01 / Private Dinner
Long Tables, Lower Voices
Seated tasting menus for 14 to 50, plated in the open kitchen and walked to the table.
Est. SoHo · 496 Broome Street
Imagine House
NYC
Intimate, elevated experiences inside a two-story cast-iron loft once woven into the artistic heartbeat of downtown New York.
40.7223° N · 74.0021° W
Cast-Iron Historic District
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Chapter 01 — Heritage
A loft with a quiet legend.
Tucked into SoHo's cast-iron blocks, 496 Broome has long belonged to the city's artistic memory. In the autumn of 1971 — shortly after the Beatles parted ways and Lennon released Imagine — John Lennon and Yoko Ono purchased the two-story loft from artist David Diao through their company, Ono Music. It was the first home they owned together in New York.
For the two years that followed, the building was home, workplace, and gathering place — a quiet downtown counterpart to the studios uptown, with a recording room clad in purple carpet on the upper floor and a steady current of artists, musicians, and poets through its doors. The couple moved on to the Dakota in 1973; the building remained in the family for over fifty years.
Today, Imagine House is a private salon for considered gatherings: a dinner of fourteen, a brand's softest debut, an album played start-to-finish on vinyl. The room does the talking.
496 Broome St · c. 1971
Archive
A House With A Past
- AcquiredNovember 1971 · from artist David Diao
- In ResidenceLennon & Ono, 1971–1973
- DistrictSoHo-Cast Iron Historic · designated 1973
- FaçadeBrick · bluestone · checkered glass
- Footprint3,832 sq ft · 14 ft+ ceilings
- ProvenanceRecording studio · gallery · salon
3,832
Square Feet
14′
Ceiling Height
1885
Year Built
Chapter 02 — The Space
Two floors. One mood.
A 3,800-square-foot duplex with original wide-plank hardwood, twin skylights, cast-iron columns and an open mezzanine. The room shifts effortlessly from a seated dinner of fifty to a standing reception of one hundred and fifty.
- Footprint3,800+ sq ft, duplex
- Capacity50 seated · 150 reception
- LightTwin skylights · south-facing windows
- FloorOriginal wide-plank hardwood
- SoundTuned in-room system · vinyl rig
- CateringOpen kitchen · prep pantry
- AccessStreet-level · freight elevator
Chapter 03 — Experiences
What unfolds inside.
Six formats we know intimately. Or bring us a seventh — the room tends to oblige.
02 / Brand Activation
Soft Launches, Loud Memories
A two-floor canvas for product debuts, capsule reveals and editorial press evenings.
03 / Pop-Up
Three Days. SoHo Footfall.
Short-run retail and concept residencies between Broadway and West Broadway.
04 / Art Installation
A Room as Frame
Sculpture, sound and projection installations sympathetic to the building's bones.
05 / Listening Room
An Album, Side A to B
Vinyl sessions, intimate sets and DJ residencies on a tuned in-room system.
06 / Cultural Salon
Talks, Readings, Long Pauses
Intimate conversations on architecture, design and the city — held in the round.
Chapter 04 — Calendar
The season ahead.
A live look at what is unfolding inside 496 Broome — chef residencies, brand debuts, listening rooms and salons. Some are open by RSVP, most by invitation.
Highlighted · Upcoming
Want a date that isn't listed? Propose your event below — our team replies within 48 hours.
Chapter 05 — Inquiries
Propose your event.
Imagine House is curated by invitation. Share the shape of your idea — a date, a guest count, a feeling — and our team replies within two business days with hold options and a tailored quote.
- →Hold dates available 6–9 months out
- →In-house production, F&B partners, AV and lighting
- →Co-curation available for cultural programming
- →Confidential intake — NDAs honoured on request
A Note On Curation
We host a limited number of evenings each season. Brief inquiries are warmly received — detailed ones move faster.
Private Inquiry
Tell us about your evening
Accepting Submissions
Chapter 06 — Gallery
A year, in rooms.
A loose archive of recent evenings — many under embargo, all unrepeatable.
