings. According to the New York Post, which profiled the home in 2013 when Sandys first listed it, Kaplan was responsible for much of the current look of the place:

Kaplan configured the space, adding a lofty library/studio/office to capitalize on the apartment’s 18-foot ceilings. He also punched a hole through the ceiling to see what was hidden there: It turned out to be vaulted brick — raw and utterly charming. He left them exposed.

That explains why one of the most notable details from The Real World—a spiral staircase connecting the loft’s levels—no longer exists. But six Corinthian columns that have been there since the loft’s earliest days, when it served as the showroom for a jewelry company, remain.

In its current form, the apartment has five bedrooms, two full bathrooms, two powder rooms, a huge great room (2,500 square feet!), and lots of personality. It’s been on and off the market for six years, though, and as the listing notes, it’s “priced to sell.” It’s listed with Gabrielle Frank at Stephen P. Wald Real Estate Associates.