101 West 78th Street (The Evelyn)
101 West 78th Street, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1011507505 · BIN 1030257
- Year built
- 1886
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 21
- Floors
- 7
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- To be confirmed against the building's house rules at offer stage
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2018–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,964
- Listing discount
- 6.6%
- Recorded sales
- 31
- On record
- 2018–2026
The Evelyn is one of the oldest residential buildings on the Upper West Side, an 1886 Victorian corner structure at Columbus Avenue and West 78th Street that was gut-converted into a boutique condominium of 21 residences. It sits one block from the American Museum of Natural History and Central Park, within the Upper West Side / Central Park West Historic District, on the dense restaurant-and-boutique spine of Columbus Avenue. For buyers who want a genuinely historic building with contemporary interiors in the heart of the West 70s, the building is a distinctive option.
Emile Gruwé's 1886 design is a red-brick-and-terracotta corner building in the Queen Anne and Renaissance Revival vocabulary of its era — the kind of richly detailed Victorian façade that the surrounding historic district exists to protect. The conversion, developed by Newcastle Realty Services with interiors and amenity design by Stephen Sills, preserved that façade while completely reworking the interior. In one of the project's most distinctive moves, the building's former U-shaped interior courtyard was roofed over with a skylight to create a light-filled fitness center.
Buyers should know the building's recent history candidly: the rental-to-condominium conversion, completed around 2017, drew a challenge from the New York Attorney General's office over the treatment of rent-regulated tenants during the process. That history is part of the building's record and is appropriate to review in due diligence; it does not affect the for-sale status of the condominium units today.
Architecture and unit composition
The conversion reduced the original building — historically around 44 rental units — to 21 condominium residences, ranging from studios up to large half-floor homes. The seven-story scale and the preserved Victorian façade give the building a low, richly detailed street presence distinct from the taller prewar and postwar apartment houses around it. Interiors were finished to a high contemporary standard under Stephen Sills's direction, and the skylit former courtyard at the building's heart is the signature amenity space.
The building's position within the Upper West Side / Central Park West Historic District means the exterior is protected; the preserved 1886 façade is both a marketing asset and a constraint on exterior alteration.
Building operations
The Evelyn runs as a boutique full-service condominium with a 24-hour attended lobby, the skylit fitness center, a children's playroom, bicycle storage, and private storage rooms available to residents. There is no swimming pool. Common charges and property taxes reflect a staffed, amenity-bearing boutique conversion; model the full carry on the specific unit.
As a recent conversion of a nineteenth-century structure, due diligence should be thorough: review the offering plan, current financials, the reserve study, and board minutes, with attention to the conversion's treatment of the building's original systems and to the resolution of the tenant-related matters noted above.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
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
Pricing at The Evelyn is read on a price-per-square-foot basis. The unit mix spans a wide range — from studios to large half-floor homes — so the building's per-square-foot range is broader than in a homogeneous large-format building, and the appropriate comparable depends heavily on unit type. The building's differentiators are its 1886 pedigree, its protected Victorian façade, the Stephen Sills interiors, and the Columbus Avenue / museum-block location. Anchor pricing to in-building trades of the same unit type and to closely matched boutique UWS condo comparables.
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 18, 2026 | 4B | 4 BR · 3 BA · 3,232 sf | $6,700,000 | $2,073/sf | -4.3% |
| Feb 12, 2026 | 5B | 5 BR · 4.5 BA · 4,477 sf | $8,300,000 | $1,854/sf | -7.7% |
| Oct 10, 2025 | 3A | 4 BR · 3.5 BA · 4,050 sf | $8,370,000 | $2,067/sf | -3.2% |
| Sep 14, 2022 | 7B | 1,231 sf | $1,050,000 | $853/sf | off-mkt |
| Mar 26, 2021 | 8B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,740 sf | $3,425,000 | $1,968/sf | -2.0% |
| Jul 22, 2020 | 4B | 4 BR · 2.5 BA · 3,232 sf | $6,050,000 | $1,872/sf | -21.9% |
| Oct 17, 2019 | 3C | 1,523 sf | $1,683,363 | $1,105/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 17, 2019 | 3C | 1,523 sf | $1,683,362 | $1,105/sf | off-mkt |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,964/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 6.6% 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.
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 1-01150-7505) 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
This is the historic-character play. An 1886 Victorian building with a protected façade and contemporary interiors, on the museum block, is a specific kind of home — it appeals to buyers who want architectural distinction, not anonymity.
Match your unit to the comparable. Because the building runs from studios to half-floor homes, price your target against the same unit type, not the building average.
Review the conversion history in diligence. The rental-to-condo conversion and the associated regulatory matters are part of the record; review the offering plan and board materials carefully.
Confirm house rules and policy. Pet policy and other house rules should be confirmed against the building's documents at offer stage. Condominium financing and sublet terms are typically flexible but should be confirmed at offer stage.
Condo flexibility is real. 30–45 day closings, pied-à-terre and investment use permitted, subletting allowed under the declaration.
Mansion tax thresholds apply. Depending on unit type, the $1M and higher mansion-tax cliffs may apply. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with character and amenity. The 1886 façade, the Stephen Sills interiors, and the skylit fitness center are the building's story; the museum-block location is the anchor.
Price to the unit type. With a wide unit mix, the right comparable is the same kind of apartment in the building, not the building average.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 101 West 78th Street, also evaluate:
- 215 West 78th Street — Upper West Side building on the same street
- 210 West 78th Street — newer-development condominium nearby
- 100 West 81st Street — full-service building on the museum block
- 125 West 76th Street — George F. Pelham's 1922 neo-Renaissance cooperative
- 170 West 76th Street — full-service condominium in the West 70s
- 127 West 79th Street — boutique building nearby
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
Considering a move at The Evelyn?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Evelyn would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.