105 East 38th Street

105 East 38th Street was designed by Charles Kreymborg and built in 1924 as a nine-story neo-Georgian brick-and-limestone prewar apartment house. The neo-Georgian idiom — classical symmetry, restrained brick-and-limestone massing — is characteristic of the Murray Hill blocks and of the 1920s apartment-house cycle in the neighborhood. The lobby carries stained-glass windows and prewar detailing, and the roof offers Chrysler Building views, one of the building's signature features.

The building was converted from rental to cooperative in 1985, producing the current 27-unit configuration. The inventory spans one-bedrooms through larger configurations, including penthouse units at the top of the building — a June 2025 four-bedroom penthouse close and an August 2025 one-bedroom penthouse close both reflect the upper-floor inventory. The building sits within the Murray Hill Historic District, so exterior alterations are subject to Landmarks review and the streetscape is protected by that framework.

105 East 38th Street operates as a small, self-managed cooperative. The building runs without a doorman — a live-in superintendent manages day-to-day operations, and the self-managed structure is characteristic of a boutique 27-unit building. Building infrastructure includes an elevator, a common laundry room, a common roof deck with Chrysler Building views, a resident lounge, and a video intercom system. There is no gym.

Maintenance and assessment specifics should be confirmed at the apartment level with the managing structure; building-level common-cost figures are not published in aggregated form.

The cooperative board's policy framework, as documented in public records and building records, is accommodating for a prewar co-op: pied-à-terre use is permitted with board approval; sublets are allowed; the building is pet-friendly; co-purchasing and parents buying for children are both permitted; and financing is allowed up to 80%. The building maintains a no-smoking policy. Buyers should confirm the current board policies, financing requirements, and maintenance ranges with the managing agent and offering plan during due diligence.

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.

Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2023): a median $880/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2025. Median listing discount 3.9% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.

Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 1-00894-0006) 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.

The small self-managed scale defines the operating model. A live-in super rather than a doorman, self-managed operations, 27 units. Buyers who require staffed-lobby service should weigh this. Buyers who prioritize an intimate building culture and a lower cost structure will find the super-run model an advantage.

The policy framework is unusually accommodating for a prewar co-op. Pied-à-terre with board approval, sublets allowed, pet-friendly, co-purchasing and parents-buying permitted, and financing up to 80%. This is a flexible framework by prewar-cooperative standards, and it materially widens the buyer pool relative to more restrictive Murray Hill co-ops. Confirm the current sublet and pied-à-terre approval process at offer stage.

The architectural and view credentials are real. Neo-Georgian brick-and-limestone by Charles Kreymborg, a stained-glass lobby, and Chrysler Building views from the roof. These are genuine differentiators against generic Murray Hill inventory.

Murray Hill Historic District protection is real. The district was designated in 2002, extended in 2004, and listed on the National Register in 2003. Exterior alterations are subject to Landmarks review; the streetscape is protected. This preserves the block's character but constrains facade and window work.

No land lease, not HDFC. The building is a straightforward fee-owned cooperative — no ground lease, not an income-restricted HDFC. No material red flags of that kind. The self-managed, super-run structure is the primary operational consideration; confirm the reserve fund status and any assessments during due diligence.

Lead with the character, the views, and the location. Neo-Georgian 1924 prewar, stained-glass lobby, Chrysler Building views from the roof, a tree-lined Murray Hill block within the Historic District, a few blocks from Grand Central. These are the marketing anchors.

Emphasize the accommodating policy framework. The flexibility — pied-à-terre with board approval, sublets allowed, pet-friendly, 80% financing, co-purchasing and parents-buying permitted — is a genuine selling point against more restrictive prewar co-ops and should be foregrounded to widen the buyer pool.

Price against the recent flat comps. Pricing has been flat to modest across 2024–25. Anchor to the most recent comparable on the specific configuration — one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or penthouse — and the specific floor and exposure.

Position the self-managed scale as intimate, not limited. The absence of a doorman and gym should be framed as a deliberate boutique cost structure. The live-in super, the resident lounge, and the roof deck with Chrysler views are the offsetting strengths.

If you're considering 105 East 38th Street, also evaluate:

• 135 East 39th Street — a nearby Murray Hill pre-war cooperative; comparable vintage, scale, and historic-district context.
• Nearby Murray Hill pre-war co-ops — the boutique prewar cooperative stock on the tree-lined blocks between Park and Lexington; comparable character and scale.
• Murray Hill Historic District apartment houses — 1920s neo-Georgian and Georgian-revival buildings throughout the district; comparable streetscape and architectural idiom.

The Roebling Team at Compass works Murray Hill and the Gramercy corridor as part of our broader midtown-and-downtown Manhattan practice. We publish this building profile because Murray Hill buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architectural attribution, historic-district context, policy framework, and comparable analysis at the configuration level — not generic neighborhood commentary.

If you're considering a purchase or sale at 105 East 38th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.