Julia Fox Takes Sole Ownership of Harlem Brownstone After Buying Out Richie Shazam

On a quiet block in Harlem, another chapter in New York’s perennial real estate drama has unfolded: Julia Fox, the model, actress, and author who rose from city club kid to international notoriety, has bought out her longtime friend Richie Shazam’s stake in their shared brownstone. The transaction, finalized this week, ends a co-ownership that began when the pair—friends since their days at City-As-School High—pooled resources to buy into the historic neighborhood just before Harlem’s latest wave of attention.

Neighbors spotted Fox moving boxes into the brownstone early Wednesday morning, her signature look turning heads even among the city’s famously unflappable residents. Shazam, the photographer and nightlife fixture, was seen departing with a small entourage and a stack of framed prints, signaling an amicable split that’s more about logistics than rift. Both had been open about the challenges of sharing space while their careers accelerated in different directions.

The property itself, a four-story limestone on West 148th Street with original woodwork and a rooftop garden, has become emblematic of Harlem’s evolving social fabric. Fox and Shazam’s joint purchase was initially celebrated by local creatives as a rare example of chosen-family homeownership in a market that often feels out of reach for young artists. Their decision to part ways—at least as housemates—mirrors the shifting realities faced by many New Yorkers as the city’s cost of living continues its steady climb into autumn.

Sources close to Fox say she plans to keep the property as her primary residence and may use the garden unit as an artist’s studio. Shazam, meanwhile, is reportedly apartment-hunting in the East Village, closer to the downtown scene that first launched their career. For now, the former co-owners remain on good terms, a testament to the city’s ability to nurture enduring friendships even as addresses change.

In a city where every real estate deal tells a story about ambition, partnership, and reinvention, the Fox-Shazam buyout is just the latest twist—and a reminder that, whether you’re a celebrity or a civilian, home in New York is always a work in progress.