Is The Arconia from Only Murders In the Building a real New York apartment?

The Acronia from Only Murders in the Building has been central to the hit show starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

Only Murders in the Building season 5, which has just landed, sees the team investigate the murder of doorman Lester in the courtyard fountain.

"Lester was the beating heart of the building, and in a way, we took him for granted. Without him, it's falling apart," Michael Cyril Creighton, who plays Howard, told us.

Lester was found lying in a bloody fountain following Oliver's (Short) wedding to actor Loretta (Meryl Streep) in the finale of season 4.

So, what’s the real story behind The Arconia?

Is The Arconia from OMITB a real New York apartment?

While The Arconia isn't called that, it is a real building. Lester's death and other key scenes are filmed at Manhattan’s swanky real-life building The Belnord, which stands in as the show's fictitious Arconia.

Built in 1908, the block’s famous residents have included Hollywood star Walter Matthau, and you can pick up a luxury apartment in The Belnord for a few million dollars.

"For our story and our fictional Arconia, I knew we needed a home that carried enough history and elegance to hold a world of mystery and intrigue — and one that could also serve as a fitting backdrop worthy of our legendary cast," said John Hoffman, who co-created the series with Steve Martin, to House Beautiful.

To reflect its exclusivity, The Belnord has its own website! It says: "The grandest of the Upper West Side apartment houses, palatial, beautifully proportioned, the Belnord is as ageless as its limestone sisters elsewhere in Manhattan.

"It retains its special distinction as a cosseting, private haven in the midst of its vibrant, lively Upper West Side neighborhood."

It continues that the 13-storey building has six residential lobbies, each one with three entrances and a private lift for residents.

In short, the real building is flashier than The Arconia. The real apartments also appear to be bigger, and there seem to be fewer apartments per floor than there are in Only Murders. The real building generally only has two apartments per floor.

Is the inside of The Belnord used for filming?

Alas, no, the inside shots are filmed in a studio. This is very common practice. It's quite unusual for a building to be used for both the external and interior shots.

But if you're in New York, you can at least pop along to 225 West 86th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to give yourself the Only Murders vibe. Just be careful, though, a lot of mysterious deaths seem to happen around there!

Only Murders season 5 is available on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.