- Year built
- 1930
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 27
- Floors
- 17
- Landmark
- Designated
- Subletting
- Subletting is **not allowed**
- Flip tax
- 2% of purchase price, buyer-paid, at closing
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2023
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- Avg vs. ask
- -9.7%
- Recorded transfers
- 20
1040 Fifth Avenue is among Rosario Candela's most accomplished Fifth Avenue commissions and the building most identified with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's three decades of New York residency. Candela designed it for the developer Anthony Campagna in 1929–1930, executing a pre-war classical composition with Art Deco detail at a moment when Manhattan luxury apartment-house architecture was reaching its sophistication peak. The result is a building that reads as restrained, institutional, and quietly grand — characteristic Candela.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis purchased the 15th-floor apartment in 1964, after President Kennedy's assassination. She lived there until her death in 1994. The apartment — an 11-room configuration with five primary bedrooms — was inherited by Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr., who held it in family ownership before its eventual sale. The association with Jackie Kennedy elevated 1040 Fifth from a tier-one Candela co-op to a building of singular cultural identity in Manhattan. Even thirty years after her death, the building remains identified with her in real estate culture and in tourist consciousness.
Candela's design organizes the building around 17 floors with approximately 27 apartments total — a mix of full-floor units, simplexes, and large duplexes. The setback penthouses, copper-clad and configured around Park-facing terraces, are among the most photographed elements of Manhattan's pre-war silhouette. The building's brick-and-limestone mass reads as substantial without being ostentatious — a Candela hallmark.
What makes 1040 Fifth structurally different from 740 Park (also Candela, also 1930) is its scale and density. 740 Park is larger and more institutionally rarefied; 1040 Fifth operates at a slightly more accessible price point and with somewhat less rigid board culture, though both are firmly tier-one Gold Coast co-ops.
Architecture and unit composition
Apartments at 1040 Fifth range from approximately 2,500 sf simplexes to 6,000+ sf full-floor configurations and large duplexes. Pre-war Candela signatures throughout: 11–12 foot ceilings in primary rooms, formal entry galleries with grand proportions, library-living-room combinations, primary suites with extensive closet and dressing infrastructure, and service wings configured for full-staffed operation.
The Park-facing eastern flank offers direct Central Park views from low to high floors. View permanence is essentially absolute — the Met and Park itself anchor the corridor. North-facing apartments look toward 86th Street; south-facing toward 84th and the Stanhope Hotel.
Candela's original interior detailing was substantial — paneled libraries, plaster cornices, marble fireplaces, hardwood floors. Most apartments retain core architectural character, with kitchens and bathrooms updated for modern use. Renovation that erases pre-war detail is not approved.
Building operations
1040 Fifth operates as a full-service pre-war co-op with 24-hour doorman, attended elevator, on-site superintendent, and private storage. The building participates in the NYC Cooperative & Condominium Property Tax Abatement Program for qualifying primary-residence shareholders.
Specific policy details (flip tax structure, financing cap, sublet fee) are not publicly published; buyers should review the current proprietary lease and house rules during due diligence.
Recent sales
1040 Fifth Avenue's recorded apartment-level activity from 2022 through early 2026 totals three arms-length closings — characteristic of a 27-unit Candela where households hold for decades and inventory turns slowly. The defining transaction of the period is the estate sale of the 9/10C duplex at $25M (May 2023) from the family of the late Metropolitan Museum curator Dietrich von Bothmer and his wife Joyce — held by the family for 50+ years — with its 30-foot Park-facing living room and original Candela detail; originally listed at $32M in April 2021, the apartment closed at the eventual $25M ask after a multi-year marketing arc — a useful benchmark for sellers calibrating expectations on the building's premium duplex tier. The October 2022 closing of 7/8B at $8.35M (4.4% above the $7.995M ask) demonstrates the active-buyer pressure on smaller duplexes when one comes to market, while the February 2023 closing of the 1A maisonette at $3.2M shows where the floor sits for the building's least-altitude inventory.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2023 | 9/10C | 4 BR · 6.5 BA · Central Park · Prewar Rosario Candela duplex with original marble entry gallery, wrought-iron balustrade staircase, wood-burning fireplace, and 30-foot living room with two sets of double doors over the Park Closed May 4, 2023 at $25M — full-ask at the $25M final ask (originally $32M April 2021). Estate sale of the apartment of the late Dietrich von Bothmer, the longtime Metropolitan Museum curator, and his wife Joyce von Bothmer; held by the family for 50+ years. Classic Candela duplex with private elevator landing. The full-ask close at the building's apex tier reaffirms the C-line duplex as the building's most coveted configuration. | $25,000,000 | +0.0% | |
| Feb 16, 2023 | MR#7 | 3 BR · 2.5 BA Closed Feb 16, 2023 at $3.2M (recorded transfer; public listing data reported as MAIS1A at $3.395M with no government record found — the recorded transfer reflects $3.2M, $195K below SE-reported). Maid's room #7 / maisonette-tier configuration. The building's smaller-unit auxiliary inventory tier. | $3,200,000 | -5.7% | |
