139 East 79th Street
139 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075
BBL 1015080016 · BIN 1047469
- Year built
- 1928
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Subletting by shareholders
- Requires confirmation
- Pied-à-terre
- Permitted with conditions
- Pets
- Pets permitted with conditions; species not stated
- Washer/dryer
- Permitted with conditions
- Maximum financing
- 50% of the purchase price
- Flip tax
- 2% of the purchase price, paid by the buyer
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 4BR+ median, 2023–2025
- $6.5M
- 3 qualifying sales
- Recent range
- $5.7M – $6.5M
- Listing discount
- 5.8%
- Recorded transfers
- 16
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 139 East 79th 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.
139 East 79th Street is a 1928 cooperative between Park and Lexington Avenues, designed by Louis Allen Abramson and converted to cooperative ownership in 1946.
The building is near Central Park, Museum Mile and the 6 train on Lexington Avenue.
Architecture and unit composition
Abramson's design is a quietly dignified pre-war apartment house — a brown-brick tower rising from a two-story sandstone base, detailed with gray granite trim and a rope quoin at the corner, with a canopied entrance setting the tone. The narrow floor plate and tall massing produce a slender, elegant profile and, internally, apartments that enjoy light from multiple sides.
The near-one-per-floor plan is the story. Dividing roughly 45,100 square feet of recorded building area by approximately 15 residences gives about 3,007 gross square feet per residence, including shared and structural space; it is not an interior-area average. Described apartment features include private elevator landings, gracious entry galleries, separate dining rooms, multiple bedrooms, and the high ceilings and plaster walls of pre-war construction. Review dated sales and renovation condition when evaluating a particular apartment.
Building operations
139 East 79th Street runs as a full-service cooperative — a full-time doorman, a canopied entrance, a resident superintendent, central laundry, and private storage. As a boutique co-op of roughly 15 large units, monthly maintenance covers building staff, heat and hot water, the unit's share of real estate taxes, and the upkeep of the masonry façade and pre-war systems.
Governance is by a board of directors that reviews purchase applications and conducts interviews; buyers should expect a thorough co-op board package and a financing review. Documented terms: financing up to 50% of the purchase price, no subletting, and pied-à-terre use permitted with conditions; confirm current liquidity requirements. Pet, renovation and other policies are set by the board and house rules.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of August 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
- Terms
- Equal to 2% of the selling price paid by Purchaser
- Rate
- 2% of the purchase price
- Paid by
- Buyer
Source: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
Purchase
8 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Litigation Search FeePer applicant | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $150 per applicant | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Recognition Agreement FeeConditional | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $500, if applicable | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Closing Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $750 with a Broker, $800 without a Broker | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Closing Fee for Estate | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $800 with a Broker, $850 without a Broker | Refundable Non-refundable |
| New York State Stamp TaxPer share | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $0.05 per share | Refundable Non-refundable |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move In Deposit | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $1,000 | Refundable Refundable |
| Move Out Deposit | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $1,000 | Refundable Refundable |
Refinance
1 item
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Non-refundable |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the building's costs and purchase requirements.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Financing and purchase requirements
- Maximum financing
- 50% of the purchase priceSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
- Guarantors
- Not permittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
- Co-purchasing
- PermittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
- Parent buying for an employed child
- Not permittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
- Parent buying for a student child
- Not permittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
- Purchase or lease by a corporation
- Not permittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
Sublet and pied-à-terre policy
A condominium owner leasing a unit and a co-op shareholder subletting are different rules, and a building-wide rule is different from a restriction on one apartment. This is the building's rule; confirm it for the specific apartment.
- Subletting by shareholders
- Requires confirmationSources differ. Confirm with building management.
- Pied-à-terre ownership
- Permitted with conditionsPermitted BUT there is a very restrictive guest policy when the owner is not at homeSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
- Short-term rentals
- Not permittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the sublet and pied-à-terre rules for that apartment.
