MW Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Olivia Dunne says NYC co-op rejected her after bid for Babe Ruth's old apartment

By Kelsi Karruli

'The people in the building voted to not have me live there, which is fine.'

Star gymnast turned TikTok sensation Olivia Dunne has admitted that she was rejected by a New York co-op board after putting in an all-cash offer on a $1.6 million apartment that was once owned by baseball legend Babe Ruth.

The 22-year-old Sports Illustrated swimsuit model-who boasts 8 million followers on the video-sharing platform-rose to online stardom as a New Jersey high schooler, before finding further fame as a member of the LSU Tigers gymnastics team between 2021 and 2024.

However, her celebrity standing did little to help her win over the board of the luxurious New York City co-op where Ruth's "iconic" former apartment is located, with the influencer admitting in a newly posted video that she was denied entry to the building, despite having an offer accepted.

"Guys, I'm so upset. A few months ago, I decided I was going to make my first real estate purchase, which is so exciting, and I was going to get an apartment in New York City. But the gag was, it was Babe Ruth's apartment," she said.

"So naturally, I was telling everybody. I was going to buy it and pay with cash, I wanted this apartment bad," she added of the three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom abode.

The college graduate, who is dating MLB player Paul Skenes, admitted that she went into the co-op board approval process with complete confidence, confessing that she and her partner had already hired an interior designer to help them decorate the opulent space.

"It got to the point where the realtor was so confident, Paul and I went and I got an interior designer because I didn't want to bring my college furniture to Babe Ruth's apartment, that would be criminal," she explained.

"The week that I am supposed to get my keys to brand new apartment, I get a call and the co-op board denied me. So pretty much, the people in the building voted to not have me live there, which is fine."

Dunne made clear that the rejection had nothing to do with her financials-noting that she had made a cash offer on the space in the hopes of improving her odds of it being accepted by the seller-before joking that it could well be to do with her history as an LSU athlete.

"It wasn't financial, for all I know they could have been Alabama fans and I went to LSU," she said.

The athlete then urged her followers to avoid apartments in co-op buildings, which have a notoriously tricky approval process that often sees prospective buyers being forced to interview with members of a board, who have the ability to immediately deny access to anyone who they feel is unsuitable for the building.

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In Dunne's case, she conceded that the board's decision may well have been related to her celebrity status, however she said that did little to lessen the sting of the rejection.

"Maybe they didn't want a public figure living there, but I was literally about to get my keys and then they denied me. It was just iconic, it was literally Babe Ruth's apartment," she went on. "But long story short, don't try to live in a co-op, you might get denied and you won't get Babe Ruth's apartment."

Co-op buildings are housing units that are owned and controlled jointly by a group of individuals who typically own shares in the housing community-with each unit representing a certain portion of those shares.

The properties are, more often than not, run like a nonprofit corporation, complete with a board of directors that makes decisions on the day-to-day running and maintenance of the building, including the use of residents' monthly fees.

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Co-op owners do not actually own their unit, but instead buy shares of the co-op, relative to the size and desirability of their apartment space.

Although not the norm across much of the U.S., co-op buildings are traditionally much more common place in densely populated cities, like New York and Washington, D.C.

Ruth's former dwelling is located in a 52-unit building on New York's Upper West Side, which is described as having "fabulous character."

The New York Yankees legend, whose full name was George Herman Babe Ruth Jr., lived in the home between 1920 and 1940 with his wife, Claire Merritt Ruth, and their adopted daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens.

While the iconic New York family lived there, the home was a large 12-room unit, which has since been divided into two apartments.

The dwelling features soaring ceilings and rich wood flooring that accentuate its expansive space.

The living area features built-in storage and a large window.

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It leads into a chic dining area that boasts ample space for a large dining table and more built-storage space.

"In the beautifully designed contemporary kitchen, sleek white cabinetry, gray countertops and tile backsplashes surround state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances, including a vented gas range, side-by-side refrigerator and dishwasher.

"A wide breakfast bar welcomes casual meals, while the adjacent service entrance is finished with a closet, mudroom seating, floor-to-ceiling cabinetry and an in-unit washer-dryer for effortless arrivals and departures," the listing reads.

The primary bedroom boasts a king-sized bed and plenty of space for multiple other seating areas.

There are also three closets, including a walk-in and linen cupboard.

Meanwhile, the primary bathroom features an oversized tub and shower.

The New York Post previously spoke to Julia, who died in 2019 at the age of 102, and recalled the fond memories she had in the apartment.

"My fondest memories [of the apartment] are of me and Father listening to 'The Green Hornet' on the radio and looking out to Riverside Park

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"Mom and Dad loved to entertain there. We had a maid and a cook, and Dad would always invite Yankees who had been traded and were in town with other teams. He knew they wanted a home-cooked meal [while on the road]," she told the outlet at the time.

This story originally ran on Realtor.com.

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July 15, 2025 05:02 ET (09:02 GMT)

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