- Year built
- 1924
- 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.
- 2BR median
- $1.6M
- Recent range
- $750K – $2.9M
- Listing discount
- 5.1%
- Recorded transfers
- 60
164 West 79th Street is a 1924 Italian Renaissance cooperative on one of the Upper West Side's best blocks — a coveted stretch of West 79th Street within easy reach of the American Museum of Natural History and Central Park. Designed by George F. Pelham, one of the era's most productive apartment-house architects, it is a handsome, well-proportioned pre-war building that pairs serious architecture with the practical amenity set families actually use: a planted roof deck, a private garden, and a children's playroom among them.
The block is the draw. Living here puts the Museum of Natural History and the southern edge of the Upper West Side's cultural core within a short walk, with Central Park a couple of blocks east and Riverside Park to the west. The 1 train stops a block away at 79th Street, and the B and C express-adjacent service runs at 81st Street by the museum; Broadway, Amsterdam, and Columbus deliver a dense run of restaurants, markets, and shops within two blocks in every direction.
At 60 residences across fifteen stories, the building is mid-sized — large enough to carry a full reserve and a real amenity package, intimate enough to feel like a community. The apartments are mostly two- and three-bedroom layouts, several of them combined over the years into larger family homes, which gives the building genuine appeal to households trading up within the neighborhood.
Architecture and unit composition
George F. Pelham worked across the full range of New York's pre-war apartment market, and 164 West 79th Street is one of his more polished West Side efforts: an Italian Renaissance palazzo in brick and terra cotta over a limestone base, anchored by a canopied, step-up entrance flanked by two-story-high pilasters and lanterns. Sidewalk landscaping softens the approach, and the elevations remain crisp and well maintained a century on.
The interiors deliver the pre-war fundamentals — high ceilings, hardwood floors, separated rooms, and gracious foyers — across predominantly two- and three-bedroom homes. Because a number of apartments have been combined, the building offers a wider range of larger layouts than its unit count alone suggests, which is part of what keeps demand from neighborhood families steady. Renovation levels vary from preserved original homes to fully modernized interiors.
Building operations
164 West 79th Street runs as a full-service-minded cooperative with a part-time doorman (attended through the evening hours) and a resident superintendent. The amenity package is unusually deep for a building of its size: a planted and furnished roof deck with open city views, a lush private garden with a barbecue, a children's playroom, a central laundry room, and bicycle and basement storage. It is a practical, family-oriented package rather than a luxury-tower spread, and it is exactly what this buyer pool values.
As a cooperative, purchases require board approval, a documented financial and personal package, and an in-person interview. Monthly maintenance covers the building's underlying mortgage, real-estate taxes, staff, heat, and reserves. The board operates in the manner typical of an established West Side family co-op — primary-residence orientation, customary financing limits, and a sublet policy structured to keep the building owner-occupied. We help buyers review the current financing cap, sublet terms, pet policy, and any flip tax before they commit.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $23,512/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $33
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2026 | 10C | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,470,000 | -1.0% |
| Dec 29, 2025 | 4AB | 3 BR · 3 BA | $1,700,000 | -27.7% |
| Jul 23, 2025 | 15A | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,625,000 | +1.9% |
| Jul 1, 2025 | 14C | 3 BR | $2,895,000 | +3.6% |
| May 29, 2025 | 3D | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,200,000 | -11.8% |
| Feb 5, 2024 | 4C | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,685,000 | -6.1% |
| Sep 6, 2023 | 6A | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,325,000 | -3.9% |
| Feb 14, 2023 | 11D | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,500,000 | -5.1% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2021) cleared a median $1,329/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 1.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2024 | 1D | $750,000 |
| Feb 7, 2020 | 1A | $1,350,000 |
| Dec 7, 2017 | 15A | $1,650,000 |
| Jun 27, 2017 | 2D | $1,875,000 |
| Jan 15, 2016 | 16AB | $1,207,500 |
| Jan 21, 2014 | 6A | $1,269,000 |
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 1-01150-0056) 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
The case here is strong for a family buyer: a real pre-war co-op with a roof deck, garden, and playroom, on a top West 79th Street block near the museum and the park. Plan for the co-op fundamentals — board approval, a full package, an interview, and maintenance that reflects the building's staffing and amenities. Note that doorman coverage is part-time rather than around the clock; for many buyers that is a fair trade for the amenity set and the block. Confirm the financing limit, sublet terms, and any flip tax as part of your offer strategy, and look hard at the combined layouts if you need genuine family space.
What to know if you’re selling
A sale here leads with the block, the amenities, and the Pelham architecture. The Museum of Natural History location, the roof deck, the private garden, and the playroom are concrete, family-oriented selling points that distinguish this building from the more anonymous pre-war stock nearby. Renovated and combined homes should be benchmarked against the best Upper West Side family co-ops; smaller and unrenovated homes priced honestly against their nearest comparables. A clean board package and disciplined pricing move apartments fastest in this building; we manage both and position the listing against the right set.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 164 West 79th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper West Side cooperatives:
- 127 West 79th Street — full-service pre-war cooperative on the same block
- 145 West 79th Street — West 79th Street pre-war co-op nearby
- 255 West 90th Street — The Cornwall, an ornate Broadway-corner cooperative
- 35 West 90th Street — pre-war co-op near Central Park
The Roebling Team at 164 West 79th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper West Side and its pre-war family cooperatives. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers evaluating a building like 164 West 79th Street deserve building-specific intelligence — how the co-op operates, what the amenity package really delivers, and where the pricing sits against the right comparables. If you're considering a transaction here, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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