- Year built
- 1926
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2023
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- Recent range
- $2.6M – $2.6M
- Listing discount
- 4.5%
- Recorded transfers
- 21
168 East 74th Street is a quintessential Lenox Hill pre-war cooperative — a 1926 red-brick apartment house, mid-block between Lexington and Third, that has quietly served Upper East Side residents for a century. It is not a grand doorman tower and does not pretend to be; its appeal is the one that draws a particular and durable kind of buyer to this part of the city — a well-built, human-scaled pre-war building on one of Lenox Hill's most desirable residential blocks, with the value that comes from spending on the apartment rather than on a deep service staff.
Built as a rental in 1926 and converted to cooperative ownership in 1953 — among the earlier conversions on the East Side — the building has the seasoned, owner-run character of a cooperative that has been a co-op for more than seventy years. The thirty-one residences are set behind a canopied entrance and arranged around a landscaped courtyard, an unusual and welcome feature on a mid-block lot.
For buyers, the proposition is clear: a pet-friendly pre-war cooperative on a prime Lenox Hill block, priced below the avenue's full-service buildings, in the heart of the Upper East Side's restaurant, shopping, and transit grid.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is a straightforward, well-proportioned example of mid-1920s Upper East Side apartment design: a warm red-brick elevation, nine stories, and a canopied entrance that gives the address a residential rather than monumental presence. The real interest is the courtyard — a planted interior space that brings light and air into the floor plans and offers a quiet outlook that street-facing buildings cannot.
Inside, the apartments carry the pre-war planning of their era: sensible entry foyers, well-separated rooms, and the ceiling heights and millwork that define the period. With thirty-one homes across nine floors, layouts range from comfortable one- and two-bedrooms to larger family units, and — as at any building converted from rental stock — interiors span the spectrum from original to fully renovated. The constants are the proportions and the courtyard light, which give even the smaller homes a sense of calm uncommon on a busy stretch of the East Side.
Building operations
168 East 74th runs as an efficient, owner-focused cooperative. The building is maintained by a live-in superintendent rather than a full-time doorman — a model that keeps maintenance materially lower than at the avenue's white-glove buildings, which is a deliberate and appreciated trade-off for the kind of buyer this building attracts. The shared amenities are practical: the landscaped courtyard, a central laundry room, and private storage.
On house rules, the cooperative is pet-friendly, which is a meaningful draw on a corridor where many buildings are not. The combination of a sensible carrying cost, a prime block, and an accommodating pet policy is the building's core competitive position — a pre-war home in Lenox Hill without the premium of a full-service tower.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $1,371/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $4
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2023 | 6A | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,585,000 | -4.1% | |
| Mar 15, 2022 | 2C | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,225,000 | -1.1% | |
| Aug 2, 2021 | 9B | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,000 sf | $2,650,000 | $1,325/sf | -5.2% |
| Jan 9, 2020 | 1A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $1,999,900 | -13.0% | |
| Mar 4, 2016 | 1CD | 3 BR | $2,250,000 | -6.1% | |
| Jul 16, 2014 | 5A | 3 BR · 2,000 sf | $2,850,000 | $1,425/sf | -8.1% |
| Sep 12, 2013 | 3C | 2 BR | $2,100,000 | -4.5% | |
| Aug 28, 2012 | 2C | 3 BR · 1,700 sf | $1,905,000 | $1,121/sf | +6.1% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2021) cleared a median $1,325/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 4.5% 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 15, 2018 | 5B | $3,350,000 |
| Mar 18, 2010 | 1C | $1,385,000 |
| Sep 14, 2006 | 7C | $1,630,000 |
| Jan 21, 2004 | 6B | $1,795,000 |
| Oct 15, 2003 | 1B | $1,750,000 |
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 1-01408-0041) 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 purchase, so expect a board package and interview. The most important thing for buyers to understand is the building's service model: there is no full-time doorman, which is precisely why the maintenance and entry pricing are attractive relative to the avenue's staffed buildings. For buyers who value a pre-war apartment and a great block over lobby service, that is a feature, not a drawback. The pet-friendly policy is an added draw for owners with animals, who find fewer welcoming options nearby than they might expect.
Evaluate the specific apartment closely — courtyard versus street exposure, light, and renovation condition all move value here — and read the building's financials and reserves as you would at any century-old co-op. We help buyers weigh the carrying-cost advantage against the service trade-off and assess the home on its merits.
What to know if you’re selling
The selling story is value and location. A pre-war cooperative on a quiet, prime Lenox Hill block, pet-friendly, with a landscaped courtyard and a reasonable carrying cost, appeals directly to buyers who want into the Upper East Side without paying the full-service premium. That is a large and motivated pool, and the marketing should speak to it plainly: a real pre-war home, a great block, and a sensible monthly.
Position against comparable limited-staff pre-war cooperatives in Lenox Hill rather than against doorman towers, and lead with the apartment's specific strengths — courtyard light, layout, condition, and the pet policy where relevant. Presentation pays off in this segment: a well-renovated, well-staged home stands out clearly among the building's varied stock and supports pricing at the top of its comparable set.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 168 East 74th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper East Side cooperatives:
- 200 East 74th Street — pre-war cooperative nearby
- 207 East 74th Street — Lenox Hill cooperative on the same corridor
- 340 East 74th Street — full-service cooperative to the east
- 33 East 74th Street — pre-war cooperative toward the avenues
- 130 East 75th Street — comparable pre-war Lenox Hill cooperative
The Roebling Team at 168 East 74th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side and Lenox Hill's pre-war cooperative market — including the limited-staff buildings where value comes from the apartment and the block, not the lobby. We publish this profile because a building like 168 East 74th rewards buyers and sellers who understand the service trade-off and the specific home.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 168 East 74th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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