1218 Third Avenue
1218 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1014050040 · BIN 1042740
- Year built
- 1962
- Type
- Cooperative
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $1.8M
- Recent range
- $605K – $3.3M
- Listing discount
- 2.7%
- Recorded transfers
- 78
1218 Third Avenue is a 20-story, 95-unit cooperative built in 1962 on the east side of Third Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets — the heart of Lenox Hill, and one of the most convenient residential pockets on the Upper East Side. It belongs to the wave of post-war elevator houses that rose along Third Avenue after the elevated railway came down, replacing low-rise tenements with full-service apartment towers that gave the avenue its modern, mid-rise residential character.
The case for the building is location and service rather than ornament. From the front door, residents are two short blocks from Central Park, a block from the Lexington Avenue and Second Avenue subways, and surrounded by the grocers, cafés, restaurants, and everyday retail that make this stretch of Third Avenue one of the most walkable in the neighborhood. The building offers exactly what buyers in this corridor want from a co-op: a doorman, an elevator, and a managed, owner-occupied community at a price point well below the pre-war mansions a few blocks west.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is a representative example of early-1960s Upper East Side construction — a clean, vertical white-brick tower of 20 stories, designed for efficiency and light rather than pre-war flourish. At 95 units across 20 floors, the layout runs to a handful of homes per landing, producing a quiet, well-distributed building.
Layouts follow the practical post-war program of the era: well-proportioned studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms with sensible separation of living and sleeping space, ample closets, and large windows that pull in light from the avenue and side streets. The upper floors capture open city views, and the building is crowned by a duplex penthouse — the kind of full-floor-plus aerie that trades infrequently and commands a premium when it does.
Building operations
1218 Third Avenue runs as a full-service cooperative. A doorman attends the lobby and a live-in resident superintendent keeps the building maintained day to day. Shared services include central laundry, a bike room, and resident storage — the practical infrastructure that defines a well-run post-war co-op. The doorman-attended entrance and managed common areas are the everyday value here: secure, staffed, and dependable.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $13,060/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $11
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair before the next inspection cycle. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent). Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library.
See the full facade history →Recent sales
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 2026 | 8D | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $3,200,000 | -5.7% | |
| Feb 25, 2026 | 8E | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,150,000 | -2.3% | |
| Jan 9, 2025 | 3C | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $1,400,000 | +0.0% | |
| Dec 20, 2024 | 15E | 1 BR · 2 BA | $825,000 | +3.3% | |
| Nov 8, 2024 | 4C | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,190,000 | +5.8% | |
| Aug 20, 2024 | 8C | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,150,000 | +0.0% | |
| May 28, 2024 | 5B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,600 sf | $1,800,000 | $1,125/sf | -2.7% |
| May 28, 2024 | 7F | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $3,250,000 | -4.3% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2024): a median $1,435/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 4.2% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2003 | 4C | $550,000 |
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 1-01405-0040) 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
This is a cooperative purchase, so plan on a board application and interview, and budget for the financial documentation a co-op board reviews. The trade-off is value: a doorman building on a prime Lenox Hill block at a price the pre-war stock west of Park can't match. Look closely at the line and exposure — units facing the side streets and upper floors read quieter and brighter than lower avenue-facing homes. The duplex penthouse is the building's trophy and rarely available; when one of the larger two-bedroom lines comes up renovated, it tends to draw the most competition. We help buyers read the building's financials, weigh the line and floor, and move decisively when the right unit appears.
What to know if you’re selling
The selling story here is service and location, told plainly. Lead with the full-time doorman, the Central Park and subway proximity, and the everyday convenience of the Third Avenue retail corridor — the things this buyer pool is actually shopping for. Light and exposure sell the upper and side-street lines; a clean, move-in renovation closes the gap on the post-war kitchen-and-bath question every buyer raises. Price to the building's true comparable set — full-service post-war Lenox Hill co-ops — rather than to the pre-war towers nearby, and the unit moves. We position each listing to its strongest feature and run the comparable analysis that gets it sold.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1218 Third Avenue, also evaluate these nearby Upper East Side cooperatives and elevator buildings:
- 1230 Third Avenue — Third Avenue peer just to the north
- 1186 Third Avenue — full-service Third Avenue cooperative nearby
- 1250 Third Avenue — Lenox Hill / Yorkville elevator building
- 1408 Second Avenue — full-service building one avenue east
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 1218 Third Avenue?
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 1218 Third Avenue 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.