Hollywood’s favourite murder-mystery series, ‘Only Murders in the Building’, boasts an all-star cast, from main leads Mabel (Selena Gomez), Oliver (Martin Short), and Charles (Steve Martin), to guest A-listers such as Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, Paul Rudd, and a list that goes on and on to eternity. But just like the main detective trio, there is another constant character in the show (however cliché it may sound): the ‘Building’ itself, the Arconia apartment complex of New York.
As the title not-so-subtly points out, the series follows three unlikely friends and amateur podcasters solving murder cases that occur only under their roof. This makes the Arconia the epicentre of gruesome crimes and suspenseful action sequences, as well as humour and style, somehow turning the show into an ultimate comfort watch. By Season 5, which premiered a few months back, the Arconia and its quirky residents have created a familiar environment for many viewers. But what is the real story and inspiration behind the alluring architecture and interior of the ‘Building’ that makes all of this intrigue possible?
Arconia 1.0s: Real Buildings Behind the Fiction
Cutting to the chase, the Arconia that viewers came to love on screen doesn’t quite exist. It does, however, have a very real exterior and courtyard used for filming, with the pre-war, Renaissance-inspired apartments of The Belnord providing the stage. From an interior architectural and even storytelling perspective, the real inspiration was the by-no-coincidence similar-sounding Ansonia residential hotel. Both buildings were marvels of the early 20th-century Upper West Side and the height of luxury of their time, and they remain so today with timeless elegance and rich historical backgrounds.
The Belnord
Completed in 1909 by architects Hiss and Weekes, this city-block-spanning apartment complex was originally built with 175 residences, which increased to around 231 flats over the decades. The neighbourhood is home to other grandiose apartment blocks, such as the Apthorp and the Dakota, and is a stone’s throw away from both Riverside Park and Central Park. It’s now iconic grand wrought-iron gates and burgundy Roman-styled frescos mark the spot where ‘Only Murders in the Building’ main trio first converge on a murder investigation; a truly special entrance to highlight the duality of the luxury status and lingering ominosity around the Arconia.
Beyond the gates lies the Belnord’s courtyard, a block-wide, sunlit oasis in the Manhattan concrete jungle, redesigned by landscape architect Edmund Hollander in 2018. At the time of its original construction, it was the largest interior courtyard in the world, and is still one of the biggest found in the Big Apple. Designed with carriages in mind, its formal, geometric layout has been preserved, crowned by a romantic fountain and framed with lush greenery and blooming flower pots. On screen, the courtyard becomes a plot device, a space where residents linger, observe, and interact during pivotal moments, from Oliver’s impromptu wedding to Season 5’s scene of a crime.
The structure’s monumental scale also supports more subtle narratives. From one tower to another, residents can observe and even spy on neighbours, a feature mirrored in the Westies’ storyline, where the main characters investigate residents of the West Tower, mostly renters with less extravagant apartments compared to the wealthier owners in the North Tower. The Belnord’s six distinct lobbies, each with multiple entrances including private elevators, grand staircases and freight lifts, create layered, almost secretive movement through the exterior spaces. While viewers of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ never see this interior on screen, as it was filmed in a studio, the building’s actual layout clearly inspired the show’s depiction of how residents move and interact.
The Ansonia
A much more influential imprint for the Arconia’s interiors, where most of the main plotline takes place, comes from the lavish apartments of the Ansonia. Built between 1899 and 1904 by William Earl Dodge Stokes and designed by Paul Emile DuBoy, the building was conceived as a full-service residential hotel with a theatrical flair. It’s 17 stories, housed hundreds of suites, along with amenities of a fantasy world, from rooftop gardens and elaborate ballrooms, to vibrant restaurants and Turkish baths, and for a short time, even a small farm, supplying fresh produce to residents.
No wonder the spaces of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ were inspired by this heritage, combining Ansonia’s grandeur with the distinct personalities of the main cast. Oliver’s apartment is the embodiment of his career in theatre; the dark, saturated palette, eclectic furnishings, and stage-like living area all stem from his life in show business, which also reflects his dramatic, larger-than-life character. On the other side of the spectrum, Charles’s space feels clean-cut, scholarly, yet comfortable, layered with subtle textures and warm tones that mirror his more structured lifestyle and quiet eccentricity. Mabel’s living space evolves through the seasons, from redecorating her aunt’s run-down unit and essentially living in the middle of a refurbishment site, before eventually settling into her own cosy nook in the West Tower. The current light, neutral palette of her studio and sense of minimal comfort reflect a simpler, more modern outlook, quite different from the ornate apartments of her neighbours.
