An unkempt property in need of repairs a decade ago, Prince's so-called Purple Rain House in Minneapolis is being refurbished and will soon be available for overnight stays as an Airbnb Icons property.
One extra selling point fans might go crazy for: Prince's Revolution bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman are advertised as the rental's hosts.
"Sleep like the Kid himself," reads the listing for the house at Airbnb.com, which shows a photo of a purple-hued basement bedroom recognizable from the movie "Purple Rain." The site says reservations will be available starting in August.
Located at 3420 Snelling Av. S. in Minneapolis' Longfellow neighborhood, the three-bedroom, two-story property was used in 1983 for the filming of "Purple Rain" as the home where Prince's character, the Kid, lived with his squabbling parents. Prince himself never actually lived there.
However, when the house was last up for sale, in 2015, Prince quietly bought the property for $117,000. His purchase was kept under wraps until after his death a year later, when the house was included in estate-related documents.
"I don't think he had a plan; I think he just wanted it," said the selling agent in that 2015 transaction, Deborah Larsen of Coldwell Banker in Minneapolis.
Prince's estate still owns the house and has signed off on it being repurposed per Airbnb's vision, estate representatives confirmed. The late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's estate is now split into separate companies, Prince Legacy and Prince OAT Holdings, after some siblings sold their stakes to Primary Wave management group.
Airbnb hopes the Purple Rain House will join the upper echelon of its Icons properties nationwide. They include the "Home Alone" movie house in Chicago; a "Hocus Pocus" witches cottage near Salem, Mass., and both the Scooby-Doo's Mystery Machine van and the Barbie Malibu DreamHouse in Malibu, Calif.
Minneapolis' new Icons rental was far from dreamy in 2015, when a Realtor.com page for the 1,348-square-foot property bluntly read, "This home needs to be rehabbed." Photos from that time showed the 1913 house empty with lots of scuffs and stains on the walls, and with the basement looking more dungeon-like than the royal look now seen in the Airbnb listing.
"This will not only be the first time the home is restored, but also the first time it will be open to the public," Haven Thorn, communications manager for Airbnb, said of the rental.
"This is more than just a stay," Thorn added, pointing to extras that will be included, such as: Prince memorabilia; unreleased recordings from the "Purple Rain" sessions that visitors can hear; screenings of the movie, plus the chance to converse with Wendy and Lisa.
It's unclear exactly how often or how closely the two Revolution band members will be involved, but Airbnb says the duo will "show guests around the house" and "sit down for a chat" with visitors during certain stays.
Now based around Los Angeles, Melvoin and Coleman are due back in Minneapolis to perform with the rest of the Revolution at First Avenue on June 21 and 22, the same weekend as the Celebration at Paisley Park — before the Airbnb house's scheduled August availability. This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the "Purple Rain" soundtrack's release (June 25) and the movie's (July 27).
Prices have not yet been revealed for stays at the property. Let's hope, in Prince's own words, they're not too demanding.
