- Year built
- 2020
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 31
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Cats and dogs are permitted under the condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
109 East 79th Street is Steven Harris Architects' first ground-up Upper East Side condominium, conceived explicitly as a modern homage to the prewar Park Avenue tradition of Rosario Candela and J.E.R. Carpenter. Completed around 2020–2021 for Legion Investment Group, with interiors by Rees Roberts + Partners, it brings classically scaled layouts and an amenity program to a quiet Carnegie Hill block between Park and Lexington.
The design threads together Art Deco, Mid-Century, and Bauhaus references while organizing the apartments around the gracious-room sequencing of the prewar greats. The result is a boutique building — 31 residences across roughly 140,000 square feet — with a deep amenity roster and the kind of architectural ambition that positions it alongside Carnegie Hill's most expensive new condominiums.
Architecture and unit composition
Harris's nineteen-story building holds 31 condominium residences, from two-bedrooms up to full-floor penthouses. The Candela-inspired layouts emphasize proper foyers, separated entertaining and private wings, and well-proportioned rooms; Rees Roberts + Partners interiors carry a finish level to match, with central air and in-unit laundry throughout.
The amenity program is unusually complete for a building of this size: a double-height lobby with a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a lounge and library, a private viewing garden with a cascading fountain, a fitness center with an international squash/sports court and a yoga studio overlooking the garden, a spa with treatment rooms, a sauna, and a hair salon, plus a screening room, a golf simulator, and a game room.
Building operations
109 East 79th Street operates as a staffed new-construction condominium with a 24-hour doorman and concierge. With 31 units carrying an extensive amenity program, common charges reflect the staffing and the building's new systems. As with any recent-construction luxury condominium, buyers should review the offering plan, current financials, board minutes, and reserve study during due diligence, and confirm the status of any developer or construction-warranty matters.
Recent sales
109 East 79th Street trades as a condominium, so pricing is read on a price-per-square-foot basis, and it prices at the top of the Carnegie Hill new-development market. Sponsor sales launched in 2020–2021, with the upper-floor and penthouse inventory commanding the marquee numbers — a penthouse reportedly traded around $35 million, with another high-floor home offered near $29 million, while mid-building residences transact in the multi-million-dollar range. With 31 highly differentiated units, sales are apartment-specific: floor, exposure, ceiling height, and finish drive the variation. We underwrite each unit against the building's own pricing and the Carnegie Hill / Upper East Side trophy new-development set.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2023 | — | 5 BR · 5.5 BA · 4,705 sf | $16,100,000 | $3,422/sf | -8.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2023) cleared a median $3,422/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 8.0% 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 1-01508-7503) 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 design-led trophy new construction. Steven Harris architecture in the Candela tradition, with a deep amenity roster, on a quiet Carnegie Hill block.
The layouts are the point. Prewar-inspired room sequencing distinguishes these apartments from glass-tower new development; the upper floors and penthouses are the marquee inventory.
Underwrite a recent-construction building properly. Review financials, reserves, and any outstanding warranty or developer matters during diligence.
Condo flexibility is real. 30–45 day closings; pied-à-terre, investor, and foreign-buyer use permitted; subletting allowed under the declaration. Plan for the typical 20% minimum down.
Mansion tax cliffs are major. At this building's pricing, multiple cliff thresholds ($5M, $10M, $15M, $20M, $25M) routinely apply — run the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the architecture and the amenities. The Harris design, the Candela-inspired layouts, and the squash court, spa, and garden are the differentiators at the top of the Carnegie Hill market.
Price to the building's own comps. With 31 highly differentiated units, the persuasive evidence is 109 East 79th's own trades adjusted for floor, exposure, and finish.
Reach the global trophy buyer. Demand at these price points is international; marketing should reach cross-border as well as domestic buyers.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 109 East 79th Street, also evaluate:
- 180 East 79th Street — Upper East Side condominium on the same street
- 1059 Third Avenue (The Leyton) — amenity-rich Lenox Hill new-development condominium
- 1289 Lexington Avenue — Carnegie Hill new-development condominium
- The Lucida (151 East 85th) — full-service Upper East Side condominium
The Roebling Team at 109 East 79th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass works the Upper East Side — Carnegie Hill, Lenox Hill, and the trophy new-development segment in particular. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers of design-led condominiums deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture, the layouts, and apartment-level pricing — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 109 East 79th Street, 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, due-diligence priorities, comparable analysis at the apartment level, and the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
Get the full picture on this building.
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