- Year built
- 1906
The Clarendon is the Riverside Drive building where William Randolph Hearst lived — initially leasing the top three floors around 1907 and later expanding to the top five floors. The 1906 Charles E. Birge Beaux-Arts cooperative is one of the most architecturally distinguished early-prewar Riverside Drive buildings and carries the densest celebrity-history overlay on the corridor's West 80s blocks.
The structural identity rests on three features. First, the William Randolph Hearst residency — the press magnate's expansion from three to five floors makes The Clarendon a structurally consequential American media-history address. Second, the Charles E. Birge Beaux-Arts composition — red and black brick set in Flemish bond with limestone and terra cotta trim; four-story limestone base; step-up lobby beneath a lavish bronze and glass marquee. Third, the Frank Shattuck residency — Shattuck headed the Schrafft's restaurant chain, anchoring the building's broader early-20th-century commercial-history overlay.
Tom Miller's Daytonian in Manhattan (April 2017) covers the building's history in detail.
Recent sales
Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers for full transactional context.
What to know if you’re buying
The William Randolph Hearst residency is the building's single largest cultural-history asset. Position prominently.
The Charles E. Birge Beaux-Arts composition is real institutional context. The architect's broader work places The Clarendon in a substantial early-20th-century Riverside Drive architectural tradition.
The Riverside-West End Historic District designation provides exterior-modification protection. Plan accordingly for any visible changes.
The boutique 61-62-unit scale supports operational depth. Plan board diligence accordingly.
The Daytonian / Miller architectural-history coverage is the canonical published source. Use as the institutional reference.
Verify specific policy framework with managing agent at diligence stage. Public-source policy depth is thinner than peer buildings.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard. Plan for 6 to 10 weeks from contract through board approval to closing.
What to know if you’re selling
The Hearst cultural-history overlay supports premium positioning. Reference prominently in materials.
The Birge Beaux-Arts architectural pedigree is real institutional context.
Pricing should reference recent CityRealty / Compass / Brown Harris Stevens data.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard.
Comparable buildings
- 100 Riverside Drive — Boak & Paris 1938; nearby Riverside Drive prewar peer
- 11 Riverside Drive (The Schwab House) — Bien 1950; nearby Riverside Drive peer
- 140 Riverside Drive (The Normandy) — Roth 1939 Art Moderne; immediate Riverside Drive peer at 86th-87th
- 180 Riverside Drive — Schwartz & Gross 1922; nearby Riverside Drive peer
- 173-175 Riverside Drive — Carpenter 1926; nearby Riverside Drive peer
The Roebling Team at The Clarendon
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. If you're considering a purchase or sale at The Clarendon, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Corey Cohen · The Roebling Team at Compass 646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com
Sources: CityRealty building page; Tom Miller, "The Clarendon — 137 Riverside Drive," Daytonian in Manhattan, April 2017; Landmark West! 137-139 Riverside Drive profile; NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Riverside-West End Historic District Designation Report; NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.