161 East 90th Street
161 East 90th Street, New York, NY 10128
Carnegie Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1015190025 · BIN 1048257
- Type
- Cooperative
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $1.2M
- Recent range
- $680K – $1.7M
- Listing discount
- 2.2%
- Recorded transfers
- 20
161 East 90th Street, known as Trafalgar Court, has one of the more distinctive origin stories on the Upper East Side: it was built in 1923 by Warren & Wetmore — the firm behind Grand Central Terminal and a roster of New York's finest pre-war buildings — and originally served as Trafalgar Hospital. In 1979 the building was converted to residential apartments, and in 1980 it became a cooperative. That history gives the building a pedigree of construction quality and an architectural seriousness that a purpose-built post-war apartment house of its size simply would not have.
The Warren & Wetmore provenance is the building's foundation. Even adapted from institutional use, the structure carries the firm's substantial masonry construction and the generous floor plates that the original program required — which translated, in conversion, into apartments with the kind of scale, light, and ceiling height that buyers value. Sited on a quiet Carnegie Hill block between Lexington and Third, with a common roof deck and outdoor space, Trafalgar Court offers a combination of architectural lineage, amenity, and residential calm that is rare at its price point.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is a nine-story masonry pre-war designed by Warren & Wetmore — dignified, solidly built, composed in the firm's confident classical manner. Its institutional origins gave it deep floor plates and robust construction, qualities that the 1979 residential conversion turned to the apartments' advantage.
The 27 residences are the product of that conversion, laid out to take advantage of the building's generous footprint, with the high ceilings and good light that the original structure allowed. Layouts span a range from well-scaled one- and two-bedroom homes to larger configurations, and condition varies from earlier-conversion-era finishes to fully modernized renovations — a spread that creates both value entry points and turnkey premiums. The building's amenity package, unusual for its scale, sets it apart from the typical mid-block pre-war.
Building operations
Trafalgar Court runs as a well-amenitized boutique cooperative. The standout features are a common roof deck and common outdoor space — genuinely scarce on the Carnegie Hill side streets — alongside a bike room, an elevator, and storage. That amenity set, combined with the building's pet-friendly posture, gives residents the kind of shared outdoor and lifestyle features usually reserved for larger buildings, while keeping the scale intimate at 27 homes.
Purchases are subject to cooperative board review and a financing posture consistent with Carnegie Hill's norms, with subletting governed by board policy. The building is pet-friendly. The mix of Warren & Wetmore provenance, real outdoor amenity, and a moderate carrying cost is the core of Trafalgar Court's appeal.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $9,108/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $28
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair before the next inspection cycle. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials 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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Sublet policy
- Policies panel: Not Allowed; About text: permitted after two years
- Notable fees
- App fee $500; credit check $20/applicant
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 | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 24, 2025 | 3B | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,230,000 | -1.6% | |
| Jan 15, 2025 | 3A | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 844 sf | $680,000 | $806/sf | -2.7% |
| Dec 16, 2024 | 5B | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,100,000 | -4.3% | |
| Jun 5, 2024 | 8C | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,675,000 | -1.2% | |
| Jan 4, 2023 | PHB | 1 BR · 1 BA | $1,325,000 | -5.0% | |
| Apr 4, 2019 | 1C | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,500 sf | $1,650,000 | $1,100/sf | -9.4% |
| Apr 28, 2017 | 3A | 1 BR | $799,000 | +0.0% | |
| Sep 8, 2011 | 3C | 3 BR | $995,000 | -0.4% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $806/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 2.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2003 | 2B | $659,000 |
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 1-01519-0025) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
This is a board-approval cooperative, so prepare a complete application and an interview. The reward is distinctive: a Warren & Wetmore building with a real roof deck and outdoor space, in a quiet Carnegie Hill location, at a moderate cost basis. Because the apartments came from a conversion, layouts and condition vary widely — weigh floor, light, and renovation scope carefully, and look closely at the specifics of each home rather than assuming a uniform product. The location puts the 4/5/6 at 86th, the Q at 86th and Second, Central Park, and the Museum Mile within easy reach. We help buyers read the financials, benchmark the price, and present a clean board package.
What to know if you’re selling
The selling story is unusual and marketable: a 1923 Warren & Wetmore building reborn as a cooperative, with a roof deck and outdoor space few neighbors can match, on a quiet Carnegie Hill block. Lead with the architectural provenance and the amenity package — both differentiate a listing here from the surrounding mid-block pre-wars — and present the specific apartment's light, layout, and renovation level clearly. Pricing belongs against the boutique Carnegie Hill cooperatives, with credit for the building's outdoor amenity. We position each home to the buyer the building attracts and manage the board timeline so the deal closes cleanly.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering Trafalgar Court, also evaluate these nearby pre-war cooperatives:
- 14 East 90th Street — pre-war cooperative near Fifth
- 114 East 90th Street — neighboring Carnegie Hill cooperative
- 161 East 91st Street — pre-war cooperative one block north
- 15 East 91st Street — Carnegie Hill pre-war cooperative
- 131 East 93rd Street — nearby pre-war cooperative
- 45 East 89th Street — Carnegie Hill cooperative to the south
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, 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.
Considering a move at Trafalgar Court?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at Trafalgar Court 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.