173 East 79th Street
173 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075
Upper East Side
BBL 1015080027 · BIN 1047474
- Year built
- 1928
- 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.
- 1BR median
- $850K
- Recent range
- $690K – $2.7M
- Listing discount
- 5.8%
- Recorded transfers
- 63
173 East 79th Street is a 1928 pre-war cooperative that does the quiet, durable work of the Upper East Side housing stock: a full-service masonry building, generously sized for its era, on one of Lenox Hill's most convenient mid-blocks. It is not a Fifth Avenue trophy and does not pretend to be — and that is precisely its appeal. For buyers who want a real pre-war co-op on a prime East Side block, with the staffing and structure of a serious building but without the Park-and-Fifth premium, this is the kind of address that rewards a close look.
The block itself is the argument. East 79th Street between Lexington and Third sits in the center of everything that makes Lenox Hill work day to day: the Lexington Avenue 6 train one block west, the Second Avenue Q line a short walk east, the 79th Street crosstown bus at the corner, and a dense run of restaurants, groceries, cafés, and neighborhood retail within a two-block radius. Central Park is roughly four blocks west; the Museum Mile institutions are a short walk in the same direction.
At 60 residences across 15 floors, the building is mid-sized — large enough to support a full staff and a stable operating budget, small enough that the hallways stay quiet and the board knows its shareholders. The 1928 construction means thick masonry walls, real plaster, and the layout logic of an era that prioritized separated entertaining rooms, hard-walled bedrooms, and proper service areas.
Architecture and unit composition
The building belongs to the wave of speculative pre-war apartment houses that filled in the side streets between Lexington and Third in the second half of the 1920s. The vocabulary is sober and masonry-first: a stone-faced base, brick shaft, and modest cornice line, designed to read as a dignified neighbor rather than to announce itself. It is architecture meant to age well, and it has — the elevations remain clean and the proportions intact nearly a century on.
Inside, the apartments carry the hallmarks buyers come to pre-war for: beamed or high ceilings, separate kitchens, gracious entry foyers, and the solid sound isolation that comes from thick floors and masonry partitions. With roughly 60 homes across 15 stories, the building runs a mix from well-scaled one- and two-bedrooms to larger family layouts, several of which have been combined or renovated over the decades. Many residences retain original detail — moldings, hardwood floors, and the deep windowsills characteristic of the period — while updated kitchens and baths vary unit to unit.
Building operations
173 East 79th Street operates as a full-service cooperative. The lobby is attended, elevator service runs to all floors, and a resident superintendent manages day-to-day building systems. Shared infrastructure includes a central laundry room, basement storage, and bicycle storage — the practical amenity set that matters in everyday pre-war living.
As a cooperative, purchases here are subject to board review and an admissions package and interview, and ownership carries the shared-equity structure of co-op living: monthly maintenance covers the building's underlying mortgage, real-estate taxes, staff, heat, and reserves. Buyers should expect a board posture consistent with an established Upper East Side co-op — primary-residence orientation, customary financing limits, and a sublet policy structured to keep the building owner-occupied. We help buyers read the building's current rules and financials so there are no surprises at the package stage.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
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 3, 2026 | 3D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $850,000 | -5.5% | |
| Apr 30, 2026 | MAIS | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,337,500 | -6.3% | |
| Feb 19, 2026 | 6B | 2 BR · 3 BA | $2,125,000 | -5.6% | |
| Nov 24, 2025 | 9D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $965,000 | -6.8% | |
| Sep 17, 2025 | 7B | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,350,000 | +4.4% | |
| Jul 21, 2025 | 3A | 3 BR · 2 BA | $2,675,000 | -6.1% | |
| Sep 10, 2024 | 1D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $695,000 | -7.3% | |
| Jul 30, 2024 | 6C | 1 BR · 1 BA · 900 sf | $850,000 | $944/sf | -10.1% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2024): a median $944/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 5.3% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2003 | 8D | $915,000 |
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 1-01508-0027) 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
The case for 173 East 79th Street is straightforward: a genuine full-service pre-war co-op on a top Lenox Hill block, priced below the Fifth and Park corridors. Budget for the co-op fundamentals — board approval, a documented financial package, an in-person interview, and maintenance that reflects a fully staffed building. Confirm the specifics of the current financing limit, sublet terms, and any flip tax as part of your offer strategy; these set the building's resale liquidity and should shape what you pay. Renovation-ready apartments here can be excellent value for a buyer prepared to invest, given the underlying pre-war bones.
What to know if you’re selling
A sale here is sold on location, staffing, and pre-war quality at a sensible price point. The block's transit and retail convenience is a concrete, repeatable selling point — name the 6 and Q trains, the crosstown bus, and the everyday retail at the door. Renovated homes should be benchmarked against the better Lenox Hill pre-war inventory; unrenovated homes should be priced honestly against their nearest in-building and on-block comparables. A clean, well-prepared board package and realistic pricing move apartments fastest in this building; we manage both, and position the listing against the right comparable set rather than the trophy stock that doesn't apply.
Comparable buildings
If you're weighing 173 East 79th Street, also look at these nearby East 79th Street and Upper East Side cooperatives:
- 136 East 79th Street — pre-war cooperative on the same corridor toward Park
- 180 East 79th Street — full-service co-op directly across the street
- 229 East 79th Street — East 79th Street cooperative toward the east
- 50 East 79th Street — pre-war co-op closer to Madison
- 333 East 79th Street — full-service East 79th Street building toward the east
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 173 East 79th Street?
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 173 East 79th Street 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.