The mystery comedy-drama television series “Only Murders in the Building is” was created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, and first aired in August 2021. The plot followed three strangers played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, with a shared interest in true crime podcasts who teamed up to investigate a death in the apartment building they all lived in. The series received critical acclaim for its comedic approach to crime fiction, as well as the performances of the lead cast and the chemistry among them.

Only Murders In The Building Poster

In the first season, after a suspicious death in their affluent Upper West Side apartment building, the three neighbours started their own podcast about their investigation. In the second season, which premiered in June 2022, the trio themselves become suspects in the bloody murder of another building resident. The series have received numerous accolades, including nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Martin and Short. In July 2022, the series was renewed for a third season which is set to premiere in August 2023.

The Belnord entrance on West 86th Street

Besides the three main characters, there is one other, that being the apartment building at the corner of Broadway and West 86th Street in Upper West Side of Manhattan. The Belnord is a 13-story structure designed by Hiss and Weekes in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and occupies the full block between Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, and 86th and 87th Streets. It was built between 1908 and 1909 by a syndicate of investors as a rental apartment building. The Belnord is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building occupies a nearly rectangular site and has a limestone and brick facade, which is divided horizontally into three sections. On 86th Street, a pair of arches at the centre of the facade lead to an internal courtyard with a garden, driveway, and entrances to the apartments. The Belnord contains six entrances, each of which lead to a different set of apartments, and originally had a mechanical plant in the basement, as well as amenities such as horse stables and storage rooms. The building originally had 175 apartments, which were designed in the Louis XVI style. The apartments generally had multiple rooms and faced both the courtyard and the street. By the 1940s, the building had 225 units; this was further increased to 231 condominium units by the late 2010s. The design of the apartments dates to a 2010s renovation by Robert A. M. Stern.

A group of investors acquired the site from the Hoyt family in 1908 and developed the Belnord there. When the building was completed in October 1909, it was characterised as the United States’ largest apartment building. The Belnord was sold multiple times in the 1920s before being acquired by the City Bank-Farmers Trust Company in 1935. The bank sold the building in 1945, and the Belnord fell into disrepair during the next several decades. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the tenants were involved in multiple disputes with then-owner Lillian Seril, and many residents refused to pay rent because of the Belnord’s poor condition. Property Markets Group and Gary Barnett bought the Belnord in 1994, and Barnett spent over $100 million on renovations. Barnett's Extell Development Company sold the apartments in 2015 to the HFZ Capital Group, which converted many apartments to condominium units starting in 2017.

In the 2020s, comedic murder mystery series “Only Murders in the Building”, the Belnord was used as a filming location for exterior shots of the fictional Arconia Building. Interior shots for the show were filmed on a soundstage.