1222 Second Avenue
1222 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10065
- Year built
- 1963
- Type
- Full-service elevator apartment building
- Units
- 136
- Floors
- 18
- Landmark
- No
1222 Second Avenue is a 1963 post-war elevator building at the corner of Second Avenue and East 64th Street, in the southern reach of Lenox Hill. It belongs to the generation of mid-rise apartment houses that lined Second and Third Avenues after the elevated trains came down in the mid-twentieth century — practical, well-located buildings with ground-floor retail and efficient residential floors above. The avenue base here carries neighborhood retail, a convenient and characteristic feature of the type.
The real case for buildings like 1222 Second is lifestyle and location rather than architectural pedigree, and on that score the corner is hard to beat. The F and Q trains at the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station are about a block southwest; the 6 train at 68th Street and the Lexington–59th Street complex (4/5/6/N/R/W) are a short walk south; and the Bloomingdale's flagship and the 59th–60th Street retail district sit just below. Restaurants, cafés, gyms, and groceries line Second and Third Avenues in every direction, and the broad residential heart of Lenox Hill opens up to the north. Central Park is roughly a ten-minute walk west. The 18-story height gives upper floors open light and, higher up, partial open outlooks across the surrounding low-rise streetscape.
For buyers and renters, 1222 Second offers an accessible, transit-rich, amenity-dense East Side address with the efficiency and convenience of post-war construction — a strong everyday-living position in one of the most walkable corners of the Upper East Side.
Architecture and unit composition
The 136 apartments across 18 stories reflect early-1960s post-war planning: efficient foyers, regular living and dining areas, and the repeatable, modern layouts characteristic of the era's elevator buildings. The mix typically runs from studios and one-bedrooms through two-bedroom configurations.
Avenue-facing apartments look over Second Avenue; side-street and rear lines have quieter cross-street or interior outlooks. Higher floors capture more open light. Post-war buildings of this generation generally offer lower ceilings than pre-war stock but more efficient, practical layouts. Configurations vary line to line, so comparison at the apartment level matters more than building-wide averages.
Building operations
1222 Second Avenue operates as a full-service post-war elevator building with on-site superintendent coverage, elevator service, and central laundry, with neighborhood retail at the avenue base. The 18-story, 136-unit scale supports stable building-wide operations and capital planning, including ongoing facade maintenance under the city's periodic inspection requirements. The residential floors are held either as a cooperative or as a rental holding; a buyer's or renter's team establishes which applies, and the governing rules, early in the process.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into 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
Sales context at 1222 Second Avenue:
- If shares trade here, turnover would be moderate-to-active given the 136-unit scale; if operated as rental, transfer activity reflects the underlying ownership rather than unit-by-unit sales.
- Post-war Lenox Hill pricing rewards floor altitude, light, and renovation quality; entry-level units transact at accessible price points.
- The building's auto-generated sales record reflects recorded transfers and shows the actual transaction pattern at this address.
What to know if you’re buying
Location and transit access are the headline. A Second Avenue corner near the F/Q at Lexington–63rd, the 6 train, Bloomingdale's, and the heart of Lenox Hill is a durable, everyday convenience.
Establish the ownership structure early. Whether the residential floors are cooperative shares or a rental holding shapes the transaction; a buyer's team pins it down at the apartment level at the outset.
Post-war practicality is the trade-off — efficient modern layouts and lower ceilings than pre-war stock, at accessible pricing.
Account for the capital plan — a 1963 building has predictable long-term maintenance needs worth understanding.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with location and value. The transit-rich, retail-dense Lenox Hill address and accessible pricing attract a broad buyer pool.
State the ownership structure clearly — it shapes the buyer pool and the transaction mechanics.
Price at the apartment level. Floor, light, line, and condition drive value more than building-wide averages.
Closing timelines follow co-op standard (generally 4–8 weeks) if shares trade.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1222 Second Avenue, also evaluate:
- 201 East 62nd Street — nearby Lenox Hill co-op
- 175 East 62nd Street — nearby Lenox Hill co-op
- 167 East 61st Street — nearby Lenox Hill co-op
- 118 East 60th Street — nearby post-war Upper East Side building
- 1230 Third Avenue — nearby post-war Upper East Side building
The Roebling Team at 1222 Second Avenue
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this profile because Lenox Hill buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — ownership structure, location, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 1222 Second Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.