- Year built
- 1939
- Flip tax
- Seller-paid
The Normandy is Emery Roth's last major apartment commission and one of the most architecturally celebrated buildings in New York. The 1939 design — melding Italian Renaissance Revival with streamlined Art Moderne — produced a structure inspired in name and silhouette by the French ocean liner Normandie. The LPC designation report called The Normandy "one of the great monuments of Riverside Drive" and said it "symbolized the grand era of 20th century urbanism."
The structural identity rests on three features. First, the Emery Roth architectural pedigree at peak — Paul Goldberger (NYT, February 17, 1978) called the design "schizophrenic" in its deliberate fusion of historicist Renaissance with streamlined Moderne. Second, the NYC individual landmark designation on November 12, 1985 — achieved the same day as the public hearing, halting a board-majority vote to replace the original casement windows. Third, the Herman Wouk cultural anchor — the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Caine Mutiny moved in on December 1, 1939.
The CityRealty rating of 92 is among the highest on the Riverside Drive corridor.
Recent sales
Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers for full transactional context. The 250-unit scale supports substantial transactional volume relative to peer Riverside Drive cooperatives.
What to know if you’re buying
The NYC individual landmark designation is structurally elevating. The November 12, 1985 designation halted board action and preserved the Roth fenestration — a real institutional protection.
The Emery Roth architectural pedigree at peak is real institutional context. Roth's last major apartment commission, with the Goldberger / Normandie / landmark designation overlay producing the densest architectural-history depth on the corridor.
The 75% financing maximum and seller-paid flip tax are structurally accommodating. Materially expands the buyer pool.
The permitted pied-à-terre policy is uncommon for a Riverside Drive landmark cooperative. Plan flexible use cases accordingly.
The H-plan with two interior gardens, twin entrances, and twin elevator banks produces structurally distinct light, air, and circulation.
The Herman Wouk literary-history anchor and the curved corner windows / glass brick details support cultural-history positioning.
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
Marketing should emphasize the NYC individual landmark designation, the Roth architectural pedigree, and the Herman Wouk cultural anchor. All three are real structural advantages.
The 92 CityRealty rating — among the highest on the Riverside Drive corridor — is marketable institutional context.
The seller-paid flip tax is the largest single net-proceeds variable. Factor explicitly into listing-price and net-proceeds calculations.
Pricing should reference recent CityRealty / Compass / Brown Harris Stevens data. Apartment-line-specific comparables should anchor positioning.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard.
Comparable buildings
- 137 Riverside Drive (The Clarendon) — Birge 1906; immediate Riverside Drive peer at 86th
- 173-175 Riverside Drive — Carpenter 1926; nearby Riverside Drive peer
- 180 Riverside Drive — Schwartz & Gross 1922; nearby Riverside Drive peer
- 11 Riverside Drive (The Schwab House) — Bien 1950; nearby Riverside Drive peer
- 470 West End Avenue (The Belvoir) — Roth 1928; nearby same-architect peer
The Roebling Team at The Normandy
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 Normandy, 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 (Carter Horsley review); Tom Miller, "Emery Roth & Sons' 1939 Normandy," Daytonian in Manhattan, May 2020; Wikipedia — The Normandy; Landmark West! The Normandy profile; 6sqft, "Pre-war prestige: NYC's top 10 buildings designed by Emery Roth"; NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission individual landmark designation (November 12, 1985); Paul Goldberger, New York Times, February 17, 1978; The New York Sun, September 10, 1938; NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.