| Nov 1, 2022 | 7/8B | 3 BR · 4.5 BA Closed Oct 13, 2022 at $8.35M — 4.44% OVER the $7.995M asking. 7/8B Candela duplex — premium-to-ask close. The B-line duplex configuration commands competitive bidding alongside the C-line apex; 4%+ premiums are rare at any Fifth Avenue Candela building. | $8,350,000 | +4.4% | |
| Jul 15, 2021 | 13A | 4 BR · 6 BA · 4,275 sf · private outdoor Closed Jun 24, 2021 (recorded Jul 6) at $15.5M (recorded transfer; no public public listing data listing at this closing — typical 1040 Fifth off-market trade). 13A — 4BR at 4,275 sqft = ~$3,626/sqft. Substantial trophy A-line trade through private broker network. | $15,500,000 | $3,626/sf | off-mkt |
| Feb 23, 2021 | 5/6C | 4 BR · 4.5 BA Closed Mar 6, 2021 (recorded Feb 17) at $6.5M — 7.08% under the $6.995M asking. 5/6C — Candela duplex on the lower-floor C-line. The 5/6C duplex is the same line as the apex 9/10C trade — a useful within-line comp showing $6.5M at floor 5/6 vs $25M at floor 9/10, reflecting both floor-altitude premium and configuration / renovation differences. | $6,500,000 | -7.1% | |
| Aug 2, 2016 | 10A | 5 BR · 4.5 BA Closed Jun 27, 2016 at $32M — 1.54% under the $32.5M asking. 10A — 5BR/4.5BA. The defining 2016 1040 Fifth trade — substantial trophy A-line apartment clearing at near-full-ask in the mid-decade luxury cycle peak. Same #10A traded at $19.5M in January 2008 and $21M in September 2008 — 52% appreciation from 2008 cycle peak to 2016, the steepest single-apartment appreciation curve in the building's modern dataset. | $32,000,000 | -1.5% | |
| Aug 7, 2015 | 14A | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 4,700 sf · private outdoor Closed Jul 10, 2015 at $30M — 13.04% under the $34.5M asking. 14A — 4BR at 4,700 sqft = ~$6,383/sqft. Among the largest 1040 Fifth trades of the modern era; the same 14A previously traded at $12.375M in September 2005 — 142% nominal appreciation across 10 years on this specific apartment line. | $30,000,000 | $6,383/sf | -13.0% |
| Mar 20, 2014 | 2C | 2 BR Closed Feb 20, 2014 (recorded Mar 13) at $3.6M (recorded transfer; no public public listing data listing at this closing). 2C — lower-floor C-line trade in the 2014 cycle. | $3,600,000 | off-mkt |
Market read. Most recent trades (2021) cleared a median $3,626/sf across 1 sale. Sales close on average -7.7% below 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 18, 2008 | 10A | $19,500,000 |
| Oct 21, 2003 | 2C | $3,500,000 |
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 1-01497-0001) 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
Subletting is not allowed. This is the building's most consequential ownership constraint. 1040 Fifth requires owner-occupancy — apartments cannot be rented out, even with board approval. Buyers planning any form of investment-grade or absentee ownership should look elsewhere; the building exists for primary residents.
The 2% flip tax is buyer-paid. Modeled into closing-cost analysis from the offer stage. On a $10M apartment, that is $200,000 of additional buyer cost on top of mansion tax and standard closing items.
Trust and LLC purchases are permitted. Useful for buyers seeking estate-planning or privacy structures, contingent on Transfer Agent guidance and presumably board review of the underlying beneficial ownership. This is unusual flexibility for a tier-one Gold Coast co-op and worth confirming with management before signing a contract.
Board approval is rigorous but follows established Gold Coast co-op norms. Strong financial profile, professional accomplishment, and primary-residence intent are the central criteria. Foreign buyers face friction characteristic of tier-one Fifth Avenue co-ops.
Pied-à-terre approval is uncommon. The building expects primary residency.
Renovation is constrained by historic district status and pre-war character. Substantial renovation is feasible but must respect the architecture. The board reviews scope and quality.
View permanence is excellent. Central Park east; the Met and 84th/85th flanks present no development envelope risk.
Jackie Kennedy's cultural shadow is real. Buyers occasionally ask about the historic apartment specifically. Sellers should be prepared for the building's cultural identity to inform both interest and pricing dynamics.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing is a mix of public listing and private network. Apartments often appear on REBNY syndication and Compass private exclusive channels, with simultaneous outreach through private broker networks for high-priced configurations.
Pricing benefits from building familiarity. Comparable sales at the apartment-configuration level are critical — full-floor vs. simplex vs. duplex pricing diverges substantially.
The buyer pool is largely domestic. Foreign buyer participation is lower than at 220 CPS or other condo trophy buildings; the buyer pool is primarily U.S. wealth seeking institutional pre-war stability.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. 6–10 weeks from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1040 Fifth Avenue, also evaluate:
- 740 Park Avenue — Candela/Cross & Cross 1930, larger and more institutionally rarefied
- 998 Fifth Avenue — McKim, Mead & White 1912, the original Fifth Avenue tier-one apartment house
- 834 Fifth Avenue — Candela 1931, very tight Gold Coast inventory
- 820 Fifth Avenue — 1916 Starrett & Van Vleck, smaller and very selective
- 907 Fifth Avenue — pre-war Fifth Avenue, comparable era
- 1107 Fifth Avenue — historic Marjorie Merriweather Post triplex anchor
The Roebling Team at 1040 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 Gold Coast buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and the realities of pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 1040 Fifth, 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, board approvability, comparable analysis at the apartment level, and the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.