- Year built
- 1951
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 87
- Landmark
- Designated
1056 Fifth Avenue is an early-postwar cooperative on Museum Mile, between 86th and 87th Streets, directly across from Central Park's reservoir in the heart of Carnegie Hill. The location is among the best on the avenue: a Central Park frontage on the quietest, most coveted stretch of upper Fifth, with the open reservoir and its running path immediately across the street, the Guggenheim and the Met within a short walk, and permanent, protected park exposure to the west.
The building was developed by Simon Brothers in 1951 to the design of George F. Pelham II, placing it among the first generation of postwar apartment houses to rise on Fifth Avenue after the pre-war era. That timing is the source of its character. Where the avenue's grand pre-war cooperatives are limestone-clad and heavily ornamented, 1056 is an early-postwar building — a beige-brick body over a limestone-trimmed base, a handsome canopied entrance softened by lush sidewalk landscaping, and the closed-in balconies that mark the late-1940s and early-1950s transition toward a lighter residential idiom. With considerable open space at its rear, the building also carries a landscaped courtyard that brings light and quiet to the eastern lines.
For buyers, 1056 Fifth represents a specific and appealing tier: a true Central Park-facing Fifth Avenue cooperative, on prime Museum Mile, with open reservoir views and the trophy location of the avenue's most expensive buildings — at the somewhat more accessible pricing that early-postwar Fifth Avenue cooperatives typically command relative to the limestone pre-war landmarks. The board is a serious, primary-residence house: it does not permit pets, subletting, pieds-à-terre, or trust ownership, and caps financing at 50%. The 87-apartment scale produces a well-staffed, full-service building with measured turnover.
Architecture and unit composition
1056 Fifth's 87 apartments reflect early-postwar planning on a premier site. Layouts run from one- and two-bedrooms through larger three-bedroom and corner configurations, with the most coveted homes the Park-facing lines on the western flank — capturing direct Central Park and reservoir views across Fifth Avenue. Many lines include the recessed and closed-in balconies that are a signature of the building's vintage, offering private outdoor space rare on the avenue, and washer/dryers are permitted in-unit.
Postwar signatures recur: efficient circulation, generous casement-window light, and functional room layouts, with a degree of formality (entry foyers, separate dining in the larger lines) appropriate to a Fifth Avenue building. The 19-story height places upper Park-facing apartments among the most desirable in the building, with sweeping open outlooks over the reservoir and the park beyond.
Building operations
1056 Fifth Avenue operates as a full-service cooperative with a full-time doorman, an elevator attendant, a live-in resident superintendent, an attended garage, basement storage, and a central laundry, with washer/dryers also permitted in-unit. The 87-apartment scale supports the operating depth expected of a Fifth Avenue cooperative.
The board runs a traditional, owner-occupant house. Pets are not permitted, subletting is not permitted, and pied-à-terre and trust ownership are not allowed; financing is capped at 50% of the purchase price. The posture is consistent with the conservative end of Fifth Avenue / Carnegie Hill co-op practice: documented financial strength and a primary-residence commitment are central to board approval.
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
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into for you.
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
Sales context at 1056 Fifth Avenue:
- Turnover is measured for an 87-unit Fifth Avenue co-op — typically a handful of closings per year.
- Pricing is driven heavily by exposure: Park-facing apartments with direct Central Park and reservoir views command substantial premiums over the eastern, courtyard-facing lines.
- Floor altitude for an unobstructed park outlook, the presence of a balcony, and renovation condition are the other major value factors.
Apartment-level value turns on park exposure, floor, line, and condition; a building-specific comparable analysis is the right tool for any individual unit.
What to know if you’re buying
Park exposure is everything. The western Park-facing lines, with direct Central Park and reservoir views, are the building's prize and command its top pricing.
The Museum Mile location is trophy-grade. Across from the reservoir, steps from the Met and Guggenheim, in the heart of Carnegie Hill.
The balconies and in-unit laundry are real assets. Closed-in balconies in many lines offer private outdoor space uncommon on Fifth Avenue, and washer/dryers are permitted.
This is a primary-residence house. No pets, no subletting, no pieds-à-terre, no trusts, and a 50% financing cap — calibrate before falling for the address.
Pricing is more accessible than the grand pre-war tier. Early-postwar Fifth Avenue cooperatives typically trade below the limestone pre-war landmarks while delivering the same park frontage.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with park views, the garage, and the Museum Mile address. Direct reservoir exposure, the attended garage, and the prime Fifth/86th–87th frontage are the headline assets.
Pricing requires exposure-level comparison. Park-facing versus courtyard lines is the single largest value determinant; floor and balcony presence follow.
Buyer pool is well-qualified and park-driven, but rule-constrained. Fifth Avenue draws buyers specifically seeking park frontage; the strict no-pet, no-sublet, owner-occupant rules narrow the field to committed primary-residence purchasers, which the right marketing reaches directly.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Typically 6–10 weeks from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1056 Fifth Avenue, also evaluate:
- 1050 Fifth Avenue — postwar Fifth Avenue cooperative, immediate neighbor
- 1060 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue cooperative nearby
- 1040 Fifth Avenue — Rosario Candela Fifth Avenue landmark nearby
- 1045 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue cooperative
- 1035 Fifth Avenue — pre-war Fifth Avenue cooperative
- 1025 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue cooperative nearby
The Roebling Team at 1056 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 Fifth Avenue buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 1056 Fifth Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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