11 Riverside Drive (The Schwab House)
11 Riverside Drive / 285 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10023
- Year built
- 1950
The Schwab House is, at 654 apartments, among the largest private cooperatives in New York City and one of the most operationally flexible large-scale Upper West Side cooperatives. The structural identity rests on three features.
First, the Charles M. Schwab mansion site provenance — the building replaced Schwab's 75-room French chateau (1902-1906, Maurice Hébert) that, per period press, made Andrew Carnegie's Fifth Avenue mansion "look like a shack." Schwab — president of U.S. Steel and founder of Bethlehem Steel — bequeathed the chateau to the city as a mayoral residence; Mayor LaGuardia refused. The chateau was demolished in March 1948. Robert A.M. Stern, Thomas Mellins, and David Fishman in New York 1960 noted its passing went "largely unnoticed and completely unprotested."
Second, the comprehensive policy permissiveness — pied-à-terre allowed, co-purchasers and guarantors permitted, parents-buying-for-children permitted, pet-friendly. This is unusual flexibility for a Riverside Drive cooperative.
Third, the operational depth — two doorman entrances, concierge, live-in superintendent, 24-hour elevator operators, 24-hour handyman, on-site private management, two landscaped roof decks with river and city views, four landscaped gardens, gym, community room / playroom, two laundry rooms, bike room, storage, and a lending library with more than 8,000 books.
Recent sales
Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers for full transactional context. The 654-unit scale supports substantial transactional volume relative to peer UWS cooperatives.
What to know if you’re buying
The Schwab mansion site provenance is real institutional context. No other Riverside Drive cooperative occupies a site of comparable Gilded Age architectural and cultural significance.
The policy permissiveness is structurally distinguishing. Pied-à-terre, co-purchasers, guarantors, and parents-buying-for-children all permitted — uncommon for a Riverside Drive cooperative.
The 654-apartment scale supports comprehensive operational infrastructure. Two doorman entrances, two roof decks, four landscaped gardens, gym, lending library.
The full-block configuration with deeply indented street frontages produces structurally distinct light and air. Verify line-specific exposure during walkthrough.
The Sylvan Bien postwar architectural pedigree connects to other Bien Manhattan work including the 1959 reskinning of 910 Fifth Avenue and the Carlyle Hotel-era prestige residential tradition.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard. Plan for 6 to 10 weeks from contract through board approval to closing.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing should emphasize the Schwab mansion site provenance, the policy permissiveness, and the lending library. All three are structural advantages.
The two roof decks with river and city views are real amenity features. Position accordingly.
Pricing should reference recent CityRealty / Compass / Brown Harris Stevens data. Apartment-line-specific comparables should anchor positioning.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard.
Comparable buildings
- 100 Riverside Drive — Boak & Paris 1938; nearby Riverside Drive prewar peer
- 137 Riverside Drive (The Clarendon) — Birge 1906; nearby Riverside Drive prewar peer
- 140 Riverside Drive (The Normandy) — Roth 1939 Art Moderne; nearby Riverside Drive landmark peer
- 470 West End Avenue (The Belvoir) — Roth 1928; nearby West End Avenue peer
- 320 West End Avenue — Candela 1924; nearby West End Avenue peer
The Roebling Team at The Schwab House
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. If you're considering a purchase or sale at The Schwab House, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Corey Cohen · The Roebling Team at Compass 646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com
Sources: CityRealty (Carter Horsley review, December 23, 2011); Wikipedia — Charles M. Schwab House; Tom Miller, "Lost 1906 Charles M. Schwab Mansion," Daytonian in Manhattan, July 2011; Landmark West! 285 West End Avenue profile; I Love The Upper West Side — historic Charles Schwab House feature; Robert A.M. Stern, Thomas Mellins, and David Fishman, New York 1960 (Monacelli, 1995); NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.