- Year built
- 1973
- Type
- Full-service elevator building
- Units
- 172
- Landmark
- No
1283 Second Avenue is a product of the early-1970s building boom that gave the eastern avenues of the Upper East Side much of their present skyline. Completed in 1973 near East 68th Street, it is a 31-story residential tower from the era when Second and Third Avenues — freed of the elevated rail lines a generation earlier and zoned for height — filled with tall, full-service apartment buildings serving a rapidly growing East Side population.
The building's relevance is practical and locational. The Lenox Hill stretch of Second Avenue is one of the most convenient residential corridors in the city. The Second Avenue subway station at 72nd Street and the Lexington Avenue lines a few blocks west put both East Side trunk lines within a short walk, the cross-town buses run along the nearby numbered streets, and the East 60s and 70s retail-and-dining spine begins right at the door. A 31-story tower on this corridor delivers something the surrounding low- and mid-rise blocks cannot — height, light, and open exposures on its upper floors, toward the river to the east and the park to the west.
At roughly 172 apartments, 1283 Second is a substantial building, and that scale defines its market: a deep, liquid unit mix; the operating efficiency of a large resident base; and the kind of steady internal turnover that makes a building easy to enter and exit. It represents the value end of full-service Upper East Side living — newer than the prewar avenue cooperatives, taller than the white-brick stock around it, and priced well below the Fifth, Park, and Madison Avenue tiers a few blocks west.
Architecture and unit composition
The building reflects 1970s residential design: a tower-form high-rise organized for efficiency, light, and volume rather than for prewar ceremony. Layouts of the period emphasize practical room sizes, functional kitchens and baths, and the generous window exposures a tall, slender building delivers — particularly on its upper floors, which gain open outlooks over the surrounding streetscape toward the East River and, on the western flanks, toward Central Park.
The approximately 172 apartments span a range of configurations, from studios and one-bedrooms suited to single buyers, couples, and pied-à-terre owners through larger two- and three-bedroom family layouts on the higher floors. As in any large 1970s tower, value within the building is driven by line, floor, and exposure rather than by averages. Square footages, layouts, and condition vary apartment to apartment.
Building operations
1283 Second Avenue operates as a full-service elevator building with an attended lobby and doorman service, elevators, on-site superintendence, and central laundry. A resident base of roughly 172 apartments supports full-time staffing while distributing fixed operating costs broadly — a structural advantage of scale that helps keep carrying costs competitive for the tier.
The relevant governing documents and house policies are obtained and reviewed in the course of any transaction, and we walk clients through them as part of the diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $102,909/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $50
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 and leasing context at 1283 Second Avenue:
- As a large building of roughly 172 apartments, turnover follows the steady cadence typical of high-unit-count Upper East Side towers, concentrated in the more liquid studio and one-bedroom lines.
- Pricing reflects the Second Avenue value position: a meaningful discount per square foot to the prewar avenue tiers to the west, with full-service convenience, height, and light as the trade-up.
- Floor altitude and exposure command premiums in a 31-story tower, where higher floors gain open river and park outlooks.
For any apartment-specific recorded activity, see the building's live sales feed; the above is general context, not specific trades.
What to know if you’re buying
This is the value tier of full-service UES living. You gain doorman convenience and height at a Second Avenue basis well below the prewar avenues.
Transit is a major asset. The Second Avenue subway at 72nd Street and the Lexington Avenue lines a few blocks west put both East Side trunk lines within a short walk.
Retail is at the door. The Second and Third Avenue restaurant, café, and grocery spine begins right outside, with Central Park a short walk west.
Floor and exposure drive value. In a 31-story tower, altitude and orientation matter more than building-wide averages.
Evaluate line by line. Layouts, finishes, and exposures vary; compare carefully within the building.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with convenience and value. Full service, two-subway transit access, retail at the door, and a price-per-foot below the prewar avenues is the core message.
Price by floor and exposure. Comparable analysis must reflect altitude, orientation, and condition, not a single building average.
The audience is broad. Value-oriented Upper East Side households, first-time buyers, and pied-à-terre seekers all shop this tier.
Showcase the high floors. Open river and park outlooks above the surrounding low-rise blocks are the building's strongest selling point.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1283 Second Avenue, also evaluate nearby Upper East Side inventory:
- 1250 Third Avenue — large postwar Lenox Hill co-op nearby
- 1230 Third Avenue — Tower East; Emery Roth & Sons 1962 co-op
- 201 East 80th Street — postwar/contemporary UES elevator building
- 300 East 59th Street — full-service East Side tower for comparison
The Roebling Team at 1283 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 building profile because Upper East Side buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — unit mix, operations, transactional mechanics, and value positioning — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a transaction at 1283 Second Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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