Pets and in-unit washer/dryer
- Pets
- Pets permitted with conditions; species not statedSubject to Board ApprovalSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
- In-unit washer/dryer
- Permitted with conditionsUpon Board approvalSource: building management's published schedule, as of August 2026
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to confirm the pet and washer/dryer rules for that apartment.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Full-time doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Live-in superintendent
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- Storage, laundry roomSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $30,200/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $168
- Modeled exposure split equally across 15 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. A filed Safe grade is not a guarantee of current condition: owners still maintain the facade and, where required, observe parapets each year. Future inspection timing (Local Law 49 of 2025 changed the cycle framework from October 1, 2026), repair and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of selling price (Buyer, at closing)
- Sublet policy
- Requires confirmation
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed (very restrictive guest policy when owner not home)
- Policies and fees
- App processing $500; Closing fee $750 w/broker, $800 w/o; move-in/out deposits $1,000 each
Recent sales
Recent transfers at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2025 | 10 | 4 BR · 4.5 BA | $6,500,000 | -2.3% | |
| Oct 27, 2023 | 6 | 4 BR · 4.5 BA | $6,450,000 | -5.8% | |
| Feb 16, 2023 | 12 | 4 BR · 4 BA | $5,700,000 | -8.8% | |
| Nov 1, 2021 | — | 4 BR · 4 BA | $7,100,000 | -5.3% | |
| Sep 19, 2019 | PH | 2 BR · 3 BA · 1,400 sf | $3,015,000 | $2,154/sf | +7.7% |
| Jun 7, 2018 | 14THF | 4 BR | $6,850,000 | -8.7% | |
| Jun 6, 2018 | 14 | 4 BR · 3,500 sf | $6,850,000 | $1,957/sf | -8.7% |
| Feb 14, 2018 | 11 | 4 BR · 4 BA · 3,600 sf | $6,250,000 | $1,736/sf | -13.2% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2019): a median $2,154/sf (recorded) across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2025. Median listing discount 7.3% 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 1-01508-0016). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. 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 would your apartment rent for?
Enter your apartment and I'll send you what it would rent for, from comparable closed leases at 139 East 79th Street and nearby.
Buying here? Co-op closing costs typically run 2 to 3% of the price. See NYC co-op and condo closing costs, line by line.
Keep up with 139 East 79th Street and its market
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What to know if you’re buying
Plan for a thorough pre-war co-op purchase: a complete board package, financials, references, and an interview, appropriate to a building of large floor-through homes. Maintenance covers heat, hot water, staff, and the building's share of taxes; ask for recent financials, the reserve position, and any assessment or capital-project history, since a 1928 building carries periodic façade and systems work.
Confirm the specific apartment’s floor plate, landing arrangement and exposures, and check the financing cap, sublet stance and pet policy against current house rules.
What to know if you’re selling
Price against the prime East 70s pre-war floor-through set rather than the broader side-street co-op market — the comparison belongs with the corridor's largest and most exclusive layouts. Assess current listings and dated sales before claiming a scarcity premium; prepare a complete board package and current financial documents, with timing subject to the board, lender and transaction requirements.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 139 East 79th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper East Side cooperatives:
- 136 East 79th Street — pre-war cooperative across the street
- 151 East 79th Street — pre-war co-op on the same block
- 133 East 80th Street — pre-war building a block north
- 50 East 79th Street — nearby cooperative; verify its construction history
- 173 East 79th Street — pre-war East 70s peer
More Upper East Side buildings
- 137 East 66th Street — 1918 co-op
- 139 East 63rd Street (Beekman Estate) — 1962 co-op
- 139 East 66th Street — 1918 co-op
- 139 East 94th Street — 1927 co-op by Boak & Paris
- 140 East 81st Street — 1928 co-op
- 140 East 83rd Street — 1961 co-op by Horace Ginsbern & Associates
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, 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.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
Considering a move at 139 East 79th Street?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com