CCS Pictures via Wikimedia Commons / Paul Thompson, public domain via Wikimedia Commons
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Olivia Dunne, the social media influencer and former LSU gymnast, was recently denied the chance to purchase a historic Upper West Side apartment once owned by Babe Ruth — and a new report suggests her online presence may have been the reason why.
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According to a follow-up story by the New York Post, a neighbor at 345 West 88th Street claimed that the building’s co-op board rejected Dunne’s all-cash, $1.59 million offer because she had posted about the purchase on Instagram. Though the 22-year-old never revealed the address or specific details, a video she shared in May — showing her walking along a beach with the caption “bought a nyc apt” — reportedly rubbed board members the wrong way.
“She messed up,” a building resident told the Post. “The board got pissed because she put it on her Instagram.”
The seventh-floor, three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom co-op at 345 West 88th Street had been Ruth’s home from 1920 to 1940. A plaque on the building commemorates his time there with his second wife, Claire Merritt Ruth, and their adopted daughter Julia Ruth Stevens.
Dunne was expecting this to be her first real estate purchase and had already hired an interior designer. In a TikTok video shared earlier this week, she shared her disappointment about the rejection, saying her and boyfriend Paul Skenes (of the Pittsburgh Pirates) were already planning their move.
“It got to the point where the realtor was so confident, Paul and I went, I got an interior designer because I didn’t want to bring my college furniture to Babe Ruth’s apartment, that would be like, criminal,” she said in the video.
She added that the board’s decision wasn’t related to her finances and speculated on the possible reasons behind the denial.
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“It could have been, for all I know, they could have been Alabama fans and I went to LSU,” she said. “Maybe they didn’t want a public figure living there … but I was literally supposed to get the keys and that week they denied me.”
The seller’s agent told the Post they were “all shocked and displeased” by the board’s decision and tried to get them to reconsider, but were told the decision was final. Dunne’s deposit was refunded, and the unit is back on the market.
“This is New York City, this is co-op stuff,” another building resident said. “It’s different than condo. It happens all the time.”
Dunne, one of the highest-paid college athletes under the NCAA’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules, has made an estimated $9.5 million through sponsorships and endorsements. Despite the setback, she has not commented further on whether she plans to continue searching for a home on the Upper West Side.
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Who knew that you’re not supposed to share everything on social media? Well, everyone with a scintilla of smarts.
This Board is CLEARLY out of touch with reality. First, sharing on social media – particularly for a celeb like Dunne – is practically de rigueur. And bigger celebs have been okayed by Boards of MUCH more important and “known” buildings like this.
Second, the point is that her communication presence is ONLINE – NOT IRL; i.e., not a “threat” to either the building or its tenants. Now, if she had posted the address and told all her millions of followers to show up and come to a big old party, THAT would have been good cause to reject her.
But she didn’t post the address (though, yes, it would not take too much time for an intrepid fan to find it out), and is not the kind of celeb to HAVE those kinds of parties. She is, by all accounts, quite private about her private life as a general matter, and would likely be a good, easygoing, perhaps even helpful tenant. As an aside, she would also probably be away much of the time, since she has professional commitments in at last three different career areas.
I want to offer Ms. Dunne an apology on behalf of all the NYers who feel she was “done wrong,” and feel that the Board is WAY out of touch. We would have loved to have had such a talented, beautiful young woman as an UWSer!
Um, she still should have waited until after the deal was inked and signed.
No co-op board is going to be interested in a Social Media personality announcing where she/he lives and giving a tour — matters not that Ms Dunne doesn’t have a reputation for throwing “those kind of parties”.
There are plenty of beautiful women on the UWS, I can’t comment on any talent of Ms Dunne, though I guess I could find gymnastic videos if I cared.
Olivia…err…Ian-Saying that she’s “quite private about her private life” would seem to be in direct contradiction with her posting about this transaction prior to close. It also requires blissful ignorance of the sensibilities of coop boards. Lesson learned. When you step into a market where the rules do not apply get a guide who can explain the etiquette.
I think you know very well that when I say “private life,” I’m talking about personal matters, not what neighborhood she happens to live in. And as I noted, “Bigger celebs have been okayed by Boards of MUCH more important and “known” buildings…” – even after posting the neighborhood in which they purchased. My comment stands.
Olivia-most would define disclosing details about the purchase of a coop prior to close not just personal but foolish. Not here to be right-just open your young mind to consider what the consequences may be in over sharing. It’s not personal – it’s business.
There are literally THOUSANDS of buildings on the UWS. Since she did not give the address, why the heck would it matter that she wrote about the closing before it happened?
Plenty of celebs have announced their inevitable (but not yet closed) real estate deals on the UWS through the years. Why pick on HER?
Ian, spot on. This seems like a BS reason to reject an all cash offer. She didn’t post an address. There must be an actual reason which the co-op Board prefers to keep private, i.e. they resent a 22 year old woman with money and a social media following.
Why would Olivia’s realtor not have advised her about co-op boards, their power, and predilections? She’s young and has no experience with NYC real estate. Try again, Olivia, we would love to have you on the UWS.
Alison,
Likely because the real estate broker isn’t real bright.
Well, whoever the broker was he/she just lost a commission of tens of thousands of dollars, it not more than a 100K. Lesson learnt by both the individual broker and Ms Dunne.
I am surprised the real estate firm didn’t include a warning about not posting real estate hunting to Social Media when the broker was training.
Having been an officer of a co-op board fora decade or so, my guess is it’s not so about her she was buying some anonymous residence. I’d bet you the real reason is they simply do not want the notoriety. It’s a very small building so paparazzi camping in front means other residents need to navigate said collection mostly blocking the entrance. While they may not be camped all the time, ever time she “makes the news” they will be there in large numbers.
paulc,
Right.
And here I’ll add, that I’m a bit surprised that this website announces when some celebrity has purchased and apartment in some building on the UWS. It’s very NYPost, without the semi clad women and breathless verbiage.
So someone might find out where she lives???? C’mon. There are celebs all over NYC. The beauty of NYC is that people are allowed to be semi anonymous during their daily lives.
It’s only fictional Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in the village that has a few gawkers.
Posting on social media???????? Oy. Such a terrible thing.
I’m on a coop board, and if we rejected an all cash offer from someone who could easily afford the maintenance, we’d be fodder for lawsuits.
Ron,
It’s not simply about where she lives; it’s the willingness to share details regards the interior of her building/apartment. She could have simply waited until the deal was signed and formally approved.
You know, post before and after photos of her apartment AFTER it had been redecorated, while omitting any reference to the Sultan of Swat (he did live in several UWS apartments–the Ansonia being the most famous address) and the specific street.
As a NYC resident, you’re supposed to ignore celebs on the street, and not publicly proclaim where they live, unless it’s widely known because of some public event, eg the assassination of John Lennon. Someone just as famous as Lennon owned a townhouse on the UWS for years, and may still, but you don’t see that person’s name mentioned. Even in the NYPost.
This will pass, Ms Dunne will buy an apartment in another building, and she’ll have learnt her lesson.
Coop boards, remember one rejected Madonna, and she could afford to pay cash and easily cover the maintenance. In some ways more infamously (I won’t share the details, but they’re public), the Dakota rejected Billy Joel in the late 1970s.