181 East 90th Street (The Metropolitan)
181 East 90th Street, New York, NY 10128
Carnegie Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1015197501 · BIN 1048263
- Year built
- 2004
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 94
- Floors
- 32
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pet-friendly under condominium rules
- Flip tax
- None reported — confirm against the offering plan at contract
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,279
- Listing discount
- 2.2%
- Recorded sales
- 210
- On record
- 2004–2026
The Metropolitan is Carnegie Hill's Philip Johnson building — a 32-story condominium completed in 2004 to a design by Johnson and his partner Alan Ritchie, on the Third Avenue corner of East 90th Street. It is one of only two Manhattan residential high-rises Johnson designed, after 1001 Fifth Avenue, which alone gives the building a place in the corridor's architectural record that its neighbors cannot claim.
The design reads as a Johnson late work: two-tone beige brick with horizontal banding, rounded darkened corners, oversized curved windows, and an illuminated banded crown, stepping back through two setbacks. It is a serious piece of architecture rather than a developer default — the kind of building where the name on the drawings is a genuine, durable asset in resale.
What the Metropolitan offers buyers is that architecture wrapped around large, light apartments — most floors carry only three apartments, and the units are big enough that owners have combined them over the years, reducing the original count. Add a full-service staff and condominium flexibility, and the building sits squarely in the Carnegie Hill trophy-condo conversation, at a Third Avenue address rather than a park-block one.
Architecture and unit composition
Johnson and Ritchie's tower is 326 feet of two-tone brick with the signature curved windows and banded crown. Most floors hold three apartments, and the units are large — the smallest around 1,000 square feet, with the stock skewing to two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes and substantial combinations. That scale is why the building's unit count has drifted down from roughly 94 as originally built toward the mid-80s today as owners combined apartments; the offering plan's schedule and the current certificate control on any specific unit.
Interiors were built at the level the architecture implies, with high ceilings and full-size in-unit washer/dryers. Most apartments do not have balconies, and the building has no roof deck or pool — the design is about the tower and the light, not outdoor amenity. Some upper-floor units carry private terraces, including a curved penthouse terrace.
Building operations
The Metropolitan runs as a full-service condominium: 24-hour doorman, concierge, a 24-hour porter, a live-in resident manager, and a full-time handyman, plus a fitness center, a children's playroom, a bike room, private storage, and in-building laundry alongside in-unit washer/dryers. Purchasers typically contribute roughly two months of common charges to working capital at closing. The offering plan, house rules, and financial statements are held in The Roebling Research Library and available to clients during diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $123,732/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $110
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
The Metropolitan's resale market is an architecture-and-scale market. Buyers reach it wanting the Johnson design and the large, light apartments, and they pay for both — turn-key, high-floor, view-facing units command the premium, while dated or lower-floor inventory trades closer to the Carnegie Hill average. The absence of a roof deck and pool is honest to state; this building competes on tower design and apartment quality, not on outdoor amenity, and pricing should be read against that.
Recent closings 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 27, 2026 | 25B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,654 sf | $2,495,000 | $1,508/sf | -3.9% |
| Jan 13, 2026 | 7A | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,253 sf | $1,477,500 | $1,179/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 31, 2025 | PH32A | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,553 sf | $7,425,000 | $2,090/sf | -10.0% |
| Jun 24, 2024 | 23B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,658 sf | $2,850,000 | $1,719/sf | -1.6% |
| May 14, 2024 | 4A | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,255 sf | $1,450,000 | $1,155/sf | -4.9% |
| Apr 17, 2024 | 31B | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,500 sf | $4,350,000 | $1,740/sf | -26.3% |
| Jan 22, 2024 | 9B | 4 BR · 4 BA · 2,234 sf | $3,300,000 | $1,477/sf | -15.4% |
| Apr 13, 2023 | 9C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,077 sf | $2,925,000 | $1,408/sf | -2.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,279/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 2.2% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
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 1-01519-7501) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
You're buying the architecture and the apartment scale. The Johnson design and the large, light layouts are the product. Underwrite condition and floor carefully — the spread between a combined high-floor unit and a smaller lower one is wide.
Condominium flexibility applies. No co-op-style financing cap, and pied-à-terre and sublet use are permitted under the declaration. Confirm any transfer fee and the working-capital contribution against the offering plan at contract.
Model the carry and the mansion tax. Common charges and taxes on the large units are material, and at these price points the mansion-tax cliffs routinely apply. Run the True Monthly Carrying Cost Calculator and the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Use same-line comparables. With so few apartments per floor and multiple combinations, the building average is a poor guide — anchor to the line.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with Philip Johnson. The architect and the "second Manhattan tower after 1001 Fifth" story are documented, searchable assets that separate this building from every other Third Avenue condominium. Use them.
Sell scale and light. The large layouts and oversized curved windows are the differentiators; stage and photograph to them.
Anchor to the line, not the building. Combinations distort the average. Same-line history — which we maintain — is the right comparable set.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 181 East 90th Street, also evaluate:
- The Chatham (181 East 65th Street) — Robert A.M. Stern condominium; the design-forward Lenox Hill peer
- The Cielo (450 East 83rd Street) — Perkins Eastman glass condominium in Yorkville
- The Kent (200 East 95th Street) — newer luxury condominium nearby at the corridor's northern edge
- 180 East 88th Street — tall Carnegie Hill condominium tower; the modern-development peer
- 1289 Lexington Avenue — Carnegie Hill condominium of similar scale
- The Lucida (151 East 85th Street) — full-amenity Carnegie Hill condominium with a fuller amenity program
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
Considering a move at The Metropolitan?
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 The Metropolitan 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.