The five-storey Upper West Side brownstone immortalized in the 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail has hit the open market with a $3.95 million price tag.
Cinematic history carries a Manhattan address. Located at 328 West 89th Street on a quiet corridor between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, the 1894 property served as the picture-perfect residence of children's bookstore owner Kathleen Kelly, played by Meg Ryan. Production crews filmed the interior scenes on a soundstage across the river in New Jersey, but the exterior—defined by a distinctive brick and limestone facade alongside protruding bay windows—remains an enduring pilgrimage site for film enthusiasts.
Now, listing brokers Richard Pretsfelder and Morgan Garofalo of real estate firm Leslie Garfield are pitching the 5,885-square-foot structure to high-net-worth buyers looking to capture cinematic pedigree.
The building sits on a parcel measuring 20 feet wide by 101 feet deep, offering proportions typical of late-nineteenth-century Manhattan residential architecture. Builders originally erected the property in 1894 as a single residence before contractors divided it during the early 1980s into seven independent rental apartments. That configuration remains in place today.
Yet the property offers significant architectural versatility.
Within the building's five above-ground levels and full basement sit eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms. An owner's duplex anchors the lower floors, equipped with central air conditioning, working wood-burning fireplaces, high period ceilings, and direct access to an enclosed rear garden. Official records show the building carries an annual municipal property tax obligation of $79,664.04.
With its generous width, substantial scale, original details, and flexible layout, 328 West 89th Street offers a unique opportunity to own a piece of Upper West Side history.
Leslie Garfield Listing Portfolio
| Property Metric | Listing Specification |
|---|---|
| Address | 328 West 89th Street, New York, NY |
| Asking Price | $3.95 million |
| Year Built | 1894 |
| Gross Interior Area | Approximately 5,885 sq ft |
| Lot Dimensions | 20 ft × 101 ft |
| Room Count | 8 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms |
| Current Configuration |
The listing surfaces just as studio executives prepare to revisit the underlying intellectual property. Warner Bros. Pictures is actively developing a contemporary remake of the 1998 classic. Director Jason Orley is penning the active draft based on an earlier screenplay written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, though studio representatives have not yet disclosed casting or narrative specifics.
Nora Ephron directed and co-wrote the original picture, loosely adapting the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch romantic comedy The Shop Around the Corner. The film paired Ryan against Tom Hanks—who portrayed corporate mega-bookstore scion Joe Fox—as competing merchants unknowingly courting each other across dial-up internet connections. The production went on to generate more than $250 million at the worldwide box office, cemented largely by its autumnal portrait of Manhattan streetscapes.
The Cultural Context: Manhattan properties with enduring cinematic footprints consistently command premium buyer interest, insulating prime residential townhouses from broader commercial real estate swings as international collectors and private investors pursue historic assets.
Prospective buyers are currently evaluating whether to operate the building as an income-producing multi-family rental property or commit the capital required to combine the seven units back into a single private residence.
| 7 rental units (Multi-family) |
| Annual Property Taxes | $79,664.04 |
| Listing Brokerage | Leslie Garfield (Richard Pretsfelder, Morgan Garofalo) |