- Year built
- 1985
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 19
- Floors
- 11
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Confirm current rules at offer stage
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,506
- Listing discount
- 6.0%
- Recorded sales
- 23
- On record
- 2003–2026
157 East 74th Street — Saga House — is a full-service boutique condominium in the heart of Lenox Hill, mid-block between Lexington and Third Avenues. Built new in 1985–1986, it is a compact 11-story building of just 19 residences with the service package buyers want on these blocks: a 24-hour doorman and a live-in superintendent.
The appeal is straightforward. For the buyer who wants a doorman condominium — with the flexibility that condo ownership brings — on a quiet Upper East Side side street, without the board process of a cooperative and without a trophy-tier price, Saga House is a sensible, well-located choice. Several apartments carry private terraces or balconies and wood-burning fireplaces, features that trade at a premium in the neighborhood.
Architecture and unit composition
The building was completed in 1985–1986 as a ground-up condominium — contemporary infill rather than a pre-war conversion. It holds 19 residences across 11 floors, roughly one to two apartments per floor, with ground-floor commercial space beneath. Layouts are practical and light-filled; balconies and terraces on several lines, in-unit laundry, and wood-burning fireplaces in some units distinguish the inventory. (The architect is not documented in the public record.)
Building operations
157 East 74th operates as a full-service condominium: a 24-hour doorman, a live-in superintendent, an elevator, central laundry with in-unit washer/dryers, and the private outdoor space many units enjoy. As a condominium, ownership is by deed: purchases do not require board approval, financing is a matter between buyer and lender, and pied-à-terre, investment, and subletting uses are permitted under the declaration. Confirm the current pet policy and any building rules at offer stage.
Recent sales
Condominium pricing is read on a per-square-foot basis, and 157 East 74th trades as a full-service boutique Lenox Hill condo. Recent trades have run in the neighborhood of $1,900 per square foot — for example, a one-bedroom of roughly 1,300 square feet traded around $2.4M, and other units have closed in the $1.5M–$2.6M range. With only 19 residences, resale volume is thin. When underwriting a purchase or a list price, capture the floor, the exposure, private-outdoor-space, fireplace, and renovation condition rather than relying on a neighborhood average. Genuinely variable figures 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2026 | 9B | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 851 sf | $1,225,000 | $1,439/sf | -12.2% |
| Nov 1, 2024 | 4C | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,277 sf | $2,500,000 | $1,958/sf | -2.0% |
| Oct 31, 2024 | 4B | 851 sf | $1,500,000 | $1,763/sf | off-mkt |
| Apr 26, 2024 | 5BC | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,200 sf | $4,025,000 | $1,830/sf | -5.3% |
| Aug 6, 2021 | 3A | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,298 sf | $2,400,000 | $1,849/sf | -7.7% |
| Jun 25, 2018 | 3B | 1 BR · 856 sf | $1,850,000 | $2,161/sf | +32.1% |
| Aug 30, 2017 | 3C | 2 BR · 1,277 sf | $2,550,000 | $1,997/sf | off-mkt |
| Mar 7, 2017 | 8A | 2 BR · 1,430 sf | $2,800,000 | $1,958/sf | -1.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,506/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 6.0% 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.
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 1-01409-7501) 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
This is a condominium, so the path is a straightforward purchase by deed — no board package or interview, financing set by your lender, and a right to use the apartment as a pied-à-terre, an investment, or a primary home. The reasons to buy are the service level and the flexibility: a 24-hour-doorman building with a live-in super, private outdoor space on several lines, on a quiet Lenox Hill block near Lexington and Third and the Q at 72nd. Review the condominium's financials, reserve, and any planned capital work given the building's age.
What to know if you’re selling
The story is full service at a boutique scale, plus the flexibility of condo ownership. The 24-hour doorman, the live-in super, the terraces and fireplaces, and the quiet Lenox Hill location are the differentiators — and they sell to a buyer who wants doorman service and condo freedom without a trophy budget. Pricing is an apartment-specific exercise: floor, light, outdoor space, and condition drive the number more than any block average. We position the building's service and flexibility, and benchmark against the right comparable tier of boutique Upper East Side condominiums.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 157 East 74th Street, also look at these nearby Upper East Side buildings:
- 359 East 68th Street — full-service boutique Upper East Side condominium
- 188 East 75th Street — boutique Upper East Side building nearby
- 145 East 76th Street — boutique Upper East Side building nearby
- 168 East 74th Street — Upper East Side building on the same street
The Roebling Team at 157 East 74th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side's pre-war and boutique condominium and cooperative market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers of boutique condominiums deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture and neighborhood context, the ownership structure, the staffing and amenity reality, and where pricing sits against the right comparable tier.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 157 East 74th Street, 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.
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