186 Riverside Drive
186 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1012510037 · BIN 1034092
- Year built
- 1928
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 96
- Landmark
- Designated
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $2M
- Recent range
- $775K – $4.1M
- Listing discount
- 2.0%
- Recorded transfers
- 75
186 Riverside Drive belongs to the signature tier of the Drive: the late-1920s Emery Roth apartment houses that gave Riverside its mature pre-war skyline. Completed in 1928 at West 91st Street, the building arrived at the end of the decade-long boom that transformed Riverside Drive from a street of mansions into a wall of full-service cooperatives facing the park and the river.
Roth's hand is legible here. Where his Central Park West towers reach for verticality, his Riverside Drive work leans into a quieter neo-Renaissance vocabulary — buff brick disciplined by granite and terra-cotta, the facade organized into a clear base, shaft, and crown, and a roofline carrying the large medallions that distinguish 186 from its neighbors both at street level and from a distance. The building is divided into two wings, each served by its own passenger and service elevator, and each vestibule holds only three apartments — a layout that gives shareholders both intimacy and quiet, and explains the building's generous average unit size.
The corner site is the structural advantage. Riverside Drive exposures look west across the landscaped Drive to Riverside Park and the Hudson beyond — protected by parkland that will not be built upon — while the side exposures face a tranquil tree-lined park block. For buyers, 186 Riverside offers Roth pedigree, generously scaled pre-war layouts, river-park permanence, and an accommodating board: pets are welcome, the flip tax is a clear 2% paid by the seller, and subletting is allowed with board approval — all at pricing typically more accessible than the Central Park West Roth landmarks.
Architecture and unit composition
The roughly 96 apartments span the building in configurations that run large by Upper West Side standards — a direct consequence of the three-apartments-per-landing plan. Homes range from very large one-bedrooms to sprawling classic-six layouts, with Roth's pre-war signatures throughout: high ceilings in the principal rooms, formal entry galleries, separated living and dining rooms, and 1928-era service infrastructure. Some apartments have been combined over the building's century, producing especially large family homes; others retain their original room counts.
The lobby sets the tone — a sprawling marble entry with the classic detailing of its age, meticulously maintained and attended around the clock. Riverside-facing apartments carry the river-and-park premium; the park-block exposures trade some of that view for quiet and afternoon light. Front apartments capture the building's signature park and river outlook directly.
Building operations
186 Riverside Drive operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative with a 24-hour attended lobby and full-time doorman, two wings each served by its own passenger and service elevator, a live-in superintendent, a fitness room, central laundry, bike room, private storage, a community room, and door-to-door mail delivery. The conversion from rental to cooperative ownership is believed to date to 1971, placing 186 among the earlier wave of Riverside Drive conversions.
The rules are clear and comparatively welcoming. Pets are welcome. A 2% flip tax is paid by the seller at closing. Subletting is permitted with board approval, subject to a sublet fee equal to 20% of the monthly rent; short-term rentals are not allowed. Board review follows established Riverside Drive pre-war norms, with documented financials and a primary-residence orientation among the central criteria.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $26,747/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $23
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of purchase price (Seller)
- Sublet policy
- Allowed; sublet fee = 20% of monthly sublet rent (non-refundable)
- Notable fees
- Transfer fee to managing agent $750 ($1,000 if closing by mail/escrow); no short-term rentals
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 12, 2026 | 5F | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,175,000 | -0.9% | |
| Aug 8, 2025 | 13A | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,920,000 | +3.8% | |
| Aug 30, 2023 | 6D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $775,000 | -3.1% | |
| Jun 13, 2023 | 5BC | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $4,055,000 | -9.9% | |
| Oct 24, 2022 | 13A | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,800,000 | -2.4% | |
| Aug 29, 2022 | 11DEF | 6 BR · 6 BA · 4,118 sf | $7,500,000 | $1,821/sf | -5.7% |
| May 18, 2022 | 12B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,495,000 | +0.0% | |
| Oct 12, 2021 | 15F | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,150,000 | +0.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2022): a median $1,806/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 0.0% from the last ask.
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 1-01251-0037) 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 Roth pedigree and the three-per-landing plan are the value story. You are buying generously scaled pre-war space designed by the West Side's defining residential architect, at a more accessible basis than his Central Park West landmarks.
River-park views are permanent. Riverside Park and the Hudson cannot be built upon; west-facing exposures hold their light and outlook indefinitely.
The rules are buyer-friendly. Pets are welcome, the flip tax is a transparent 2% on the seller, and subletting is allowed with board approval — flexibility uncommon among Drive pre-war co-ops.
Historic district status governs the exterior. Facade and window work is constrained by the Riverside–West End designation; interior renovation is subject to standard board review.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with architecture and views. Emery Roth authorship, the 1928 neo-Renaissance facade, the medallioned roofline, the marble lobby, and permanent river-park exposures are the building's most marketable assets.
Budget the 2% flip tax. It is paid by the seller at closing and should be factored into net-proceeds planning from the outset.
Apartment-level comping is essential. With large, varied, and sometimes-combined layouts, pricing should be set against the most comparable in-building and corridor trades, not a blanket per-square-foot figure.
Closing timelines are co-op standard — generally 6–10 weeks from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 186 Riverside Drive, also evaluate:
- 173 Riverside Drive — nearby Riverside Drive pre-war co-op
- 180 Riverside Drive — adjacent Drive pre-war peer
- 194 Riverside Drive — neighboring Riverside Drive cooperative
- 222 Riverside Drive — Drive pre-war co-op to the north
- 140 Riverside Drive — the Normandy, an Emery Roth Riverside Drive landmark nearby
- 280 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war comparable
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Riverside Drive — read The Roebling Team Guide to Riverside Drive.
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 186 Riverside Drive?
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 186 Riverside Drive 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.