- Year built
- 1927
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 36
- Floors
- 9
- Landmark
- No
- Amenities
- Two elevators, live-in superintendent, updated central laundry, bike room, private storage, and a landscaped roof deck ("Club 137") with lounge seating, a garden, and panoramic city views; video security
- Pets
- Cats and dogs permitted per current publicly available listing data (some older records differ) — verify with the managing agent
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2025
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $844
- Listing discount
- 2.2%
- Recorded sales
- 54
- On record
- 2004–2025
137 East 28th Street is a boutique pre-war cooperative that punches above its size on amenity. A nine-story, roughly 36-unit building of 1927 vintage between Lexington and Third, it carries something most small pre-war co-ops in the corridor do not: a landscaped roof deck — "Club 137," with lounge seating, a garden, and open city views — alongside a bike room, private storage, and updated laundry. For a small building, that is an unusually complete amenity package, and it is the feature that differentiates the address in the Kips Bay / Rose Hill ownership market.
The building's appeal is character plus practicality. The apartments are pre-war one- and two-bedrooms — three-room layouts predominate — modernized with stainless kitchens, high ceilings, hardwood floors, and stone-tiled baths, and they trade at accessible co-op price points a short walk from Madison Square Park and the 6 train at 28th Street. For a first purchase, a pied-à-terre-minded buyer, or anyone who values a usable roof deck at boutique co-op scale, the format is a genuine draw.
For buyers, the thesis is a well-amenitized small pre-war co-op in a central corridor: modernized character space, a real roof deck, and a relatively flexible policy stack at approachable pricing.
Architecture and unit composition
The building rises nine stories in pre-war concrete construction — a 1927 "New Law" apartment house roughly 45 feet wide, running about 28,600 square feet — with two elevators serving the floors. The 36 or so residences are one- and two-bedroom layouts, one-bedrooms predominating and typically configured as three-room homes. Interiors have been modernized: stainless appliances, high ceilings, hardwood floors, and stone-tiled bathrooms behind a pre-war facade. This is character pre-war space brought up to contemporary finish — the appeal is the combination of pre-war bones and modern kitchens and baths at boutique scale.
Building operations
For a small pre-war co-op, the operations here are notably full: two elevators, a live-in superintendent, an updated central laundry, a bike room, private storage, and the "Club 137" landscaped roof deck with garden and city views. The building is pet-friendly per current data, permits sublets after two years with board approval, and requires a 20 percent minimum down payment — a workable policy stack for a cooperative of this size. As with any co-op, the board package, house rules, and building financials should be reviewed carefully; we obtain current documents from the managing agent for clients at offer stage.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $30,649/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $53,486/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $69 – $120
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 | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2025 | 3D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $590,000 | -5.6% |
| Jun 12, 2025 | 3C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $640,000 | +2.4% |
| Apr 9, 2025 | 7A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $608,148 | +2.2% |
| Nov 15, 2024 | 1C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $490,000 | -9.3% |
| Sep 11, 2024 | 1A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $475,000 | -12.8% |
| Jun 13, 2024 | 5D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $575,000 | +0.0% |
| Apr 11, 2023 | 7D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $543,495 | +9.8% |
| Apr 11, 2023 | 7D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $543,494 | +9.8% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2022): a median $844/sf across 3 sales. The building has traded as recently as 2025. Median listing discount 2.2% 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.
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 1-00884-0027) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
The roof deck is the differentiator. "Club 137" is a genuine amenity most small pre-war co-ops in the corridor lack — it's a real reason the building commands attention. Weigh it against the amenity gaps of comparable boutique buildings.
Modernized pre-war is the product. Pre-war bones with contemporary kitchens and baths — price the finish level, not just the room count, against the corridor's co-op stock.
The policy stack is workable. Pet-friendly, sublets after two years with board approval, 20 percent minimum down per public data — favorable for a small co-op, but verify current board policy, including pet specifics, during diligence.
Read the financials closely. A 36-unit building has a narrow base over which to spread any capital project. Review the budget, reserve posture, and any assessment history in the board package.
What to know if you’re selling
Market the amenity package. A landscaped roof deck, bike room, and storage at boutique scale is a real advantage — lead with "Club 137" and the completeness of the offering.
Price on rooms and carry. Co-op buyers here shop on total price and monthly maintenance; position the accessible entry point and the modernized finishes together.
Use the flexibility. The pet and sublet policies widen the buyer pool for a small pre-war co-op — make them explicit in the marketing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 137 East 28th Street, also evaluate the pre-war cooperative stock along the Lexington and Third Avenue blocks of Kips Bay, Rose Hill, and the Gramercy edge — small pre-war co-ops offering modernized character space at accessible pricing, benchmarked on amenity completeness. We maintain the current comparable set in The Roebling Research Library.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Gramercy — read The Roebling Team Guide to Gramercy.
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 137 East 28th 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 137 East 28th 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.