- Year built
- 1979
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 51
- Floors
- 23
- Landmark
- Designated
- Subletting
- Restrictive (typical of Fifth Avenue Museum Mile tier-one cooperatives)
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median
- $4.5M
- Recent range
- $950K – $5.6M
- Listing discount
- 7.5%
- Recorded transfers
- 50
1001 Fifth Avenue is the building Philip Johnson designed to fit in rather than to stand out — and the philosophical decision is among the most interesting facade arguments in late 20th-century Manhattan apartment design. Johnson, by 1979 already among America's most decorated architects (the Glass House in New Canaan; the Seagram Building with Mies; the AT&T Building under construction concurrently with 1001 Fifth), accepted the commission with an explicit instruction from the developer: produce a building that would be visually compatible with its Fifth Avenue neighbors.
The decision was philosophically loaded. Across the same years Johnson was designing 1001 Fifth, he was also designing the AT&T Building (now 550 Madison) — the explicit postmodern landmark whose Chippendale-pediment top remains among the most discussed corporate facades in American architectural history. The two buildings were Johnson's parallel statements on postmodernism: the AT&T Building was the assertive, eclectic, historically referential postmodern; 1001 Fifth was the sober, contextualist, deliberately quieter postmodern. The pairing reflects the depth of Johnson's engagement with the postmodern question through the late 1970s.
The facade itself is limestone-clad, classically proportioned, and visually compatible with the neighboring 998 Fifth Avenue (McKim, Mead & White, 1912) on the south corner of 81st Street. Where 1001 Fifth diverges from a pure classical reading is at the top: Johnson designed the upper parapet as a mansard-style false front mounted at the rear of the roof, visible from the street but architecturally non-functional. The detail has been variously praised as wry contextualist commentary and criticized as the kind of "façadism" that postmodernism enabled. The architectural-historical reading typically treats it as among the more thoughtful expressions of the postmodern facade question in apartment-building context.
The cooperative ownership culture has tracked the Museum Mile Fifth Avenue tier-one norm — primary-residence intent, substantial financial scrutiny, board posture aligned with the broader Upper East Side trophy corridor. The 51-unit scale produces an inventory density between the smaller Carnegie Hill tier-one buildings (998 Fifth: 17; 944 Fifth: 15; 1020 Fifth: 14) and the larger pre-war Park Avenue buildings, producing moderate annual turnover.
For buyers, 1001 Fifth occupies a particular position within the Fifth Avenue tier-one canon: post-war vintage (1979 — meaningfully more recent than the surrounding pre-wars) with materially different mechanical systems and floor-plate flexibility, paired with a facade that is intentionally architecturally compatible with the pre-war corridor. Pricing reflects the post-war vintage relative to neighboring pre-war Carpenter / McKim Mead & White / Carrère & Hastings inventory, while the address itself — directly across Fifth Avenue from the Met — is among the most consequential single addresses in Manhattan.
Architecture and unit composition
The 51 apartments span configurations from approximately 1,500 sf 2BRs to substantially larger 4–5 BR configurations and a small inventory of duplex apartments across the 23 floors. Apartment configurations are more efficient than equivalent pre-war floor plates given the 1979 vintage — fewer service wings, more efficient kitchens, more contemporary primary-suite configurations.
Park-facing apartments on the western flank have unobstructed Central Park views directly across to the Met Museum's east facade, the Park's Conservatory Garden and Reservoir slightly north, and the West Side beyond. The Fifth Avenue corridor's median plantings frame the view. View permanence is essentially absolute — Central Park is permanent and the Fifth Avenue corridor is built out.
Ceilings on most apartment floors are approximately 9 feet — lower than the 10–11 foot pre-war norm but consistent with 1970s-era apartment construction. The trade-off (lower ceilings, more efficient mechanical systems, more contemporary apartment configuration) is structural to the building's post-war positioning.
Building operations
1001 Fifth operates as a full-service post-war cooperative with full-time doorman, concierge, on-site superintendent, private storage, and a fitness room. The 51-apartment scale produces a moderate operational density characteristic of post-war Museum Mile inventory.
