- Year built
- 1929
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median
- $4.6M
- Recent range
- $1.2M – $9.9M
- Listing discount
- 5.8%
- Recorded transfers
- 25
136 East 79th Street is an intimate, white-glove cooperative on a prime Lenox Hill block between Park and Lexington — the kind of small, well-staffed pre-war building that the Upper East Side's most discerning buyers prize precisely because so few like it exist. Designed by Francis Burrell Hoffman and completed in 1929, it became a cooperative in 1949, putting it among the earlier co-op conversions on the East Side. With just 25 apartments across fourteen stories, it is a genuinely boutique building, and it has long been known for the quality of its service and the longevity of its staff.
The architecture is restrained and correct: an elegant Neo-Georgian composition in red brick with simple limestone window surrounds — a quiet, dignified façade that belongs unmistakably to the best blocks of the East 70s. The building's case is the combination of scarcity, service, and address: a small, white-glove cooperative one block from Park Avenue, steps from the Madison Avenue retail corridor and the cross-town and Lexington Avenue subways.
Architecture and unit composition
Hoffman, a Beaux-Arts-trained architect best known for grand country and residential work, gave 136 East 79th a measured Georgian dignity rather than ostentation — the red-brick wall, limestone surrounds, and balanced proportions that read as permanent and discreet. It is a building designed to disappear gracefully into one of the city's most refined residential streetscapes.
Inside, the 25 apartments are spacious pre-war homes — the building's very low density translates to large floor plates and a sense of privacy uncommon even on the East Side. Layouts carry the high ceilings, gracious foyers, separate service areas, and hardwood floors expected of a 1929 building of this caliber, with two- and three-bedroom homes among the most sought-after lines.
Building operations
136 East 79th is a true white-glove cooperative. There is 24-hour staff and a live-in resident manager — the building is celebrated for the quality and tenure of its team — along with a state-of-the-art fitness center, a landscaped communal garden, designated wine storage, and bike storage. The cooperative is pet-friendly. The board permits 50% financing and applies a 3% flip tax payable by the seller on transfer. This is a service-first, owner-occupant building: the staffing and amenities are scaled well beyond what 25 households would strictly require, which is exactly the point.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $44,692/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $143
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
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 30, 2026 | 7A | 4 BR · 3 BA | $3,680,000 | -5.6% | |
| Mar 26, 2026 | 5A | 3 BR · 3 BA | $4,600,000 | -4.2% | |
| Mar 5, 2026 | 4B | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,050,000 | -25.5% | |
| Jan 30, 2026 | 11A | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $5,600,000 | +2.3% | |
| Aug 27, 2025 | 9 | 6 BR · 6.5 BA | $9,900,000 | -20.8% | |
| Aug 1, 2025 | 8A | 4 BR · 3 BA · 3,021 sf | $3,650,000 | $1,208/sf | -6.3% |
| Feb 6, 2025 | 6A | 4 BR · 4 BA · 3,652 sf | $3,862,500 | $1,058/sf | -5.8% |
| Feb 3, 2025 | 6B | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,574 sf | $2,000,000 | $777/sf | -4.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,058/sf across 3 sales. Median listing discount 5.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 2025 | 10A | $4,750,000 |
| Jul 20, 2022 | 10A | $4,750,000 |
| Nov 16, 2012 | 11A | $4,550,000 |
| Nov 4, 2008 | 7A | $5,650,000 |
| May 14, 2008 | 2B | $2,475,000 |
| May 5, 2008 | 10B | $7,000,000 |
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 1-01413-0057) 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 low-density boutique cooperative, and inventory is genuinely scarce — when a good apartment appears, the analysis has to be quick and precise. Confirm exposure and floor; the building's larger, higher homes are the most coveted, and the service and garden are central to the value proposition.
Underwrite to the building's terms: 50% financing permitted and a 3% seller-paid flip tax. The board package and interview are rigorous, in keeping with a white-glove East 70s co-op — we help buyers present a clean, well-documented file and benchmark the price against the right Lenox Hill comparable set, weighing the maintenance against the full staffing and amenities.
What to know if you’re selling
Scarcity and service are your strongest cards. With 25 apartments and rare turnover, a well-presented home here meets thin competing supply — lead with the boutique scale, the celebrated staff, the garden and gym, and the block one off Park Avenue.
Comp to the Lenox Hill pre-war tier and to like layouts, not to volume data. The building's large floor plates mean pricing is driven by floor, exposure, and condition; renovated high-floor homes reward staging and a disciplined launch. A well-prepared board package and clean financials keep a deal moving through a rigorous board.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 136 East 79th, also evaluate nearby Lenox Hill and East 70s cooperatives:
- 50 East 79th Street — pre-war co-op nearby
- 180 East 79th Street — full-service building to the east
- 308 East 79th Street — East 79th Street cooperative
- 820 Park Avenue — Park Avenue pre-war peer
- 860 Park Avenue — Lenox Hill Park Avenue cooperative
The Roebling Team at 136 East 79th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side — Lenox Hill, Park and Fifth Avenue, and the Central Park West market beyond. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers at low-density, white-glove cooperatives deserve building-specific intelligence: how the board reads a package, where the financing and flip-tax terms set the buyer pool, and how a particular line trades against the Lenox Hill comparable set.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 136 East 79th, 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.