1076 First Avenue

400 East 59th Street is a late-1920s prewar apartment house — a seventeen-story masonry building with the uniform window grid, decorative cornice, and canopied corner entrance characteristic of the 1928 building cycle. The prewar bones show in the apartments: ceiling heights approaching ten and a half feet in the better lines, herringbone hardwood floors, and, in some apartments, decorative fireplaces and Juliet balconies.

The apartment mix runs from studios and one-bedrooms through two-bedroom configurations, with the upper floors on the east and north lines capturing the building's best asset — open East River and Queensboro Bridge views that the low-scale riverfront and the bridge approach preserve. A planted courtyard garden and a double-height glass conservatory give the building common amenity space unusual for its boutique scale.

Apartment condition varies with ownership across the decades since the early-1980s conversion, as is typical of a prewar cooperative; buyers should underwrite each unit on its own renovation state.

400 East 59th Street operates as a cooperative with a 24-hour doorman and a live-in resident manager. The amenity set is prewar-boutique rather than full-service-tower: the planted courtyard garden and the glass conservatory are the signature common spaces, supported by central laundry, a bike room, and private storage. There is no garage, gym, or pool. Maintenance, per building documentation, includes utilities — a structural feature buyers should weight when comparing monthly carry against separately metered buildings.

The cooperative's policy framework, as reflected in public listing and building records, is comparatively permissive: there is no flip tax, financing is permitted up to 75% (25% minimum down), pets are welcome, and pied-à-terre use is accommodated. The current sublet policy and the precise financing terms should be confirmed with the managing agent and offering plan during due diligence.

Recent sales

Recent transfers at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.

Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $999/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. Median listing discount 2.6% 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 1-01370-0046). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. 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 board policy is the differentiator. No flip tax, financing to 75%, pets welcome, and pied-à-terre use accommodated — a friendlier framework than many prewar cooperatives in the corridor. For buyers who value flexibility, this is the building's strongest card.

Upper-floor river and bridge views are the asset. The premium lines on the east and north expose open East River and Queensboro Bridge views. Buy the view floor if the view matters; the price gap to lower floors reflects it.

Underwrite the monthly carry with utilities in mind. Maintenance includes utilities, so compare it on a like-for-like basis against separately metered buildings rather than at face value.

Accept the trade-offs deliberately. The building sits at the busy foot of the Queensboro Bridge and offers no garage, gym, or pool. Buyers who prioritize a quiet interior block or full-service amenities should weigh this against the value pricing and the prewar character.

Condition varies apartment to apartment. As in any prewar cooperative, renovation state ranges widely. View the specific unit and price on its line's recent comparables.

Lead with the policy and the views. No flip tax, 75% financing, pet-friendliness, and pied-à-terre accommodation widen the buyer pool — position them explicitly. Upper-floor river and bridge exposure is the physical asset to feature.

Price on the line and floor. With a heterogeneous prewar stock and a real view premium, building-wide averages compress meaningful differences. Reference the most recent closed comparable on the specific line, and account for exposure and renovation state.

Address the trade-offs proactively. The bridge-foot location and the absence of a garage are known factors; frame the value pricing and the prewar character as the offset rather than leaving buyers to discount silently.

Cooperative closing timelines apply. Board approval is required; pacing typically runs 60–90 days from contract through approval to closing.

If you're considering 400 East 59th Street, also evaluate:

• 200 East 59th Street — nearby full-service building at the Midtown East / Sutton edge
• 418 East 59th Street — nearby East 59th Street cooperative
• 300 East 59th Street — nearby Midtown East full-service building
• 40 Sutton Place — nearby Sutton Place prewar cooperative
• 30 Sutton Place — nearby Sutton Place prewar cooperative
• 959 First Avenue — nearby First Avenue building on the Sutton edge