- Year built
- 1928
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 130
- Floors
- 15
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Cats and dogs permitted
- Pied-à-terre
- Not allowed
- Flip tax
- 2%, paid by the buyer
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $1.9M
- Recent range
- $1.3M – $6.1M
- Listing discount
- 6.0%
- Recorded transfers
- 142
The Wellston is a Rosario Candela cooperative — and for prewar Upper West Side buyers, that attribution is the headline. Candela was the most celebrated luxury apartment architect of prewar Manhattan, and at 161 West 75th Street he designed a 1928 building that fills an entire blockfront from West 75th to West 76th Street, with doormen at both ends. The building's plan is unusually gracious: three separate elevator banks serve no more than four apartments per landing, so a building of roughly 130 units feels like a collection of intimate, private wings rather than a single large tower.
The apartments are classic Candela — gracious four-, five-, six-, and seven-room layouts with the room proportions, entry galleries, and closet space that define the era's best West Side stock. The building is a full-service, white-glove cooperative with a reputation for careful maintenance and financial soundness, and a board that is regarded as reasonable on financing (a 25% minimum down is modest by Upper West Side co-op standards) and accommodating on renovation.
For buyers who want a Candela address, prewar scale, and a well-run cooperative a short walk from Central Park, Riverside Park, and the Broadway corridor's shopping and transit, The Wellston occupies a distinctive place. It is a cooperative in the full sense — board approval, no pied-à-terre, and financing limits apply — and buyers should approach it as a primary-residence purchase.
Architecture and unit composition
Apartments at The Wellston are laid out in the gracious four-through-seven-room configurations characteristic of Candela's prewar work — formal entry galleries, well-proportioned living and dining rooms, and substantial closet space. Renovation condition varies apartment-to-apartment, from period-sensitive updates to full modernizations, with washer/dryers permitted in units subject to board and renovation approval.
The full-blockfront footprint and the three-elevator-bank plan produce light on both the West 75th and West 76th Street exposures and a sense of privacy uncommon at the building's unit count. Through-wall air-conditioning is restricted to preserve the façade — a detail buyers should factor into renovation planning.
Building operations
The Wellston operates as a full-service white-glove cooperative with a 24-hour doorman staffing entrances on both West 75th and West 76th Streets, a live-in superintendent, and a full building staff. Amenities are prewar-appropriate rather than expansive: a landscaped common roof deck with open city views, a garden-level courtyard, a central laundry room, and bicycle and private storage. There is no fitness center and no on-site garage.
The building is a cooperative; monthly maintenance covers the building's operating costs and underlying mortgage, and the building participates in the standard co-op operating model. Buyers should review the building's financials and house rules during due diligence.
Recent sales
As a cooperative, The Wellston is best understood on a price-per-room basis, with maintenance and building financial health as central considerations alongside the apartment itself. Recent activity has generally cleared in the range typical for a well-maintained Candela co-op in the West 70s — with two- and three-bedroom apartments trading in the low- to mid-single-digit millions depending on room count, floor, exposure, and renovation condition. The building's Candela attribution, full-block footprint, and financial reputation support pricing at the upper end of the immediate prewar co-op market. Apartment-level comparable analysis is the correct basis for pricing any specific unit.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2026 | 8H | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,100,000 | +5.3% | |
| May 21, 2026 | 13E | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,990,000 | +2.1% | |
| Mar 26, 2026 | 3H | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,999,990 | -11.1% | |
| Dec 10, 2025 | 13B | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,929,584 | +1.8% | |
| Jul 14, 2025 | 8C | 2 BR · 1 BA | $1,400,000 | -6.7% | |
| Dec 10, 2024 | 6GH | 5 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,200 sf | $6,145,000 | $1,920/sf | -5.4% |
| May 30, 2024 | 3J | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,450,000 | -9.1% | |
| Oct 20, 2023 | 10J | 2 BR · 1 BA | $1,350,000 | -14.3% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2024): a median $1,813/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 1.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2026 | 13A | $2,750,000 |
| Sep 8, 2025 | 6F | $1,929,584 |
| Sep 10, 2024 | 6E | $2,105,650 |
| May 21, 2024 | 12A | $3,250,000 |
| Apr 18, 2024 | 10C | $1,300,000 |
| Oct 20, 2023 | R1 | $1,350,000 |
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 1-01147-7501) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
This is a cooperative in the full sense. Board approval is required, pied-à-terre purchase is not permitted, and the building expects a primary-residence buyer.
Financing terms are reasonable for the market. A 25% minimum down is modest by Upper West Side prewar co-op standards; a 2% buyer-paid flip tax applies at resale.
The Candela attribution and the plan are the draw. Full-blockfront footprint, three elevator banks, four apartments per landing, and gracious room counts define the building.
Factor renovation constraints. Through-wall air-conditioning is restricted to protect the façade; plan renovations with the board's requirements in mind.
Run the cliff thresholds. Larger apartments transact above the $2M and $3M mansion-tax cliffs — run any number through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with Candela and the plan. The architect attribution, the full-block footprint, and the intimate four-per-landing layout are the building's strongest selling points.
Prepare buyers for the board. A clean board package and a primary-residence buyer are essential; the flip tax and 25% down should be communicated up front.
Price by room count and condition. Comparable sales at the building turn on room count, floor, exposure, and renovation condition; recent comparables should anchor positioning.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Expect roughly 60–90 days from contract to closing, including board review.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Wellston, also evaluate:
- The Ansonia (2109 Broadway) — landmark Beaux-Arts condominium nearby; tenure contrast
- The Apthorp (2211 Broadway) — landmark prewar condominium a few blocks north
- 205 West 76th Street (The Bard) — full-service Upper West Side condominium nearby
- 210 West 78th Street — Upper West Side prewar co-op comp
- 219 West 77th Street (The Level Club) — prewar Upper West Side condominium comp
The Roebling Team at The Wellston
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper West Side and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market, including its prewar cooperative stock. We publish this building profile because Wellston buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, financing mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic neighborhood commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at The Wellston, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
Get the full picture on this building.
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