- Year built
- 1915
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- Recent range
- $2.4M – $2.4M
- Listing discount
- 4.9%
- Recorded transfers
- 29
161 East 79th Street is an elegant boutique cooperative on the Upper East Side, designed by W. L. Rouse and L. A. Goldstone — the celebrated pre-war firm behind many of the avenue's finest apartment houses — and built in 1915. With just 26 apartments across 12 stories and a roster of large, light-filled layouts, it is the kind of quiet, well-run pre-war building that buyers seek for proportion and service rather than amenity glitz. Converted to a cooperative in 1962, it has long been an established, owner-occupied house.
The draw is the apartments and the location. Many homes here run six to nine rooms, with the abundant light, high ceilings, and entertaining space that define the most desirable pre-war residences. The Lenox Hill block sits steps from Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum, and some of the city's best schools, restaurants, and shops, with the 6 train and the Second Avenue subway both close. For a buyer who wants a substantial pre-war home in a discreet, full-service building, 161 East 79th is squarely on target.
Architecture and unit composition
Built in 1915, 161 East 79th is an early pre-war masonry apartment house — solid construction, generous ceiling heights, and the thick walls that give buildings of this vintage their quiet and their permanence. Rouse and Goldstone's design reads as a confident, restrained pre-war elevation, the kind that anchors a residential side street without shouting for attention.
The 26 residences skew large, with many configured as six- to nine-room homes — a layout profile that distinguishes this building from the studio-and-one-bedroom-heavy stock elsewhere. Expect high ceilings, hardwood floors, separate kitchens, and gracious foyers, across a mix averaging roughly 2,160 square feet of building area per unit. The boutique scale keeps the building private and the floor plates spacious.
Building operations
161 East 79th is run as a full-service cooperative. A full-time doorman staffs the lobby and a resident manager handles building operations, with central laundry and storage among the amenities — a level of service well matched to a 26-home building. The pet-friendly board policy is a meaningful point of difference for buyers with dogs.
As an established Upper East Side cooperative, the building requires board approval for purchases and applies a financing limit. Subletting is permitted on a controlled basis under board policy after an initial residency period, consistent with the building's owner-occupied character. We review the current pet policy, sublet terms, and any flip tax with buyers before they bid so underwriting reflects the building's actual rules.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $15,172/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $53
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The facade passed its last inspection with no required repairs — nothing to budget for here, and no facade assessment on the horizon for roughly five years.
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
Recent transfers 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 | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 2026 | 7B | 3 BR · 2 BA | $2,397,500 | -3.5% |
| Aug 24, 2022 | 4B | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,195,000 | -7.6% |
| Jul 7, 2022 | 8A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $3,400,000 | -6.8% |
| Apr 5, 2022 | 11A | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,850,000 | -3.4% |
| Jan 10, 2022 | 12A | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,390,111 | +6.2% |
| Nov 18, 2021 | MAIS-RE | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $500,000 | -16.0% |
| Nov 18, 2021 | 1RE | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $500,000 | -16.0% |
| Oct 7, 2021 | 3A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,750,000 | -16.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2016) cleared a median $1,850/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 4.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 2022 | 1FE | $575,000 |
| Oct 7, 2021 | 423 | $2,750,000 |
| Aug 29, 2013 | 11A | $3,250,000 |
| Jul 22, 2013 | 6A | $2,900,000 |
| Jul 8, 2013 | 11B | $3,150,000 |
| Jun 16, 2010 | 2A | $3,665,000 |
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 1-01508-0024) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
Plan for a co-op board application — financials, references, and an interview — and underwrite to the building's financing limit. The product here is scale: large pre-war homes with strong light in a quiet, full-service building, a profile that is increasingly scarce. Inventory is limited given the boutique size, so be prepared to move when a home in the room count you want appears. The pet-friendly policy and the central Lenox Hill location are durable advantages. Confirm sublet terms and any flip tax with us so your plans align with the building's posture.
What to know if you’re selling
The selling case is proportion, light, and pedigree: a Rouse & Goldstone pre-war home with six to nine rooms in a discreet full-service co-op, steps from the park, the Met, and top schools. Buyers in this segment are underwriting space and pre-war character — present and price to that, and benchmark against comparable large-layout Lenox Hill co-ops rather than smaller line apartments. Lead with the named architect, the room count, the light, and the school-and-park proximity. A renovated apartment that keeps its pre-war bones competes especially well.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 161 East 79th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper East Side cooperatives:
- 156 East 79th Street — pre-war co-op on the same block
- 180 East 79th Street — full-service pre-war co-op nearby
- 173 East 79th Street — Upper East Side cooperative
- 175 East 77th Street — pre-war co-op to the south
- 175 East 82nd Street — Upper East Side full-service co-op
The Roebling Team at 161 East 79th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Lenox Hill, the broader Upper East Side, and the boutique pre-war co-op market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers at full-service cooperatives deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture, the layout profile, the board's posture, and where pricing sits against the rest of the neighborhood.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 161 East 79th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.