Each set, while constructed on a soundstage, channels the building’s deeply atmospheric interiors. The Ansonia’s apartments were imagined as little magical realms, with sweeping staircases, floor-to-ceiling windows, herringbone floors, and unruly flourishes that gave each residence its own distinct character. Even today, the building’s rounded turrets, intricate terracotta detailing, and dramatic domed skylight create a sense of lived-in splendour. And this fantastical quality is inseparable from the lore surrounding Ansonia’s history, from marriage scandals to famous tenants, real criminal cases, and hidden rooms. Such a setting 6neighbours might be up to schemes, or that an ordinary hallway could lead somewhere entirely unordinary.
Modern Implications
It is no coincidence that ‘Only Murders in the Building’ is being renewed for its 6th season, because, besides its incredibly charming cast and ever-surprising plot twists, the Arconia is a clear icon of the show. Without giving too much away on the plot, Mabel, Oliver, and Charles spend a substantial chunk of Season 5 trying to protect the building’s rich heritage and history from being repurposed as a casino. While there is already a hidden game room discovered under the Arconia – inspired by last century’s hidden parlours with velvet and gold-coated furniture and a mystifying old-school atmosphere – a case is made for why the whole building shouldn’t follow suit, especially in the form of a modern ‘Vegas fever dream’.
The audience can also resonate with this protective sentiment, not only by sympathising with the beloved characters potentially losing their homes, but also because such utterly mesmerising places to live are rare for most viewers. Owning or even renting an Arconia-style apartment is beyond many ordinary people’s budgets, and realistically speaking, these residences are much harder to come by. Both the Belnord and the Ansonia are part of the National Register of Historic Places, representing a different time in history.
Today’s residential housing, especially in a metropolis like New York, often focuses on standardisation and cost efficiency, moulding buildings in a utilitarian fashion. While the extravagance of heritage sites like the Belnord and the Ansonia was always a privileged form of living, one can still wonder why some of the whimsical, mystical, and traditionally elegant elements they embody rarely return in new constructions or renovations. Perhaps the success of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ and the way so many viewers are invested in the Arconia’s fate is a signal that modern residential architecture doesn’t have to equal simplicity – there could be room for a sense of wonder and fantasy in the 21st-century apartment.
References:
Ansonia Realty (n.d.) Home. Available at: https://www.ansoniarealty.com/home
Architectural Digest (2021) The Arconia: Everything Only Murders in the Building Fans Need to Know. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-arconia-everything-only-murders-in-the-building-fans-need-to-know
Architectural Digest (2023) Go Behind the Scenes of Only Murders in the Building Season 3. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/go-behind-the-scenes-of-only-murders-in-the-building-season-3
Belnord Landmark Conservancy (n.d.) The Arconia: What Only Murders in the Building Fans Need to Know. Available at: https://www.belnordlandmarkconservancy.org/the-arconia-what-only-murders-in-the-buildingfans-need-to-know/
Elle Decor (2024) Inside the Real Manhattan Apartment Building Behind Only Murders in the Building. Available at:
https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/a61803192/only-murders-in-the-building-the-arconia-nyc-manhattan-apartment/
House Beautiful (2023) Where Is The Arconia from Only Murders in the Building Filmed? Available at:
https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a67949528/the-arconia-only-murders-in-the-building-filming-location/
The Belnord (n.d.) Sense of Arrival. Available at: https://thebelnord.com/sense-of-arrival/
Town & Country (2022) The Arconia: The Real Building Behind Only Murders in the Building. Available at:
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a40559042/the-arconia-only-murders-in-the-building/
Vanity Fair (2022) Only Murders in the Building: Inside the Real Ansonia That Inspired the Arconia. Available at:
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/07/only-murders-in-the-building-ansonia-arconia-apartments
Vogue Australia (2023) The Ansonia Building, New York – AND Studio. Available at: https://www.vogue.com.au/vogue-living/interiors/and-studio-the-ansonia-building-new-york/image-gallery/e18b78fdc252e58e25915f565b420afe
