1215 Fifth Avenue (Brisbane House)
1215 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029
Upper Carnegie Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1016080001 · BIN 1051491
- Year built
- 1926
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 62
- Floors
- 16
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Permitted with board approval per management-sourced records
- Financing
- 70 percent maximum (30 percent minimum down). Refinancing is separately capped at 70 percent of appraised value
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $835K
- Recent range
- $770K – $3.3M
- Listing discount
- 8.6%
- Recorded transfers
- 35
Fifth Avenue's great prewar apartment houses thin out above 96th Street, and 1215 Fifth is the last of them going north — the corner of 103rd Street, facing the park at the top of Museum Mile, with the Conservatory Garden and the Harlem Meer on the other side of the wall. It is the only building in this stretch of the avenue with both a name and a number, and it got the name the way prewar buildings usually did: from the man who put it up.
Arthur Brisbane was the most widely read newspaper editor in America and one of the more active apartment-house developers of the 1920s, with a hand in the Ritz Tower on Park Avenue. Here he hired Schultze & Weaver, then at the height of a hotel practice that produced the Sherry-Netherland and the Pierre, and the result reads like their hotel work: a heavy four-story limestone base, brick above, and a campanile water tower at the roofline that is one of the better ones on the avenue. Brisbane kept the top three floors for himself — a triplex of some thirty rooms with multiple fireplaces and a two-story living room running the length of the Fifth Avenue frontage, painted with historical murals. That apartment no longer exists as a single unit; the floors have been subdivided and recombined many times since.
The building converted to cooperative ownership in 1978, and the modern shareholder base is the product of nearly fifty years of that. What buyers should understand is that 1215 Fifth is not a fixed grid of apartments. City records show a near-continuous history of combinations across the stack, and the unit count has drifted from 62 down toward 58 as a result. The inventory ranges from one-bedroom apartments of a few hundred square feet to combined lines running well past 3,000 — inside the same address, with the same maintenance formula and the same board.
The second thing to understand is the policy stack, which is genuinely unusual. Financing is capped at 70 percent, which is conventional discipline for a prewar Fifth Avenue co-op. But the building permits pied-à-terre and secondary-residence ownership — most co-ops in this corridor do not — while flatly refusing parents buying for children, corporate purchases and diplomatic purchases. Subletting is available on hardship only, at a punitive 50 percent of maintenance. That combination points at a specific buyer: someone who intends to own the apartment personally and hold it, whether or not it is their only home.
The third is geography. This is Fifth Avenue and it is Central Park, but it is Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street. The 6 train at 103rd and Lexington is a long crosstown walk; the Second Avenue Q at 96th is further. Museum Mile's northern institutions — the Museum of the City of New York and El Museo del Barrio — are the immediate neighbors. Pricing here has always reflected that position, and it is the reason the building offers park-facing prewar space at a discount to the same product twenty blocks south.
Architecture and unit composition
Schultze & Weaver organized the building around a corner site with frontage on both Fifth Avenue and East 103rd Street, which gives more apartments than usual a genuine two-exposure plan. The base is limestone through four stories, rusticated and detailed at the entrance; the shaft above is brick with limestone trim, and the top is capped by the campanile-form water tower that gives the building its silhouette from inside the park.
Apartments are lettered by line — A, B, C, D and beyond — with the A and B lines running along the Fifth Avenue front and the C and D lines behind them. Combined apartments carry doubled designations (AB, CD, EF) and are where the building's large inventory now sits: three- and four-bedroom homes of ten and eleven rooms, several with terraces at the upper floors, and a penthouse line at the top of the stack with private outdoor space. The unrenovated small units at the back of the building are the entry point and, in many cycles, the best value in the corridor.
Prewar detail survives unevenly, which is normal for a building converted in 1978 and combined continuously since. Wood-burning fireplaces, deep foyers, staff rooms and original floors appear across the inventory; so do gut renovations that removed all of it. Condition, not line, is the primary driver of price here, and buyers should walk several apartments before forming a view of what the building "is."
