Former POTUS Barack Obama’s NYC College Pad is For Sale

With the launch of his new memoir A Promised Land, former President Barack Obama has been a familiar face on the media circuit. All this has led to some interesting revelations about our 44^th POTUS.

In his younger years, he was great at basketball but didn’t have much game with girls (Esquire). He prefers New York-style pizza to Chicago deep dish (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon). And he readily admits that not giving Dolly Parton a Medal of Freedom was a “mistake” (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert).

Thanks to People magazine, we also learned that the apartment President Obama lived in as a Columbia University political science student is on the market for $1.45 million. The three-bedroom, two-bath unit on West 114^th Street is one of 39 in a co-op building. Among the conveniences: a washing machine and dryer— a “priceless bonus for any college student.”

According to listing agency Brown Harris Stevens, the Upper West Side gem is perfectly positioned on a quiet tree-lined street in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood. Low maintenance and mortgage rates make it a “special opportunity.”

Meticulously renovated and maintained, high ceilings and large windows offer an abundance of natural light.

A windowed eat-in kitchen is designed to maximize entertaining and living space. Amenities include a cozy nook, high-end appliances, white cabinetry, glass-tiled back splash, and custom countertops.

The primary bedroom features a wall of closets and en-suite bathroom with double sinks and a windowed shower stall. Generous second and third bedrooms have spacious custom closets. A second bath has marble floor tiles and a soaking tub. All new plumbing, electrical, and LED lighting are another plus.

According to the New York Post, the building has been home to other famous residents.

A plaque outside the landmarked six-story co-op confirms that filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille lived there between 1906 and 1913.

Seeing the apartment piqued our curiosity about President Obama’s college years. According to his memoir, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, he transferred to Columbia University in 1981, searching for a closer connection to the African American community.

Later, in a 2005 interview with Columbia College Today, he says that time was “an intense period of study,” adding, “I spent a lot of time in the library. I didn’t socialize that much. I was like a monk.”

It also led us down the rabbit hole where we happened upon Barry.

The 2016 film chronicles “a pivotal year in the life of the future President during which he developed the foundations for his views on race, government, and what it means to be American,” according to Netflix.

The film also reveals his tastes in books (Gabriel Garcia Marquez vs. Naipaul) and music (Van Morrison, the Ohio Players, Bob Dylan), along with a look at the 1980s New York of Ed Koch and Ronald Reagan, graffitied subway cars, boom boxes, and the B-52s.

Fast forward almost four decades.

Just a couple more google clicks revealed just how much the former POTUS’ taste in real estate has evolved. The Obamas recently purchased an $11.75 million Martha’s Vineyard estate set on 29.3 acres.

A first family favorite vacation, the 6,892-square-foot home has picturesque ocean views, several stone fireplaces, seven bedrooms, and eight-and-a-half baths. Fun fact: the former owner was Boston Celtic owner Wycliffe Grousbeck.

People calls the purchase “a feather in their cap” after the Obamas’ record-breaking year.

In the three weeks since its release, A Promised Land has topped the New York Times best-seller list. And to date, Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, has sold more than 11 million copies.

Former President Barack Obama’s New York digs, 622 West 114th Street, Apartment #43, is on the market for $1.45 million.