161 East 79th Street
161 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075
BBL 1015080024 · BIN 1047472
- Year built
- 1915
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Subletting by shareholders
- Permitted
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not stated
- Flip tax
- 2% of the purchase price, paid by the buyer
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median, 2026
- $3.3M
- 2 qualifying sales
- Recent range
- $2.4M – $4.1M
- Listing discount
- 3.5%
- Recorded transfers
- 31
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 161 East 79th Street would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.
161 East 79th Street is a 1915 apartment house by W. L. Rouse and L. A. Goldstone, converted to cooperative ownership in 1962. It has 26 apartments across 12 stories on the Upper East Side.
The location offers access to Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum, neighborhood restaurants and shops, the 6 train and the Second Avenue subway.
Architecture and unit composition
The early pre-war masonry building has generous ceiling heights and thick walls. Its current structural and systems condition needs recent engineering reports and board materials.
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, with a gross building-area-per-unit ratio of roughly 2,160 square feet. That ratio includes shared and other non-apartment areas and is not measured interior space; obtain individual plans and measurements.
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. The building is pet-friendly; confirm current rules with management.
As a cooperative, the building requires board approval for purchases; confirm its current financing requirements from the application instructions. Subletting is permitted under board policy; confirm the current terms. 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.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of October 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
- Terms
- 2% of the Purchase Price
- Rate
- 2% of the purchase price
- Paid by
- Buyer
Source: building management's published schedule, as of October 2026
Purchase
5 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $275 | Refundable Not stated |
| Background Report FeeConditional · Per applicant | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $125 per applicant (additional $75 for criminal check if required by the Board) | Refundable Not stated |
| Financing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $250 | Refundable Not stated |
| Lead Based Paint Disclosure Fee | Paid by Seller | When With the application | Amount $75 | Refundable Not stated |
| Closing FeePer share | Paid by Seller | When At closing | Amount $800 ($850 without a Broker) plus $0.05 per share | Refundable Not stated |
Sublet
7 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount $150 | Refundable Not stated |
| Corporate Sublet FeeRecurring | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount Equivalent to 10% of the annual maintenance per year | Refundable Not stated |
| Lead Based Paint Disclosure Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount $75 | Refundable Not stated |
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $300 | Refundable Not stated |
| Background Report FeeConditional · Per applicant | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $125 per applicant (additional $75 for criminal check if required by the Board) | Refundable Not stated |
Sublet renewal
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Sublet FeeRecurring | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount Equivalent to 10% of the annual maintenance per year | Refundable Not stated |
| Processing Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount $300 | Refundable Not stated |
Refinance
1 item
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financing Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount $300 | Refundable Not stated |
Ownership transfer
1 item
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount Contact Transfer Agent for fee schedule | Refundable Not stated |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the building's costs and purchase requirements.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Sublet and pied-à-terre policy
A condominium owner leasing a unit and a co-op shareholder subletting are different rules, and a building-wide rule is different from a restriction on one apartment. This is the building's rule; confirm it for the specific apartment.
- Subletting by shareholders
- PermittedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Pied-à-terre ownership
- Not verified
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the sublet and pied-à-terre rules for that apartment.
Pets and in-unit washer/dryer
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not statedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- In-unit washer/dryer
- Not verified
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to confirm the pet and washer/dryer rules for that apartment.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Full-time doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Live-in superintendent
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- Laundry roomSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $26,628/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $92
- Modeled exposure split equally across 24 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. A filed Safe grade is not a guarantee of current condition: owners still maintain the facade and, where required, observe parapets each year. Future inspection timing (Local Law 49 of 2025 changed the cycle framework from October 1, 2026), repair and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of purchase price
- Sublet policy
- Corporate Sublet Fee 10% of annual maintenance per year; subtenant application $300; shareholder application $150
- Policies and fees
- Application Processing $275; Background $125/applicant; Financing Fee $250; Closing Fee $800 ($850 without broker) + $0.05/share
Recent sales
Recent transfers at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2026 | 7A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,000 sf | $4,125,000 | $2,063/sf | -2.9% |
| 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 31, 2022 | 1FE | 1 BR · 1 BA | $575,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jan 10, 2022 | 12A | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,390,111 | +6.2% | |
| Nov 18, 2021 | MAISRE | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $500,000 | -16.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $2,063/sf (recorded) across 1 sale. Median listing discount 3.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2003 | 5A | $2,100,000 |
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 1-01508-0024). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. Not all transactions cross-verify with ACRIS records — sponsor and LLC purchases sometimes record at stipulated values rather than market price; square footage on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What would your apartment rent for?
Enter your apartment and I'll send you what it would rent for, from comparable closed leases at 161 East 79th Street and nearby.
Buying here? Co-op closing costs typically run 2 to 3% of the price. See NYC co-op and condo closing costs, line by line.
Keep up with 161 East 79th Street and its market
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What to know if you’re buying
Plan for a board application, financial records, references and an interview, and confirm the current financing limit. Review current listings and dated transfers for homes with the required room count, and verify sublet terms and any flip tax before committing.
What to know if you’re selling
Provide a current floor plan and clear photographs of the apartment’s light, original details and renovation condition. Compare it with large-layout Lenox Hill cooperatives using matched room counts and reliable area evidence; document any adjustment for condition or exposure.
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 — Douglaston Development's CetraRuddy-designed 39-story Upper East Side condominium
More Upper East Side buildings
- 157 East 75th Street — 1881 co-op
- 158 East 72nd Street — 1928 co-op
- 160 East 65th Street (The Phoenix) — 1968 co-op by Emery Roth & Sons
- 161 East 88th Street — 1937 co-op
- 161 East 90th Street — co-op
- 161 East 91st Street — 1941 co-op
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
Considering a move at 161 East 79th Street?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com