Specific policy details (financing posture, flip tax structure, sublet policy specifics, pied-à-terre allowance) should be confirmed directly with property management during due diligence. The board posture follows tier-one Museum Mile Fifth Avenue norms — rigorous financial review, strong personal references, primary-residence intent the working assumption.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $54,887/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $65
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into for you.
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent). Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library.
See the full facade history →Recent sales
Recent transfers at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. Apartment-level facts are independently verified before publishing; sale prices reflect the recorded transfer amount at the NYC Department of Finance.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2026 | 14B | 1 BR · 1 BA · private outdoor | $950,000 | +11.8% | |
| Nov 26, 2025 | 4C | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,450,000 | -7.5% | |
| Aug 1, 2025 | 17BC | 4 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,500 sf · private outdoor | $5,600,000 | $2,240/sf | -6.6% |
| Jul 9, 2024 | 8AB | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · private outdoor | $2,400,000 | -7.7% | |
| Jul 21, 2023 | 11B | 1 BR · 1 BA · private outdoor | $1,021,500 | -14.5% | |
| Feb 17, 2023 | 6C | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,525,000 | -4.7% | |
| Sep 16, 2021 | 10B | 1 BR · 1 BA · private outdoor | $1,125,000 | -18.2% | |
| Mar 29, 2021 | 1N | 1 BA · 700 sf | $600,000 | $857/sf | -20.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,704/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 6.7% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 3, 2025 | 9C | $2,630,000 |
| Apr 1, 2025 | 9AB | $4,525,000 |
| Nov 21, 2022 | 4D | $1,100,000 |
| Feb 8, 2021 | 18BC | $6,875,000 |
| Feb 8, 2021 | 18A | $5,000,000 |
| Jun 8, 2018 | 5B | $995,000 |
Full closing history with price-per-square-foot over time, the complete retrade record, and every line that has traded.
Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 1-01493-0072) and verified listing data. Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified by The Roebling Team research desk. Not all transactions cross-verify with ACRIS records — sponsor and LLC purchases sometimes record at stipulated values rather than market price; square footage on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
The Johnson facade is a real architectural credential. Buyers attentive to architectural history find the Johnson + Burgee + Birnbaum design distinguishing among Fifth Avenue post-war inventory.
The post-war vintage produces real efficiency. Apartment configurations are more contemporary than equivalent pre-war floor plates; mechanical systems are newer; ceiling heights are lower but layouts are more efficient for modern household configurations.
Pricing is more accessible than neighboring pre-wars. 1001 Fifth typically trades at materially more accessible per-square-foot pricing than the surrounding 998 Fifth / 1009 Fifth / 1010 Fifth pre-war inventory. The differential is structural and persistent.
The Park views are excellent. Western-flank apartments command direct Central Park sight lines across to the Met Museum. View permanence is absolute.
Confirm specific policies directly with management. Financing posture, flip tax structure, sublet specifics, and pied-à-terre allowance should be obtained directly during the contract review process.
Board approval follows Museum Mile norms. Strong financial profile, professional accomplishment, and primary-residence intent are central criteria.
What to know if you’re selling
The Philip Johnson architectural credential is a marketing asset. Listing copy should reference Johnson's authorship, the contextualist facade decision, the building's place in late-20th-century architectural history, and the direct-across-from-the-Met positioning.
Pricing requires apartment-level comparable analysis. Floor altitude, exposure, configuration, and renovation history all matter substantially.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. 6–10 weeks from contract signing to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1001 Fifth Avenue, also evaluate:
- 998 Fifth Avenue — McKim Mead & White 1912; pre-war landmark on the immediate south corner
- 1009 Fifth Avenue — Welch, Smith & Provot 1899 mansion
- 1010 Fifth Avenue — Carrère & Hastings 1925
- 1020 Fifth Avenue — Warren & Wetmore 1925
- 1040 Fifth Avenue — Rosario Candela 1929; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis residence
- 944 Fifth Avenue — J.E.R. Carpenter 1925
- 907 Fifth Avenue — J.E.R. Carpenter 1916
The Roebling Team at 1001 Fifth Avenue
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because Fifth Avenue Museum Mile buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 1001 Fifth, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.