Building operations
Full-service but not lavish: a full-time doorman, a live-in resident manager, a fitness room, a central laundry, and private storage and bike storage. There is no garage and no roof club; the building's outdoor amenity is Central Park across the street. Maintenance runs across a wide band because the apartments do — from roughly $700 a month at the smallest studio lines to well past $8,000 on the largest combinations, according to listing records.
The building's façade has been through repeated cycles of masonry and terra-cotta restoration — Department of Buildings filings record parapet reconstruction in 2003, masonry restoration in 2006 and 2009, and a full exterior restoration program with sheds and scaffold in 2015. Mechanical work is documented as well: a new liquid-propane gas service, boiler and burner in 2013 following a Con Edison-driven fuel conversion. That is a normal capital rhythm for a 1926 building, and it is the record a buyer's attorney should pick up from where our documentation ends. We do not currently hold audited financial statements or board minutes for this building; request the last two years of financials and the most recent Local Law 11 filing before contract.
Policy framework
Ownership form: Cooperative. Purchase requires a full board package and an in-person interview, and the board's discretion is absolute. Budget six to ten weeks from executed contract to closing.
Financing: 70 percent maximum on purchase; 30 percent minimum down. Refinancing is separately capped at 70 percent of appraised value, which matters more than buyers expect — a shareholder who bought at the ceiling has no room to pull equity later if values move sideways.
Post-closing liquidity: Not published. Boards at this financing level typically want to see meaningful liquid assets after closing, and this one screens carefully. Model it before you offer rather than after.
Pied-à-terre and secondary residence: Permitted per management-sourced records. This is the building's most distinctive policy and the reason it draws buyers who have been turned away elsewhere on the avenue.
Structures the board declines: Parents purchasing for a child — employed or student — corporate purchases, and diplomatic purchases are all recorded as not permitted. Trust and LLC ownership is not separately addressed in the records we reviewed; assume it requires board consent and confirm with the managing agent before structuring.
Subletting: Hardship only, minimum one year, with board review at the one-year mark of a two-year sublet. The fee is 50 percent of monthly maintenance for the sublease term. This is an owner-occupant building by design; do not underwrite rental income.
Pets: Permitted with board approval. Smoking is not permitted. Short-term rentals are not permitted.
Flip tax: 2 percent of purchase price. Management-sourced records place it on the seller; some listing records describe it as buyer-paid. The distinction is worth several tens of thousands of dollars and should be settled with the managing agent, in writing, before an offer is accepted.
Real estate taxes: No abatement. The J-51 benefits taken in the early 1980s expired more than three decades ago.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2025–30. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
Recent sales
Brisbane House trades as the value proposition of prewar Fifth Avenue: park frontage, a named Schultze & Weaver building, and prewar room counts at pricing that reflects the 103rd Street address rather than the 80s. On a per-room basis the building sits below the Carnegie Hill co-ops to the south and below the Fifth Avenue Gold Coast entirely, and the spread has been durable rather than closing.
The building's inventory splits into three markets that behave differently. Small one-bedroom and studio apartments at the rear of the stack clear quickly and are the corridor's genuine entry point to a park-facing prewar address. Mid-size two-bedrooms clear on condition. Large combinations — the ten- and eleven-room homes with park frontage and, at the top, terraces — are a thin market: listing records show these carrying long marketing periods and closing meaningfully below asking. Sellers of large apartments here should price to that reality rather than to a Carnegie Hill comparable set, and buyers of large apartments have real negotiating room.
Two structural facts belong in any underwriting. There is no tax abatement, so the tax component of maintenance is at full assessment. And the sublet policy means the apartment cannot be carried as a rental if plans change — a hardship application is the only path, and it costs half of maintenance on top of maintenance. Unit-level transaction history is maintained in The Roebling Research Library and shared with clients during diligence.
