1681 Second Avenue
1681 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10128
Yorkville, Upper East Side
BBL 1015330022 · BIN 1048813
- Year built
- 1966
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 118
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,055
- Listing discount
- 2.7%
- Recorded sales
- 136
- On record
- 2003–2026
1681 Second Avenue is a product of the Upper East Side's post-war building wave — a twenty-story masonry elevator tower completed in 1966, in the heart of Yorkville between 87th and 88th Streets. It belongs to a specific and useful category of Manhattan inventory: the larger, full-service post-war building that trades period detail for scale, light, practical floor plans, and conveniences the pre-war stock a few blocks west simply does not offer — chief among them an on-site parking garage and ground-floor retail at the door.
Yorkville's character is part of the value proposition. This is the Upper East Side at its most genuinely residential — a neighborhood of long-tenured households, neighborhood retail, and a density that supports services without the formality of the Fifth and Park co-op blocks. The Second Avenue corridor in particular was transformed by the opening of the Second Avenue Subway: the Q at 86th Street, two blocks south, reset transit access along this stretch, adding a fast one-seat ride to Midtown and the East Side to the existing crosstown buses and the Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 a short walk west.
For a resident, the appeal is concrete. At 118 apartments across twenty floors, 1681 offers the efficient, light-filled layouts post-war construction was built to deliver, in a building large enough to support full staffing and shared amenities — and with a parking garage in the building and shops at street level, the daily-convenience case is unusually strong. It is not a landmark and does not pretend to be; its strength is livability at a more accessible price point than the avenue's pre-war and new-construction tiers, with Carl Schurz Park and the East River promenade a few blocks east and the Q a few blocks south.
Architecture and unit composition
1681 Second Avenue is a straightforward expression of mid-1960s Manhattan apartment design — a masonry elevator building organized for efficient floor plates rather than ornamental display. The post-war idiom prioritized larger windows, consistent ceiling heights, and rational layouts over the foyers and service wings of pre-war planning. The ground and lower floors carry the building's commercial space and parking garage, with residences rising above.
Across its 118 apartments, the unit mix spans studios through one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations, with the higher floors capturing the open exposures and light that are the building type's signature advantage — including eastern light toward the East River. As with any building of this scale and era, individual apartments vary in renovation state; floor altitude, exposure, and layout are the variables that separate comparable homes.
Building operations
1681 Second Avenue operates as a full-service post-war elevator building with lobby attendance, a live-in superintendent, a central laundry, ground-floor retail, and an on-site parking garage — the parking and retail being genuine differentiators within Yorkville's housing stock. The 118-unit scale supports the staffing and the operational efficiencies of a large post-war building.
The building was extensively renovated in the late 1980s, the period when much of the Upper East Side's post-war rental stock moved into cooperative ownership. For a shareholder, the operative diligence items are the proprietary lease, house rules, and the board's financing, sublet, and pet posture; these follow standard Yorkville co-op norms.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $27,387/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $137,337/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $19 – $97
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2026 | 7E | 1 BR · 1 BA | $680,000 | -2.4% | |
| Mar 25, 2026 | 7C | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $775,000 | $969/sf | -2.9% |
| Nov 19, 2025 | 4D | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $680,000 | $850/sf | -12.3% |
| Sep 26, 2025 | 14C | 1 BR · 1 BA · 815 sf | $725,000 | $890/sf | +0.0% |
| Mar 11, 2025 | 8E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 828 sf | $780,000 | $942/sf | -1.9% |
| Mar 3, 2025 | 7F | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,400 sf | $1,525,000 | $1,089/sf | -1.6% |
| Jan 30, 2025 | 19A | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,475 sf | $1,737,500 | $1,178/sf | -7.3% |
| May 31, 2024 | 3E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 850 sf | $789,144 | $928/sf | +1.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,055/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.
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 1-01533-0022) 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
Convenience is the headline. An on-site garage, retail at street level, and the Q at 86th two blocks south make this one of the more practical addresses in Yorkville.
The post-war format is the value. Efficient layouts, larger windows, and consistent ceiling heights at a more accessible price than pre-war or new-construction stock.
Light and floor altitude drive value. Higher floors with open exposures — eastern light toward the river especially — command the clearest premiums in buildings of this type.
Scale supports service. A 118-unit building carries the staffing and amenity base that smaller buildings cannot.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with convenience and location. The on-site garage, ground-floor retail, improved Second Avenue Subway access, and Yorkville's residential character are the strongest selling points for post-war inventory.
Price against the corridor honestly. Position the apartment relative to comparable post-war Yorkville stock rather than against pre-war or new-construction tiers.
Foreground exposure and condition. In a large post-war building, floor altitude, light, and renovation state are the variables that separate comparable units.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 1681 Second Avenue, also evaluate these nearby Yorkville and Upper East Side buildings:
- 345 East 86th Street — post-war Yorkville full-service co-op
- 1659 Second Avenue — nearby Yorkville Second Avenue building
- 320 East 86th Street — nearby Yorkville full-service building
- 535 East 86th Street — nearby Yorkville full-service building
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 1681 Second Avenue?
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 1681 Second Avenue 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.