The Gotham (1538 Third Avenue)

Frank Williams's design is a post-modern masonry tower organized into two residential wings, which gives the plan a range of exposures and creates the corner and setback lines that carry the building's terraces. Select units include wood-burning fireplaces and private outdoor space — features that trade at a premium. The base is the AMC Orpheum multiplex, also designed by Williams, which grounds the tower on the Third Avenue retail spine.

The roughly 239 residences run from one-bedrooms through two- and three-bedroom homes, including duplexes, with the fireplace and terrace lines and the higher floors commanding the strongest premiums. Interiors carry central air conditioning and the early-1990s luxury-condominium finish standard, with many units renovated by owners. Because the two-wing plan and the mix of simplexes and duplexes create distinct comparable sets, same-line, same-configuration comparables are the correct pricing basis.

The Gotham operates as a full-service condominium with an unusually deep amenity plant: a 24-hour doorman and concierge, the below-grade health club, the 82-foot indoor pool with sauna and lockers, the residents' lounge with grand piano and catering kitchen, a children's playroom, the landscaped third-floor terrace with playground, 43 storage units, cold storage, an on-site garage, central air conditioning, and a live-in superintendent. Common charges reflect the staffing and the pool-and-club maintenance a program this large requires. Buyers should confirm the specific unit's carry, review the reserve position and any assessment during diligence, and understand the commercial-lease relationship with the AMC base as part of the building's economics.

The financing flexibility is a real advantage. Up to 90 percent financing — a 10 percent down payment — opens the building to buyers the co-ops nearby exclude. Confirm the current maximum in writing.

Buy the amenity plant deliberately. The 82-foot pool, the health club, and the residents' lounge are the reason to be here, and they carry cost. Confirm the current common charge, the reserve position, and any assessment on the specific unit. Run the True Monthly Carrying Cost Calculator.

Fireplaces and terraces trade at a premium. The wood-burning-fireplace and terrace lines are the building's most distinctive. Use same-line comparables.

Understand the AMC base. The theater and the residences operate independently; the cinema entity on the commercial lot is the retail owner, not the residential sponsor. Review the commercial-lease posture as part of diligence.

Lead with the pool and the financing. The 82-foot indoor pool and the 90-percent-financing flexibility are the marketing headlines that reach the widest buyer pool. Use them.

Price the fireplace and terrace lines on their own set. The duplexes and outdoor-space units trade on a distinct comparable universe. Don't blend them into the building average.

Position the location and the amenity depth. Carnegie Hill / Yorkville at Third and 87th, with an amenity plant deeper than most peers — a combination worth stating plainly.

Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing; foreign and investor buyers are welcome under the declaration.

If you're considering The Gotham, also evaluate:

• The Lucida (151 East 85th) — full-service Carnegie Hill condominium nearby; comparable amenity depth
• Astor Terrace (245 East 93rd) — SOM-designed condominium with a private park; the northern peer
• Carnegie Park (200 East 94th) — Related condominium with a private park and pool; the amenity-condominium alternative
• 180 East 88th Street — the slim new-development condominium tower nearby; the new-construction alternative
• Carnegie Tower (115 East 87th) — full-service co-op one block over; the ownership-structure alternative
• 1250 Third Avenue — full-service Third Avenue condominium; the corridor peer

The Roebling Team at Compass works Carnegie Hill, Yorkville, and the Third Avenue corridor of the Upper East Side as a core practice area. We publish this profile because an amenity-deep condominium with a two-wing plan and a mix of simplexes and duplexes demands unit-level, configuration-aware analysis — the fireplace line and the carry math, not a blended average.

If you're considering a purchase or sale at The Gotham, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring same-line comparables, the full carrying-cost picture, and the diligence priorities specific to an amenity-heavy condominium over a commercial base.