171 West 79th Street, Upper West Side
171 West 79th Street, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1012100005 · BIN 1031754
- Year built
- 1923
- 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
- $1.4M
- Recent range
- $1.1M – $2.2M
- Listing discount
- 3.7%
- Recorded transfers
- 52
171 West 79th Street sits at the practical heart of the Upper West Side — mid-block between Amsterdam and Broadway, a few steps from the 79th Street subway, the Museum of Natural History, and the deep Broadway run of markets, cafés, and shops that make this stretch one of the most walkable in Manhattan. It is a 1923 Italian Renaissance cooperative, intimate in scale and dignified in detail, and it offers the central appeal of the neighborhood: a pre-war home with character, in a full-service building, in a location where everything you need is within a two-block radius.
The building's value proposition is well-defined. As a cooperative that converted in 1984, it carries the settled, owner-occupied culture of an established West Side co-op while remaining one of the more flexible buildings in its tier — pet-friendly, generous on financing, and welcoming to pied-à-terre buyers. For purchasers who want pre-war architecture and a true Broadway-corridor address without the formality or carrying cost of an avenue trophy, 171 West 79th is a clear-eyed choice.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is a 1923 Italian Renaissance design, and the style reads in the particulars: a handsome masonry façade and an unusually intricate lobby, detailed with the craftsmanship typical of the period's better West Side houses. At 15 stories and 62 apartments, it is intimate without being tiny — a count that keeps the building personal while supporting a real staff and a sound budget.
The apartment stock is classic pre-war: high beamed ceilings, arched openings in the foyers, hardwood floors, and the well-proportioned rooms that define the era. Higher-floor residences enjoy strong light and, in several cases, open and unobstructed outlooks across the surrounding low-rise streetscape. The variety across 62 homes — from efficient one-bedrooms to larger family layouts — gives the building a wide range of entry points while preserving the architectural integrity buyers come to the Upper West Side to find.
Building operations
171 West 79th Street is a full-service cooperative. A doorman attends the lobby daily from 8:00 a.m. to midnight, supported by a live-in superintendent, with central laundry and bicycle storage on site. The building is pet-friendly. The cooperative permits financing of up to 80% of the purchase price — among the more accommodating terms in its peer group — and pied-à-terre ownership is permitted, a flexibility many established West Side co-ops do not extend. Purchases proceed through a board application and personal interview in the usual cooperative manner; prospective buyers should review the building's current sublet policy and any transfer fee with the managing agent as part of the board package.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $6,020/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $8
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2026 | 131 | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,018,500 | -8.3% | |
| Sep 25, 2025 | 56 | 3 BR · 2 BA | $2,165,000 | -3.7% | |
| Nov 29, 2023 | 123 | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,595,000 | -11.1% | |
| Sep 18, 2023 | 33 | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,130,000 | -5.4% | |
| Jul 25, 2023 | 91 | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $1,950,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jun 6, 2023 | 51 | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $1,985,587 | +1.8% | |
| Jun 6, 2023 | 51 | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $1,985,588 | +1.8% | |
| Dec 19, 2022 | 132 | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,500 sf | $2,275,000 | $1,517/sf | -0.9% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2022): a median $1,517/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 1.3% 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 1-01210-0005) 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 one of the more flexible pre-war cooperatives on the Upper West Side, and that shapes the opportunity. Financing runs up to 80%, which broadens access for well-qualified buyers, and pied-à-terre purchases are permitted — a genuine advantage for second-home and part-time buyers who find most West Side co-ops closed to them. The building is pet-friendly, and the board reviews the standard cooperative package. Focus your search on the higher-floor homes for light and outlook, confirm the current sublet terms with management as you prepare your application, and weigh the location dividend: the subway, the park, the museum, and the full Broadway shopping run are all within a couple of blocks.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with flexibility and location. The 80% financing allowance and the pied-à-terre policy open the building to a meaningfully wider buyer pool than most pre-war West Side co-ops, and the pet-friendly posture removes another common objection — say so plainly in the marketing. From there, the building's story carries weight: a 1923 Italian Renaissance house with a richly detailed lobby, a few steps from the 79th Street station, the Museum of Natural History, and Broadway's markets and restaurants. Renovated apartments with their pre-war proportions intact, particularly on the higher floors, present best and move fastest.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 171 West 79th Street, these nearby Upper West Side cooperatives form a useful comparison set:
- 127 West 79th Street — pre-war cooperative on the same block
- 145 West 79th Street — full-service co-op steps away
- 600 West End Avenue — classic West End Avenue pre-war building
- 290 West End Avenue — pre-war West End Avenue cooperative
- 258 Riverside Drive — pre-war co-op facing Riverside Park
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West 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 171 West 79th Street, Upper West Side?
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A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 171 West 79th Street, Upper West Side 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.