Recent transfers at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. 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.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2026 | 11D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $770,000 | -3.1% | |
| Jul 8, 2025 | 16EF | 3 BR · 3 BA | $3,335,000 | -8.6% | |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 15D | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,081 sf | $900,000 | $833/sf | -17.1% |
| Jul 26, 2022 | 15AB | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $2,999,500 | -6.3% | |
| Jul 20, 2022 | 15C | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,537,500 | -9.3% | |
| Jul 19, 2022 | 10A | 2 BR · 1 BA | $1,130,000 | -9.6% | |
| May 20, 2022 | 1C | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,475,000 | -4.8% | |
| May 19, 2022 | 5A | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,000 sf | $850,000 | $850/sf | -7.6% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2023): a median $833/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 6.3% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
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 1-01608-0001) 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 pied-à-terre allowance is the reason to look here. A park-facing prewar co-op on Fifth Avenue that permits secondary-residence ownership is a small category. If that is your requirement, this building belongs on the list ahead of buildings twice its price.
Underwrite 30 percent down and real post-closing liquidity. 70 percent financing is the ceiling, not the expectation. Run the Co-op Board Qualification Calculator before you write an offer, and be prepared to show reserves well past the down payment.
Settle the flip tax in writing. Sources disagree on whether the 2 percent is charged to buyer or seller. Get the managing agent's answer before the contract is signed.
Verify the apartment, not the building. With combinations running through the stack since 1978, floor plans in this building do not repeat reliably. Confirm the actual room count, the actual square footage, and whether the fireplaces are working, against the building's own records.
Price the walk. The 6 at 103rd and Lexington is the nearest train and it is a real crosstown walk. The M1/M2/M3/M4 run down Fifth. Test the commute at the hour you will actually make it.
Ask for the capital picture. We do not hold financials for this building. Request two years of audited statements, the current Local Law 11 status, and any assessment history before contract — the façade has been worked repeatedly and the boiler plant was replaced in 2013.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the name and the architect, and market the pied-à-terre policy explicitly. Schultze & Weaver and Arthur Brisbane are real provenance that most listing copy in this corridor lacks, and the secondary-residence allowance is the building's sharpest differentiator against every competing prewar co-op on the avenue. Buyers do not know either unless you tell them.
Large apartments need patient, realistic pricing. Listing records show the building's biggest homes taking long marketing periods and trading below ask. Price the combination against what large combinations here actually clear at, not against an aggregate per-foot number.
Be ready with the financing math. A 70 percent ceiling narrows the buyer pool. Qualify offers early and run the Co-op Affordability Calculator against the actual maintenance on your line.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1215 Fifth Avenue, also evaluate:
- 1200 Fifth Avenue — the converted former Mount Sinai building three blocks south on a different tax block; the nearest condominium alternative on the avenue
- 1212 Fifth Avenue — George and Edward Blum, 1925, converted to condominium in 2011; the closest prewar peer by vintage and outlook, with condominium rules instead of co-op rules
- 1170 Fifth Avenue — park-facing prewar co-op a block south; similar economics, tighter policy
- 1165 Fifth Avenue — prewar Fifth Avenue co-op at the Carnegie Hill edge
- 1158 Fifth Avenue — smaller prewar co-op on the same stretch of the avenue
- 1150 Fifth Avenue — prewar park-front co-op; the step south into Carnegie Hill pricing
- 1235 Park Avenue — the Park Avenue alternative at the same latitude, without the park frontage
- 1220 Park Avenue — upper Park Avenue prewar co-op; comparable room counts, different corridor
- 1185 Park Avenue — the large courtyard co-op to the south; the family-scale prewar alternative
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Fifth Avenue — read The Roebling Team Guide to Fifth Avenue.
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.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent.
Considering a move at Brisbane House?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
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A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at Brisbane House 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.