The Newbury (1659 Second Avenue)
1659 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10128
Yorkville, Upper East Side
BBL 1015320022 · BIN 1048799
- Year built
- 1971
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 258
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $713K
- Recent range
- $585K – $1.9M
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded transfers
- 202
The Newbury at 1659 Second Avenue is one of Yorkville's deepest full-service cooperatives — a 30-story post-war tower that spans the entire Second Avenue blockfront from East 86th to East 87th Street and delivers an amenity package most buildings of any era cannot match. Completed in 1971 and converted to a cooperative in 1980, it belongs to the generation of large Second and Third Avenue towers built when the Upper East Side was densifying eastward and demand for elevator-served, full-service living was running well ahead of what the pre-war avenues could supply. Those buildings traded ornament for scale, service, and amenity — and The Newbury is among the most amenity-rich examples on the corridor.
What distinguishes it is the rooftop. The building carries a full rooftop suite — outdoor adult and children's pools, an outdoor shower, sundecks, a shaded awning, and a solarium lounge and party room with a catering kitchen and two changing rooms — alongside a fitness center, a circular drive and landscaped garden at the entrance, a bike room, private storage, a large laundry room with fifteen washers and sixteen dryers, and a package room with cold storage. An attached garage offers shareholders direct building access at a deeply discounted monthly rate. For a roughly 258-unit Yorkville co-op, that is a country-club service profile delivered in the city.
The location reinforces the value case. The building sits directly on the Second Avenue Subway corridor, two blocks from the 86th Street station and the dense 86th Street retail spine; Central Park is a walk west and Carl Schurz Park and the East River esplanade a walk east. For buyers who want substantial post-war apartments, genuine full service, and resort-grade amenities at pricing well below the pre-war avenues, The Newbury is one of the strongest propositions in Yorkville.
Architecture and unit composition
The Newbury is an early-1970s masonry high-rise in the restrained modern idiom of its era — vertical massing, efficient floor plates, and apartment volume prioritized over facade detail, distinguished at street level by its landscaped circular driveway. The roughly 258 apartments span the configurations characteristic of the period: studios and one-bedrooms through larger two- and three-bedroom layouts across the 30 stories.
Interior signatures are those of upper-tier post-war construction: ceiling heights generally in the 8-to-9-foot range, large windows, practical kitchen and bath layouts (many renovated over the building's life), and ample closet infrastructure. The building's height means a meaningful share of apartments occupy upper floors with open city exposures, and the highest lines reach toward East River and skyline views. Layouts, dimensions, and finishes vary by line and floor and are best read against the current floor plan and the offering plan.
Building operations
The Newbury runs as a full-service post-war cooperative with a full-time doorman and concierge and a live-in resident manager — a service level its roughly 258-unit scale supports comfortably. The amenity base is unusually deep: the rooftop pool suite and solarium party room, the fitness center, the bike room, private storage, the large central laundry, and the package room with cold storage all sit within the building, and the attached garage offers shareholders direct access at a heavily discounted rate. The combination of a resort-grade roof deck and a discounted in-building garage is rare even within the full-service Yorkville field.
The substantive diligence items are the co-op's financials: reserve adequacy, recent and planned capital work (facade cycles and Local Law 97 compliance planning are standard considerations for towers of this vintage), and any current assessments — all of which your attorney should review alongside the financials, minutes, and house rules.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $145,363/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $47
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 →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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2026 | 6E | 1 BR · 1 BA | $585,000 | +3.5% | |
| Sep 16, 2025 | 12D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $698,000 | +0.0% | |
| Aug 18, 2025 | 3A | 2 BR · 1 BA · 975 sf | $1,060,000 | $1,087/sf | -1.7% |
| Mar 19, 2025 | 4B | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $1,900,000 | -5.0% | |
| Mar 18, 2025 | 8E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 650 sf | $741,000 | $1,140/sf | +1.8% |
| Feb 11, 2025 | 3E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 650 sf | $596,200 | $917/sf | +3.1% |
| Dec 6, 2024 | 23A | 2 BR · 1 BA · 975 sf | $1,275,000 | $1,308/sf | +6.4% |
| Jan 9, 2024 | 18E | 1 BR · 1 BA | $728,000 | +0.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $1,227/sf across 3 sales. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 0.6% 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 15, 2003 | 26E | $325,000 |
| May 1, 2003 | 3F | $750,000 |
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 1-01532-0022) 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 full-service co-op — plan for a board process. A board package, financial review, and interview are standard. Strong financials and clear primary-residence intent are advantageous.
The amenity package is the differentiator. The rooftop pool suite, fitness center, discounted garage, and full staffing are the reason to choose The Newbury over amenity-light buildings at the same price point — value that compounds over a long hold.
Floor and exposure drive price. Upper-floor lines capture open and, from the top, East River and skyline exposures; lower floors trade view for value.
Scrutinize the building's finances. Reserves, recent and planned capital work (facade, Local Law 97), and any assessments matter more than architecture in a tower of this vintage; review them with your attorney.
Location is a long-term tailwind. Second Avenue Subway two blocks away, the 86th Street retail spine, and walks to both Central Park and Carl Schurz Park.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the amenities. The rooftop pools, solarium party room, fitness center, and deeply discounted in-building garage are genuine differentiators on the corridor; foreground them in any listing.
Apartment-level positioning drives price. Floor, exposure, layout, and renovation quality move value far more than building-wide averages in a tower this size.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Plan for roughly 6–10 weeks from contract signing to closing, plus board package preparation and interview.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Newbury, also evaluate:
- 1725 York Avenue — East River Tower, nearby Yorkville co-op
- 1408 Second Avenue — full-service Lenox Hill co-op down the avenue
- 535 East 86th Street — nearby Yorkville full-service building
- 180 East End Avenue — Gracie Towers, nearby Yorkville co-op with rooftop pool
- 60 East End Avenue — white-glove Yorkville co-op near Carl Schurz Park
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 The Newbury?
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 The Newbury 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.