120 East 86th Street
120 East 86th Street, New York, NY 10028
Upper East Side
BBL 1015147501 · BIN 1047949
- Year built
- 1920
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 16
- Floors
- 6
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pet-friendly with board approval
- Subletting
- Restricted under cooperative rules; board approval required
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $963K
- Recent range
- $960K – $965K
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded transfers
- 19
120 East 86th Street is a boutique prewar cooperative in Carnegie Hill, just off Park Avenue and two blocks from Central Park. It is a small building — 16 residences over six floors, four apartments to a floor — with the ceiling heights (in excess of ten feet) and the Parisian-scaled proportions that make prewar Carnegie Hill apartments so sought after. What it offers is prewar character and a prime location at a boutique scale, without the overhead of a large full-service tower.
The location is a genuine asset. The building sits half a block from the 4/5/6 subway at 86th Street — the Lexington Avenue express — and within an easy walk of Central Park, Museum Mile, and the Carnegie Hill and Upper East Side retail corridors. For buyers who want a well-located, high-ceilinged prewar home in one of the Upper East Side's most desirable pockets, the building's combination of scale, ceilings, and position is the draw.
The building is for buyers who value prewar bones and a Carnegie Hill address in an intimate cooperative, and who are comfortable with the board process and ownership expectations that come with a co-op.
Architecture and unit composition
120 East 86th Street is a prewar masonry building of six stories, holding 16 residences with four apartments per floor. The apartments carry the ceiling heights — over ten feet — and the room proportions that define the best of prewar Carnegie Hill; the A, B, C, and D lines are laid out as two-bedroom, one-bath homes in their base configurations, with combinations creating larger residences where owners have joined lines over the years.
The building reads as intimate and residential rather than institutional. High ceilings, prewar detail, and the flexibility to combine adjacent apartments are the levers of value here, and floor, exposure, light, and renovation condition drive pricing far more than any building average.
Building operations
120 East 86th Street operates as a boutique cooperative with an elevator, a laundry room, and bike storage in the basement, and a superintendent on site during the week — a sensible, low-overhead package for a 16-residence building. Maintenance reflects the modest staffing and the building's scale. As with any cooperative, buyers should expect a board application and interview, financing limits set by the board, and primary-residence and sublet expectations; model maintenance and any assessments, and review the building's financials and capital history during due diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $39,515/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $59,971/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $206 – $312
Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 1% of sale price (transfer fee, Seller)
- Sublet policy
- Allowed (see policy); sublet fee 18% of annual maintenance; move-in/out $250 + $1,000 deposit
- Notable fees
- Buyer app $500; financing $450; reproduction $195; closing $750; move-in/out $250
Recent sales
As a cooperative, 120 East 86th Street prices on a price-per-room basis rather than strictly per square foot, with floor, exposure, ceiling height, combination potential, and renovation condition driving value. Turnover is modest for a boutique building of this size. Apartment-level context — layout, light, exposure, and condition — matters far more than any building average, and the Carnegie Hill location and prewar ceilings support pricing for residences that present well. Buyers should plan for a cooperative board process on any purchase.
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.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2025 | 6C | 2 BR · 1 BA | $960,000 | +0.0% | |
| Aug 31, 2021 | 3C | 2 BR · 1 BA | $885,000 | -1.7% | |
| Apr 28, 2021 | 5C | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,000 sf | $915,000 | $915/sf | -23.7% |
| Sep 20, 2018 | 5A | 2 BR · 1 BA | $1,100,000 | -4.3% | |
| Oct 3, 2017 | 3B | 2 BR | $1,200,000 | +4.3% | |
| Sep 29, 2016 | 4B | 2 BR | $1,038,000 | +4.3% | |
| Oct 14, 2014 | 3D | 2 BR · 868 sf | $817,500 | $942/sf | -8.7% |
| May 20, 2013 | 6C | 2 BR | $985,000 | +0.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2021): a median $915/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 0.0% from the last ask.
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
Full closing history with price-per-square-foot over time, the complete retrade record, and every line that has traded.
Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 1-01514-7501) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
The ceilings and the location are the assets. Ten-foot-plus ceilings, prewar proportions, and a spot half a block from Central Park and the express subway define the building.
Combinations are part of the story. With four apartments per floor and A/B/C/D lines, joined layouts have created larger homes; combination potential can be a value lever.
It's a boutique cooperative. Sixteen residences, an elevator, and basic building services — an intimate building with maintenance to match, not a full-service tower.
The board process applies. Expect a board application and interview, board-set financing limits, and cooperative expectations around primary residence and subletting.
Mansion tax thresholds apply. At this building's pricing, the $1M and higher cliffs can be in play. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Variable board financial policy — confirm at offer stage. Financing percentages, sublet terms, and pet specifics should be confirmed in writing before you commit.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the ceilings and the address. The prewar ceiling heights, the Carnegie Hill location, and the boutique scale are the story; marketing should foreground them.
Qualify buyers for the board early. Establishing financial readiness before an accepted offer protects timelines in a cooperative.
Pricing requires apartment-level comps. With 16 residences, floor, exposure, condition, and combination potential all move the number.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 120 East 86th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper East Side and Carnegie Hill buildings:
- 108 East 86th Street — nearby Carnegie Hill building
- 115 East 86th Street — nearby Carnegie Hill building
- 68 East 86th Street — nearby Carnegie Hill cooperative
- 64 East 86th Street — nearby Carnegie Hill cooperative
- 11 East 86th Street — nearby Fifth Avenue–adjacent cooperative
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
Considering a move at 120 East 86th Street?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 120 East 86th Street would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.