Today marks the 30th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. His death was a shock and a sad occasion for those who were fans of The Beatles and those still following Lennon's career after the group broke up.
I was not even a teenager when The Beatles popularity grew in the USA with their hit single "She Loves You," in 1963. I remember looking at the cover to the record and trying to decide which Beatle would be my favorite. Ringo won that honor, but John was a close second. The Beatles phenomena then became so much a part of my developmental years. When Lennon chose to live in New York City in the seventies I felt excited, as if he was indirectly part of my world.
I was not even a teenager when The Beatles popularity grew in the USA with their hit single "She Loves You," in 1963. I remember looking at the cover to the record and trying to decide which Beatle would be my favorite. Ringo won that honor, but John was a close second. The Beatles phenomena then became so much a part of my developmental years. When Lennon chose to live in New York City in the seventies I felt excited, as if he was indirectly part of my world.
When Lennon and Yoko Ono first moved to New York City from the UK in 1971, they lived briefly at the St. Regis Hotel and then moved to 105 Bank Street in Greenwich Village, (the white building in the photo above), which they rented from Joe Butler, from the Lovin’ Spoonful band.
They lived here for one year between 1971 - 1972, and Lennon enjoyed meeting the social and political activists of the time that shared this Greenwich Village neighborhood. His personal life was chaotic and controversial at times but the eventual birth of his son Sean in 1975 seemed to give him a peace and meaning that he lacked before.
The couple moved to the Dakota building located at 1 West 72nd Street on Central Park West in 1973.
Lennon was killed in front of the Dakota building by the very troubled Texas native, Mark David Chapman on the evening of December 8th, 1980.
Strawberry Fields in Central Park is located almost directly across the street from the Dakota building, between 71 Street and 74th Street. It was a favorite area for John and his family to visit. Named after a song written by John Lennon, it is a 2.5 acre area in the park that pays tribute to John as a singer, songwriter, and musician.
The iconic black and white "Imagine" mosaic in Strawberry Fields was a gift from Italy and designed by a team of artists from Naples. Named after another famous song by John Lennon, "Imagine" is another lasting tribute to Lennon and his vision for the world.
You can watch a PBS American Masters full two hour documentary exploring Lennon’s life in New York City during the 1970s as a father, husband, activist and artist on this link.
Don't forget you still have time to enter my Jacques Torres Chocolate give away --leave a comment on this link, and also the Chronicle Books $500 book give away on this link!