1003 Lexington Avenue

Built in 1923, the building is a slender pre-war tower — 15 stories on a compact footprint, masonry over a limestone base, with a canopied Lexington Avenue entrance. The single-apartment-per-floor layout means each home enjoys exposures on multiple sides and the through-floor light that defines the most desirable pre-war residences.

The 14 full-floor apartments carry the hallmarks of the era at a generous scale: high ceilings, gracious entry foyers, separate formal and family spaces, and the room counts that pre-war full-floor living provides. With roughly 3,700 square feet of building area per unit on average, these are substantial homes — among the larger floor plates available in a building of this height. Private elevator-landing entry is the norm given the floor-through configuration.

1003 Lexington is run as a white-glove cooperative. A full-time doorman staffs the canopied entrance, with resident building staff handling day-to-day operations, a fitness room, and private storage bins among the amenities. The single passenger elevator opening directly into private floors is itself a service feature, reinforcing the building's privacy.

The cooperative is pet-friendly. As is standard for a building of this caliber, purchases are subject to board approval and a conservative financing limit, and subletting is restricted in keeping with the building's owner-occupied, full-floor character. Given the scale — 14 shareholders — the board operates as a close, hands-on body; we walk buyers through its expectations as part of the purchase process. Confirm the current sublet terms and any flip tax with us before bidding.

With only 14 apartments, turnover at 1003 Lexington is genuinely rare — full-floor homes in discreet pre-war buildings tend to be held for long tenures, and a single resale can represent the building's entire activity for a year or more. When apartments do trade, they price as the scarce, large-format residences they are, with values driven by floor, light, condition, and the premium the market assigns to private-floor living. Because supply is so thin, a well-positioned apartment here commands strong attention. Unit-level closing data for this building is published on its sales page.

This is a board-approval cooperative with a conservative financing posture, so come prepared with strong financials and a complete application; small, full-floor buildings underwrite buyers carefully. The product is the appeal — a private floor with multi-exposure light and pre-war proportions — and inventory is scarce, so be ready to move when a floor becomes available. The pet-friendly policy is a plus for the discerning buyer this building attracts. Underwrite to the building's financing limit and confirm sublet rules with us so your plans align with a building built around long-term, owner-occupied residence.

Scarcity is the story. A full-floor, multi-exposure pre-war home in a white-glove building of 14 apartments is exactly the product the top of the Lenox Hill market is hunting for, and the comparable set is the limited universe of full-floor pre-war co-ops on the East Side — not standard line apartments in larger buildings. Lead with the format, the light, the room count, and the discretion of the building; price to the scarcity of the product rather than to per-square-foot averages from buildings with very different layouts. The corner location at Lexington and 72nd, steps from the neighborhood's best retail and transit, reinforces the case.

If you're considering 1003 Lexington Avenue, also evaluate these nearby Lenox Hill and Upper East Side cooperatives:

• 955 Lexington Avenue — intimate pre-war Lexington Avenue co-op nearby
• 120 East 75th Street — boutique pre-war cooperative to the south
• 161 East 79th Street — pre-war full-service co-op to the north
• 164 East 72nd Street — Lenox Hill cooperative on the same cross street
• 117 East 72nd Street — pre-war co-op steps away

The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Lenox Hill, the broader Upper East Side, and the small-building, full-floor pre-war market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers at boutique white-glove co-ops deserve building-specific intelligence — the format, the board's posture, and where pricing sits against the East Side's scarce full-floor inventory.

If you're considering a purchase or sale at 1003 Lexington Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.