- Year built
- 1927
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 47
- Floors
- 18
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Pets permitted (dogs and cats)
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2024
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $2,646
- Listing discount
- 9.0%
- Recorded sales
- 51
- On record
- 2003–2024
The Westbury is a Madison Avenue institution converted to residential ownership. Built in 1927 as the Westbury Hotel, the building anchored a blockfront of Madison Avenue luxury retail for decades and carried the social associations of a grand Upper East Side hotel before its 1999 conversion to a 47-unit luxury condominium. The conversion preserved the pre-war envelope — the red-brick-and-limestone neo-Renaissance facade, the setbacks, the double-height lobby — while reconfiguring the interior for full-service residential ownership.
For buyers, the appeal is a rare combination: a pre-war building inside the Upper East Side Historic District, directly on the Madison Avenue retail spine, with the legal flexibility of condominium ownership. Most of the era's comparably grand addresses in this micro-location are co-ops with restrictive boards; the Westbury offers the same architecture and address with condominium liquidity.
The location is among the strongest on the Upper East Side. The Madison Avenue blockfront between 69th and 70th places residents at the center of the avenue's flagship retail and gallery district, two blocks from Central Park, and a short walk from the Frick Collection and the 68th Street subway.
Architecture and unit composition
The 47 residences are carved from the former hotel's pre-war structure and vary widely in layout and floor — a typical conversion characteristic that rewards apartment-level analysis. The building rises 18 stories with setbacks that produce private terraces on a number of upper-floor lines. Ground-floor and lower retail frontage faces Madison Avenue; the residential entrance and lobby are on the quieter 69th Street side.
The 1927 neo-Renaissance design — red brick, a multi-story limestone base with quoins, and a stately double-height lobby — is intact and contributes to the Upper East Side Historic District, which means exterior alterations are subject to Landmarks review.
Building operations
The Westbury operates as a full-service condominium with a full-time doorman, concierge, and a hotel-grade service posture inherited from its origins. Amenities include a health club, a wine cellar with private storage, and a bike room. As with any pre-war hotel conversion, buyers should pay particular attention to the building's mechanical systems, facade and Local Law 11 history, and reserve position during due diligence — converted pre-war hotels carry capital-maintenance profiles that warrant a careful read of recent financials and board minutes.
Recent sales
15 East 69th Street prices as a pre-war Madison Avenue condominium, and like most hotel conversions its residences are heterogeneous — floor, exposure, terrace, and layout drive wide variation, so pricing is best read per square foot at the apartment level rather than by building average. The combination of a historic-district pre-war envelope, a flagship Madison Avenue address, and condominium flexibility supports premium pricing relative to comparable co-ops, while the conversion's varied layouts mean comparable selection must be precise. Terraced upper-floor residences command the building's top pricing. Specific financing, sublet, and any flip-tax terms should be confirmed at offer stage.
Recent closings 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 31, 2023 | 9B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,564 sf | $4,100,000 | $2,621/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 11, 2022 | 11C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,310 sf | $5,900,000 | $2,554/sf | -6.3% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 6B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,584 sf | $3,400,000 | $2,146/sf | -9.3% |
| Aug 17, 2022 | 6D | 2 BR · 2,476 sf | $4,250,000 | $1,716/sf | off-mkt |
| Mar 22, 2022 | PH | 4 BR · 5.5 BA · 6,241 sf | $26,000,000 | $4,166/sf | -18.8% |
| Mar 22, 2022 | 17/18 | 6,045 sf | $26,000,000 | $4,301/sf | off-mkt |
| Mar 1, 2022 | 5B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,566 sf | $3,650,000 | $2,331/sf | -1.2% |
| Feb 17, 2022 | 3D | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,600 sf | $3,250,000 | $2,031/sf | -9.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2023) cleared a median $2,646/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 9.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2003 | 15A | $5,100,000 |
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 1-01384-7502) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
You're buying pre-war architecture with condo flexibility. The Westbury delivers a historic-district envelope and a flagship address without a co-op board. That flexibility is the building's defining feature.
Diligence the conversion. A 1920s hotel reconfigured to condominium use warrants a close read of mechanical systems, the facade and Local Law 11 record, and the reserve fund. Review board minutes and recent financials.
Landmark constraints apply to the exterior. As a contributing building in the Upper East Side Historic District, exterior changes require Landmarks review.
Mansion tax thresholds apply. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the address and the architecture. A Madison Avenue pre-war condominium in the historic district is a distinctive story; the marketing should center it.
Apartment-level positioning is essential. Because the residences vary so widely, the comparable set must be chosen carefully and the layout's strengths foregrounded.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 15 East 69th Street, also evaluate:
- 45 East 66th Street — pre-war condominium in the historic district nearby
- 1 East 66th Street — Candela co-op on the Park-facing side of Lenox Hill
- 30 East 76th Street — full-service condominium a few blocks north
- 50 East 72nd Street — pre-war condominium in the central Upper East Side
- Manhattan House — large postwar-conversion condominium with full amenities
The Roebling Team at The Westbury
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side, Central Park West, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because pre-war condominium buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, conversion history, operational reality, and apartment-level pricing — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at the Westbury, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
Get the full picture on this building.
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