- Year built
- 1924
- Flip tax
- 2%, buyer-paid
17 East 89th Street is generally considered one of the most prestigious prewar buildings in Carnegie Hill and is the work of Gaetan Ajello, an important Italian-born NYC apartment architect whose broader body of work includes 145 West 86th, 410 Riverside Drive, and several Riverside / Central Park West buildings.
The structural identity rests on three features. First, the Ajello architectural pedigree — a meaningful 1920s-era Italian-born NYC apartment architect with substantial Riverside and CPW corpus. Second, the 65% financing maximum and 2% buyer-paid flip tax — moderately accommodating for the Carnegie Hill prewar tier. Third, the no-summer-work-rules policy — many Carnegie Hill boards restrict June-September construction; 17 East 89th does not, a meaningful flexibility for buyers planning renovation.
Additional amenity: landscaped roof terrace with Central Park views — uncommon for a Carnegie Hill cross-street prewar.
Recent sales
Active pipeline:
- Unit 10A — $5,600,000 (Brown Harris Stevens)
- Unit 12-C — $3,100,000
- Unit 3E (1 BR) — trading at the $1 million tier
Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers for full transactional context.
What to know if you’re buying
The Gaetan Ajello architectural pedigree is real institutional context. Ajello's broader Manhattan corpus places 17 East 89th in a specific 1920s Italian-born NYC apartment architect tradition.
The no-summer-work-rules policy is structurally distinguishing. Buyers planning renovation gain materially expanded construction windows versus peer Carnegie Hill cooperatives.
The 65% financing maximum is moderately accommodating for Carnegie Hill prewar. Plan accordingly.
The 2% buyer-paid flip tax is meaningful at closing. Factor into carrying-cost and net-proceeds calculations.
The landscaped roof terrace with Central Park views is a structurally distinguishing amenity for a cross-street prewar.
The pet-friendly posture and the children's playroom support family-oriented buyer fit.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard. Plan for 6 to 10 weeks from contract through board approval to closing.
Comparable buildings
- 14 East 90th Street — Carpenter 1928; nearby Carnegie Hill peer
- 4 East 88th Street — 1922 Georgian Revival; nearby Carnegie Hill peer
- 19 East 88th Street — Dowling 1937 Art Deco; nearby Carnegie Hill peer
- 21 East 87th Street — Roth 1927; nearby Carnegie Hill peer
- 15 East 91st Street — Schultze 1947; nearby Carnegie Hill peer
The Roebling Team at 17 East 89th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. If you're considering a purchase or sale at 17 East 89th, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Corey Cohen · The Roebling Team at Compass 646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com
Sources: CityRealty building page; Corcoran building page; Friends of the Upper East Side building dossier; Brown Harris Stevens listings; NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Carnegie Hill Historic District Designation Report (LP-0834, 1974 / LP-1834, 1993); NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.