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The Notorious B.I.G.’s Childhood Apartment in Brooklyn Is Renting for $4,000/Month

Elizabeth Seward
Elizabeth Seward
published Jun 21, 2019
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Credit: Rise Media, Courtesy Compass
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For those looking for a chance to live in an important place in rap history (or just a conveniently-located apartment in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill), 226 Saint James Place #3L is available to rent starting July 1, 2019.

To the initiated, that address is none other than the “one room shack” Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G) grew up in with his mother.

The seven-room unit is renting for $4,000 a month. Since many landlords require that a tenant’s income is 40 times the monthly rent, prospective residents will need to earn an annual salary of $160,000 to comfortably afford these digs. As of 2017, the median household income (MHI) for 11238 (the address’s zip code) was $79,013. In 2011, that number was $61,950. And according to the 1979 census, when Wallace and his mother were living there in, the MHI for Brooklyn (Kings County) was $19,972.

The apartment’s (un)affordability is a testament to the area’s rapid gentrification over the past three decades. According to Zillow data, the the unit sold in 2010 for $424,866. It was placed back on the market in 2013 for $725,000 and sold for $100,000 more, bringing it to a 94.2 percent increase over the last sale.

The corner of Saint James Place and Fulton Street, just down the block from the apartment, was renamed after the legendary artist just earlier this month. The neighborhood’s iconic mural of the slain artist is only a 12 minute walk away.

The whole apartment’s seven rooms (including three bedrooms and one bathroom) have been refreshed with bright white paint. It includes modern updates like stainless steel appliances and new countertops. There’s a bike room and laundry room in the building as well.

Though the listing does not advertise the space’s ties with the rapper, but Apartment Therapy received confirmation from Compass, the listing brokerage, that the space is in fact Biggie’s childhood home:

“The unit is an iconic historical gem as it served as the childhood home of the most famous rapper of all-time Notorious B.I.G,” says Fabienne Lecole, the apartment’s listing agent. “It was recently renovated to provide modern conveniences while keeping its distinct and gorgeous pre-war details.”

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