The New Jersey house in which fictional Mafia boss Tony Soprano and his family lived during the hit show that began 20 years ago is up for sale — with a hefty surcharge based on its television history.
Comparable homes in the North Caldwell neighborhood typically go for between $1.5 million and $2 million. But for the chance to use the same driveway that Tony Soprano, clad in his dressing gown, walked down to pick up his newspaper under the watchful eye of the FBI will cost $3.4 million.
Victor and Patti Recchia, owners of the house, which they built in 1987 and have lived in since, have set the ambitious starting price and asked for those interested to email them via [email protected] by June 21.
The 5,600-square-foot home includes 1.5 acres, four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, a powder room, two two-car garages, and a detached one-bedroom guesthouse. Although there have been updates, the house retains the ostentatious Italianate character depicted in the show. Property taxes are $34,005 a year.
“Those things can be quantified,” Victor Recchia, 65, a property developer, told the New York Times, “but I don’t think you can quantify the intrinsic value of this home.”
The couple’s property was used between 30 and 50 times during the show’s six-season run, which ended in 2007 with an 86th-episode cliffhanger that is still hotly debated by aficionados.
While the home was the set for the show’s pilot episode, filming was then moved to a set in Manhattan, though the exterior was used for the duration. While there were numerous marital and family arguments in the house, Tony’s murders and serial unfaithfulness took place in other locations.
Fans of “The Sopranos” often turn to take pictures. “We’ve met a lot of great people,” Victor said. When actor James Gandolfini, who played Tony, died suddenly in Rome in 2013 at the age of 51, fans left flowers, candles, and dried ziti by the curb.
