Living in the former home of Spike Jonze, the director of Being John Malkovich, is now possible.
The Hollywood hyphenate, who can also claim the modifier actor-photographer-screenwriter, has listed his two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath apartment on the Lower East Side for $5.9 million, according to a listing posted Tuesday.
Featuring an open floor plan, a living room with a gas fireplace, a primary suite with a dressing room and a dedicated laundry room, the 2,900-square-foot condo unit is in a 10-story Beaux-Arts building on East Broadway that is among the tallest prewar structures for blocks.
But prospective buyers hoping for signs of its celebrity owner may come away disappointed. The home is furnished sparsely as if it is not currently being occupied.
Jonze, born Adam Spiegel, purchased the unit in 2006 for $2.6 million, according to the city register (about $4.2 million in inflation-adjusted 2025 dollars).
The apartment is in a landmarked property between Rutgers and Jefferson streets that was the home of the Jewish Daily Forward news organization from 1912 to 1974 before becoming a Chinese church. In 2001 its owners, the Lau family, converted the commercial address into a 39-unit residential condo that raked in $20.2 million in sales, based on its offering plan. Yet recent descriptions of the building put its unit total at 29, suggesting several owners there combined apartments.
Jonze made an early name for himself as a director of surreal MTV videos, including Weezer’s “Buddy Holly,” which depicts the band seemingly performing in a 1970s Happy Days episode, and Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice,” which showcases actor Christoper Walken dancing and even flying.
More recently, actor Dick Van Dyke, at the age of 98, took the spotlight in a Jonze production, Coldplay’s 2024 “All My Love” video.
But Jonze has had high-profile turns in the film world too, including snagging an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his 2013 AI flick, Her. Malkovich, which arrived in 1999, earned him a pair of Academy Award nominations, for Best Director and Best Picture.
Where Jonze, who reportedly also owns homes in Los Angeles and Malibu, California, is headed next is unclear. He could not be reached by press time, and Jennifer Regen, the Compass agent marketing the unit, had no comment.
