- Year built
- 1959
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 378
- Landmark
- No
Imperial House is one of the defining post-war cooperatives on the Upper East Side, and at completion it was among the largest post-war apartment houses in the city. Designed by Emery Roth & Sons — the successor practice to Emery Roth, whose pre-war towers shaped Central Park West — and developed by the Fisher Brothers, the building rose at the very end of the 1950s on a full Lenox Hill block between Lexington and Third. Its 378 apartments make it one of the largest cooperatives in the corridor, and that scale is central to how the building behaves in the market.
The building belongs to a specific moment in Manhattan residential history: the white-glazed-brick post-war luxury era, when developers replaced ornament with light, air, larger windows, central air, and generous amenity space. Imperial House did this at the high end. The semicircular motor court — sheltered by a covered porte-cochère and a genuine rarity on a mid-block Lenox Hill site — gives the building a sense of arrival closer to a Park Avenue address than a side-street one, and the planted meditation garden adds a quiet amenity few buildings of its generation can match.
For buyers, Imperial House offers something distinctive within the Upper East Side: full-service post-war scale and amenity at pricing that typically sits below the pre-war Park and Fifth Avenue cooperative tier, in a prime Lenox Hill location two short blocks from Hunter College, steps from the Lexington Avenue subway, and a few minutes from the Madison Avenue retail spine and Central Park.
Architecture and unit composition
The 378 apartments span studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations across 28 stories, with the larger and combined layouts concentrated on the higher floors. Post-war signatures are consistent throughout: efficient layouts, larger window openings than pre-war stock, flat ceilings in the nine-foot range rather than the loftier pre-war heights, and the practical room flow that defined the era.
Because of the building's full-block footprint, exposures vary widely — apartments face the avenues, the side streets, and the interior, and upper-floor units gain open city views and, on higher tiers, glimpses toward Central Park and the East River. The motor court and the meditation garden are genuine differentiators in a building of this size, lending common-area generosity that distinguishes Imperial House from leaner post-war towers nearby.
Building operations
Imperial House operates as a full-service post-war cooperative with a 24-hour doorman, concierge, attended elevators, and a live-in resident manager. The amenity package is unusually deep for a co-op of its era: a fitness center outfitted with Peloton equipment, a recreation room, a planted meditation garden, a lending library, bike storage, and an on-site tailor. The on-site garage is available to shareholders at a preferential monthly rate. The 378-unit scale produces a large, professionally managed operation with the staffing depth that scale supports.
The building's financial posture is shareholder-friendly within the Lenox Hill co-op tier: it permits up to 60% financing, charges a 2% flip tax paid by the purchaser at closing, and welcomes pets. As a post-war cooperative of this caliber, the board conducts a thorough package and interview process consistent with established Lenox Hill standards.
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into 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
Sales context at Imperial House:
- Turnover is active given the 378-unit scale — typically a couple dozen or more closings in a normal year, one of the busier co-op transaction profiles in Lenox Hill.
- Pricing spans a broad range driven by floor, exposure, line, and renovation: studios and one-bedrooms at the entry end, two- and three-bedrooms and combined layouts climbing well into seven figures.
- The large floor plate and many lines make in-building comparable analysis unusually informative — same-line history is often the cleanest guide to value.
What to know if you’re buying
The financing and flip-tax terms are favorable. Up to 60% financing widens the buyer pool, and the 2% flip tax is paid by the purchaser — both worth modeling into your closing costs from the outset.
Scale works in your favor on selection. With 378 units and frequent turnover, buyers usually have meaningful choice across price points, exposures, and renovation states.
The motor court, garden, and amenity suite are real value. The covered porte-cochère, meditation garden, Peloton-equipped gym, and garage distinguish Imperial House from leaner post-war neighbors and tend to hold value through cycles.
Post-war layouts and ceiling heights differ from pre-war. Expect efficient room flow and nine-foot-range ceilings rather than pre-war proportions.
Lenox Hill location is a structural strength. Proximity to Central Park, the Madison Avenue corridor, Hunter College, and the Lexington Avenue subway underpins demand.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the building's identity. The Emery Roth & Sons authorship, Fisher Brothers pedigree, covered motor court, meditation garden, and deep amenity package are concrete, marketable differentiators.
The pet policy and 60% financing broaden your buyer pool. Both expand the universe of qualified purchasers relative to stricter co-ops nearby — a point to feature in marketing.
Price to the line and the floor. With many lines and 28 stories, apartment-level comparable analysis — not building averages — is what drives an accurate ask.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Expect roughly 6–10 weeks from contract to closing, with the 2% flip tax due from the purchaser.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering Imperial House, also evaluate:
- 160 East 65th Street — full-service Lenox Hill cooperative nearby
- 167 East 61st Street — post-war Lenox Hill full-service building
- 300 East 59th Street — large post-war full-service tower nearby
- 420 East 72nd Street — large post-war Upper East Side cooperative
The Roebling Team at Imperial House
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 buyers and sellers in Lenox Hill deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, financing and flip-tax mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at Imperial House, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
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