- Year built
- 1956
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 100
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Cats and dogs permitted under condominium rules
- Subletting
- Generally permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $2,216
- Listing discount
- 6.2%
- Recorded sales
- 95
- On record
- 2003–2026
1009 Madison Avenue sits on one of the most valuable retail-and-residential corners in the world: the Madison Avenue luxury corridor, a block off Central Park, at the seam where the Upper East Side's Lenox Hill blocks meet the museum-district edge near the Metropolitan and the Marcel Breuer building that long housed the Whitney. Charles House occupies the entire Madison Avenue blockfront between East 77th and East 78th Streets — a full-block presence that is unusual on an avenue defined by narrow flagship storefronts and pre-war cooperatives.
The building is a product of the mid-century moment. Completed in 1956 in the International Style, it reads differently from the limestone-and-brick pre-war stock that dominates the surrounding Park and Madison blocks. Its light masonry, recessed central bay, and indented second story give the façade a lift that softens its mass on the avenue — a deliberately modern gesture on a corridor otherwise defined by pre-war classicism. When the building converted to condominium ownership in 1986, it became one of the relatively scarce condominium options in a neighborhood where the cooperative form still governs most of the best addresses.
That scarcity is the point. The Upper East Side's prime Park and Fifth Avenue blocks are overwhelmingly cooperative, and the co-op board process — with its financial disclosure, interview, and restrictions on financing, subletting, and pied-à-terre use — screens out a large share of would-be buyers. A well-run, full-service condominium on the Madison Avenue blockfront, a block from the Park, is a genuinely different product: purchase flexibility, investor and pied-à-terre tolerance, and faster closings, all inside the same museum-district geography that the co-ops command. Charles House is one of the addresses that delivers that combination.
Building operations
Charles House operates as a full-service, white-glove condominium. Staffing includes a 24-hour doorman and a live-in resident manager, and the building offers a landscaped, furnished roof deck with Central Park and skyline views, a fitness center, an on-site parking garage, bike storage, private storage, and laundry. The lobby and common areas were renovated in recent years. Cats and dogs are permitted under the building's rules.
As a condominium, the building carries common charges plus New York City real estate taxes rather than a single co-op maintenance figure; the Madison Avenue retail base contributes commercial income that factors into the building's overall financial picture. Prospective buyers should review the current condominium financials, house rules, reserve position, and any assessment history during due diligence — standard practice for any conversion-era building, where the age of building systems and the pacing of capital work matter to the carry.
Recent sales
Pricing at 1009 Madison Avenue is best understood in dollars-per-square-foot terms, benchmarked against the prime Upper East Side condominium set rather than against the surrounding cooperatives, which trade on a different basis. As a full-service condominium on the Madison Avenue blockfront a block from Central Park, the building draws a buyer pool that specifically values condominium flexibility — end-users who want a white-glove Upper East Side address without the co-op board process, pied-à-terre buyers, and investors — and that pool supports condominium-level pricing in a corridor where most inventory is co-op.
Within the building, pricing is heterogeneous. Floor height, exposure (Madison-facing versus interior, west and north toward the Park versus east and south), renovation condition, and outdoor access all drive meaningful spread between otherwise comparable apartments. A gut-renovated high-floor unit with open western exposure prices very differently from an interior line in original condition. Because it is a condominium, mansion-tax cliff thresholds apply at the relevant price points, and buyers and sellers should model those effects into any negotiation. Apartment-level comparable analysis — not a single building-wide number — is the right way to price a specific unit here.
Recent closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 2026 | 11F | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,590,000 | -2.3% | |
| May 1, 2026 | 4H | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,679 sf | $3,415,000 | $2,034/sf | -2.3% |
| Mar 25, 2026 | 6F | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,295 sf | $2,740,000 | $2,116/sf | -7.1% |
| Nov 5, 2025 | 15D | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,577 sf | $3,950,000 | $2,505/sf | -1.3% |
| Sep 4, 2025 | 6H | 4 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,844 sf | $3,747,500 | $2,032/sf | -3.9% |
| May 28, 2025 | 12C | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,800,000 | -18.0% | |
| Feb 14, 2025 | 8C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf | $1,530,000 | $1,275/sf | -19.3% |
| Dec 6, 2024 | 5C | 4 BR · 4 BA · 2,530 sf | $3,950,000 | $1,561/sf | -16.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $2,216/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 6.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2023 | 6H | $3,495,000 |
| Dec 19, 2012 | 4E | $2,150,000 |
| Oct 20, 2003 | 4E | $1,425,000 |
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 1-01392-7501) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
Condominium flexibility is the draw. Unlike most of the prime Upper East Side, Charles House is a condominium. That means no co-op board interview, financing that is governed by your lender rather than a board's debt-to-equity limits, and — under the declaration — tolerance for pied-à-terre and investor ownership. Confirm the current sublet and use rules at offer stage; condominium policies are generally permissive but should be verified in the governing documents.
Diligence the conversion-era building. The building dates to 1956 and converted in 1986. Review the condominium's financial statements, reserve position, house rules, any assessment history, and the status of building systems and capital projects. The Roebling Research Library holds the offering plan, current house rules, and recent financials for this building.
Understand the retail base. The Madison Avenue storefronts are part of the building's economics and its street-level character. Commercial income can benefit the residential owners; ask how the retail component is reflected in the current budget.
Price at the apartment level. Exposure, floor, condition, and light vary widely across the roughly 100 units. Bring apartment-specific comparables, not a building-wide average.
Mansion tax applies. As a condominium purchase, cliff thresholds may apply depending on price. Run the numbers through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the condominium advantage. In a co-op-dominated corridor, the ability to offer condominium flexibility — pied-à-terre and investor tolerance, no board interview, lender-governed financing — is a genuine differentiator. That is a core part of the marketing story.
Position the location precisely. The Madison Avenue blockfront, a block from Central Park and steps from the museum district, is the address. Buyers pay for that geography.
Condition and exposure drive your number. Because pricing is heterogeneous within the building, present your apartment's specific light, exposure, floor, and renovation quality against the right comparables rather than a blended building average.
Closings are condominium-fast. Absent the co-op board process, a well-structured condominium sale can close on a compressed timeline once financing is in place.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1009 Madison Avenue, also evaluate these prime Upper East Side addresses:
- 170 East 78th Street — Upper East Side residence a block off Lexington, on the same 78th Street line
- 180 East 79th Street — full-service Upper East Side building one block north
- 130 East 75th Street — prime Lenox Hill address in the same museum-district geography
- 14 East 75th Street — Park-and-Fifth-block Upper East Side building steps from Central Park
- 1025 Park Avenue — Park Avenue address in the same prime UES corridor
The Roebling Team at Charles House
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side, Central Park West, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because buyers and sellers on the prime Upper East Side deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, condominium mechanics, operational reality, and apartment-level pricing context — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 1009 Madison Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring the full context this page provides plus the transactional specifics your situation requires — financial structuring, due diligence priorities, comparable analysis at the apartment level, and the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
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