1296 Third Avenue (196 East 75th Street)
1296 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1014090040 · BIN 1043090
- Year built
- 1959
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 136
- Floors
- 20
- Pets
- Permitted under building rules
- Financing
- Up to 75 percent permitted (25 percent minimum down)
- Flip tax
- A transfer fee applies; the rate is not publicly documented — confirm with the managing agent
Every recorded sale at this building, 2001–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $1.3M
- Recent range
- $575K – $1.9M
- Listing discount
- 3.7%
- Recorded transfers
- 173
Like several buildings on Third Avenue's Lenox Hill stretch, this one carries two addresses: it is "1296 Third Avenue" on the retail corner and 196 East 75th Street in the residential market, where nearly all of its apartments list and sell. The two are the same white-brick postwar cooperative on the Third Avenue corner of East 75th Street; searching under the 75th Street address is how you find the comparables.
It is a straightforward, well-run full-service co-op — a 1959-to-1961 white-brick building converted to cooperative ownership in 1981, with a doorman, a live-in super, a parking garage, and a renovated gym. What distinguishes it in the market is not architecture but access: it trades as accessible Lenox Hill cooperative stock, studios and one-bedrooms as its core, with a policy framework that is moderately flexible for the corridor — 75 percent financing, pets permitted, pieds-à-terre entertained, and a bounded but real sublet allowance.
For buyers, the appeal is a doorman co-op with a garage in prime Lenox Hill at attainable pricing, with enough flexibility to widen the buyer pool beyond the strict avenue co-ops.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is white-brick Mid-Century Modern — a clean 20-story postwar apartment house, including a penthouse level, without the ornament of the pre-war stock to its west. Roughly 136 residences run from studios through one- and two-bedroom homes and combinations; sources cite figures from the low 130s to the low 140s, reflecting apartment combinations over time, and the offering plan controls on any specific unit. The original architect is not firmly documented in public records, and we decline to guess. Because the building is a cooperative, apartments are valued on a per-room basis rather than strictly per square foot.
Building operations
The building runs as a full-service cooperative: a 24-hour doorman, a live-in resident manager, an on-site parking garage that reportedly guarantees space for owners, a renovated fitness center off the lobby, central laundry, and a bike room. The 1981 offering plan, house rules, and financial statements are held in The Roebling Research Library and available to clients during diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $40,578/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $25
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.
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
The building's resale market is a value-and-flexibility market. Buyers reach it wanting a doorman-and-garage co-op in prime Lenox Hill without avenue-co-op pricing or restrictions, and the 75 percent financing, pet, and pied-à-terre posture delivers that — within a documented, bounded sublet framework. Studios and one-bedrooms are the currency, which makes it a natural first-purchase and parents-buying building, with the caveat that the board's posture on parent-for-child purchases should be confirmed. The transfer fee and the exact sublet terms are diligence items to confirm early.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2026 | 9G | 2 BR · 1 BA | $950,000 | +0.0% | |
| Mar 9, 2026 | 16E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,250 sf | $1,915,000 | $1,532/sf | -4.0% |
| Feb 11, 2026 | 16G | 1 BA | $575,000 | -4.2% | |
| Jan 8, 2025 | 4C | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,545,000 | -2.8% | |
| Dec 2, 2024 | 6D | 1 BR · 1 BA · 975 sf | $850,000 | $872/sf | -1.7% |
| Nov 15, 2024 | 7D | 2 BR · 1 BA · 975 sf | $862,000 | $884/sf | -3.7% |
| Oct 9, 2024 | 5E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 948 sf | $750,000 | $791/sf | -10.4% |
| Aug 28, 2024 | 17B | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,600 sf | $1,850,000 | $1,156/sf | -7.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,535/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 2.7% 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 18, 2005 | 15C | $1,134,900 |
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 1-01409-0040) 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
Search under 196 East 75th Street. That is where the resale data and comparables live.
Confirm the sublet and pied-à-terre terms. Records point to a bounded sublet allowance (roughly one-year seasoning, one-year terms, about a two-year cap) and a pied-à-terre posture tied to an occupancy agreement, with parent-for-child purchases reportedly restricted. Verify all of this in writing before offering. Run the Co-op Board Qualification Calculator.
The framework is moderately flexible. 75 percent financing and pet tolerance widen the pool relative to the avenue co-ops. Confirm the transfer-fee rate with the managing agent.
Studios and one-bedrooms are the currency. Use same-line comparables. Run the Co-op Affordability Calculator on the specific unit.
What to know if you’re selling
Market under the 75th Street identity, sell the corner. Buyers search 196 East 75th Street; the prime Third Avenue corner and the guaranteed garage are the assets to lead with.
State the framework plainly. 75 percent financing, pet tolerance, and the bounded sublet allowance are selling points — document the current terms from the Research Library for buyers' counsel to shorten diligence.
Anchor to the line. Same-line history is the right comparable set; we maintain it.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1296 Third Avenue / 196 East 75th Street, also evaluate:
- 305 East 72nd Street (Charing Cross House) — full-service Lenox Hill cooperative of similar accessibility and flexibility
- 420 East 72nd Street — Lenox Hill co-op on the same corridor
- 220 East 73rd Street (Eastgate) — Emery Roth pre-war co-op nearby; the architecture step-up
- 200 East 74th Street — postwar white-brick full-service co-op one block south
- 1010 Third Avenue (166 East 61st Street) — full-service Lenox Hill co-op near Bloomingdale's
- 130 East 75th Street — pre-war co-op on the same street; the tier west toward the avenues
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 1296 Third Avenue (196 East 75th 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 1296 Third Avenue (196 East 75th 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.