A duplex penthouse in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen has come to market at $6.995 million, as reported by PEOPLE on October 29, 2026, carrying one of the more unusual celebrity pedigrees in New York real estate: the unit sits atop the former Hit Factory recording studio building, and Lady Gaga reportedly lived there while working on her album “Born This Way.”
The framing matters here. Gaga is a former resident, not the seller — as far as reports say, she never owned the penthouse, and she is not the one listing it. Even the residency history is presented carefully in coverage of the listing: the current listing agent would not confirm which celebrities lived in the building, so the celebrity connections are reported rather than verified facts. What is on the record is the building itself — one of the most famous recording studios in pop history — and a fully renovated 3,700 square foot duplex beneath its rooftop.
Quick Facts
- Location: Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City
- Asking price: $6.995 million, as reported
- Building: The former Hit Factory recording studio, converted to a 27-unit condominium after the studio closed in 2005
- Layout: Duplex over the top two floors
- Bedrooms / Bathrooms: 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
- Living space: 3,700 sq ft
- Outdoor space: Private rooftop deck overlooking Midtown
- Last sold: $6.1 million in 2018, as reported
- Renovation: Gut-renovated 2021–2024, as reported
- Listed by: Douglas Elliman, as reported
Inside the Duplex
The penthouse spreads across the top two floors of the building as a true duplex, with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 3,700 square feet, as reported. Its signature space is outside: a private rooftop deck overlooking Midtown, the kind of amenity that in Manhattan functions as a second living room for much of the year and the feature that separates a top-floor unit from everything below it.
Because the home was gut-renovated between 2021 and 2024, as reported, the interior a buyer walks into today is essentially new — new systems and finishes inside a shell with a history very few New York buildings can match. That combination, historic bones and a fresh interior, is exactly what the $6.995 million asking price is built on.
The Renovation Story
The unit last sold for $6.1 million in 2018, as reported. The current owner then left it empty for three years before undertaking a gut renovation that ran from 2021 to 2024 — a long, deliberate project rather than a quick cosmetic flip.
That timeline explains the pricing. An owner who holds a unit empty for three years and then spends three more renovating is not speculating on a fast turnaround; the $6.995 million ask, against a $6.1 million purchase price from 2018, has to be read alongside six years of carrying costs and a full gut renovation. Whether the market agrees is the open question the listing will answer.
A Building Written Into Pop History
The Hit Factory was one of the defining recording studios of the modern pop era. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyoncé and Whitney Houston are among the artists who recorded there, as reported. After the studio closed in 2005, the building was converted into a 27-unit condominium — which is how a recording landmark became a residential address, and how a penthouse came to sit where studio history was made.
Buildings like this trade on two markets at once: the ordinary Manhattan market for space, light and location, and a thinner market of buyers for whom the history is itself the amenity. Graceland made the same transition in reverse — the story of Elvis Presley’s Graceland shows how a music landmark becomes inseparable from the artist’s legacy. In Hell’s Kitchen, the landmark is shared among many artists rather than owned by one.
The Reported Residents
Gaga reportedly lived in the penthouse while working on “Born This Way,” as reported — the album that produced some of her biggest hits, which ties her residency to a specific creative period rather than a passing stay. The unit is also reported to have housed Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tracy Morgan at various times.
All of these connections are framed as “reportedly” for a reason: the listing agent would not confirm which celebrities lived in the building. Residency stories attached to famous buildings are often true, often repeated, and rarely documented to a legal standard — buyers should enjoy them as part of the building’s lore rather than as warranted facts. The same care applies to celebrity associations elsewhere: the Marilyn Monroe Palm Springs ‘Doll House’ was marketed on an association with Monroe, who did not own it. In both cases the honest version of the story is still a good one.
What the Listing Tests
At $6.995 million, the penthouse asks the market to price three things at once: a renovated 3,700 square foot duplex, a private Midtown-facing rooftop, and a residency history that includes one of the biggest pop stars of the century. The first two can be compared against other Hell’s Kitchen and Midtown listings. The third cannot — which is precisely why buildings like the old Hit Factory keep producing listings that draw attention far beyond their square footage.
Key Features
- 3,700 sq ft duplex across the top two floors of the former Hit Factory building
- 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms
- Private rooftop deck overlooking Midtown
- Gut-renovated 2021–2024 after last selling for $6.1 million in 2018, as reported
- Building converted to a 27-unit condominium after the Hit Factory studio closed in 2005
- Reportedly a former residence of Lady Gaga during the “Born This Way” period
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lady Gaga selling this penthouse?
No. As reported, Gaga is a former resident of the unit — she reportedly lived there while working on her “Born This Way” album — and she is not the seller. As far as reports say, she never owned the penthouse.
How much is the former Hit Factory penthouse listed for?
The asking price is $6.995 million, as reported by PEOPLE on October 29, 2026. The listing is with Douglas Elliman.
What is the Hit Factory building?
The Hit Factory was a famous Manhattan recording studio where Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyoncé and Whitney Houston recorded, as reported. After the studio closed in 2005, the building was converted into a 27-unit condominium in Hell’s Kitchen.
What does the penthouse include?
As reported: 3,700 sq ft arranged as a duplex over the building’s top two floors, with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a private rooftop deck overlooking Midtown.
When did the penthouse last sell, and what has been done since?
The unit last sold for $6.1 million in 2018, as reported. The current owner left it empty for three years, then gut-renovated it between 2021 and 2024.
Did other celebrities live in the unit?
Reportedly, yes — the unit is reported to have also housed Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tracy Morgan. These residency connections, including Gaga’s, are reported rather than confirmed: the listing agent would not confirm which celebrities lived in the building.
