188 East 78th Street (The Empire)
188 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10075
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1014127502 · BIN 1082192
- Year built
- 2001
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 72
- Floors
- 32
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pets permitted (dogs and cats)
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2002–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,959
- Listing discount
- 6.2%
- Recorded sales
- 104
- On record
- 2002–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Empire Condominium 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.
The Empire is a full-service condominium that delivered amenity depth and traditional styling to the central Lenox Hill blocks at the turn of the millennium. Completed in 2001 to a Hartman-Cox design with SLCE and developed by Davis & Partners with RFR Holding, the 32-story tower holds 72 residences and an amenity package — garage, fitness center, garden, roof deck, screening room, private dining salon — that is unusually complete for a building of its size. The brick exterior was deliberately drawn to echo classic Upper East Side architecture rather than to read as a glass newcomer.
For buyers, the appeal is straightforward: a full-service, family-friendly condominium with high-rise light and views, in the heart of the Upper East Side between Third and Lexington, with condominium flexibility and a deep amenity set. It competes directly with the era's other traditionally styled new-construction condos in Lenox Hill.
The location is central and convenient — between Third and Lexington on 78th Street, close to the Q and 6 trains, the Lenox Hill medical corridor, and the Madison Avenue retail and gallery spine a few blocks west.
Architecture and unit composition
The 72 residences span a 32-story tower, with layouts running from one-bedrooms to large family homes and penthouses near the crown. The slender footprint and tower height deliver strong light and open city views from upper floors. The Hartman-Cox brick design pairs traditional massing with a contemporary structural program, positioning the building as a new-construction interpretation of the neighborhood's pre-war character.
Building operations
The Empire operates as a full-service condominium with a full-time doorman and concierge. The amenity roster — an on-site parking garage, a fitness center, a landscaped garden, a roof deck, a children's playroom, a business center, a private dining salon with a kitchen, and a screening room — is generous for a 72-unit building. Buyers should model the common charges and real estate taxes that support a staff and amenity package of this depth, and review the building's financials, reserves, and any assessment history during due diligence.
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.
How to read this, and where it comes from
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. City record last verified September 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Pied-à-terre
- Amenity fee $1,000/adult/yr to opt in
- Notable fees
- Building admin fee $1,500; move-in/out $500 each + $1,000 deposits; transfer fee $500; working capital 1 month CC (sponsor)
Recent sales
188 East 78th Street prices as a full-service new-construction condominium, benchmarked on a price-per-square-foot basis with floor, exposure, and layout driving the spread. Higher-floor residences with open views and the penthouse tier command the building's premium; lower-floor lines price below. The building's deep amenity set and central Lenox Hill location support its pricing relative to less-serviced boutique condos, while its 2001 vintage places it among the established — rather than brand-new — condominium options in the area. Specific financing, sublet, and any flip-tax terms should be confirmed at offer stage.
Recent closings at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 28, 2026 | 9C | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,681 sf | $3,275,000 | $1,948/sf | -6.4% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 5D | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,500 sf | $2,390,500 | $1,594/sf | +0.0% |
| Sep 4, 2025 | 12A | 2,068 sf | $3,200,000 | $1,547/sf | off-mkt |
| Mar 20, 2025 | 12B | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 1,886 sf | $3,500,000 | $1,856/sf | off-mkt |
| Dec 23, 2024 | 16A | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,068 sf | $3,850,000 | $1,862/sf | -6.7% |
| Aug 14, 2024 | 19A | 4 BR · 5.5 BA · 2,530 sf | $4,400,000 | $1,739/sf | -7.4% |
| Apr 2, 2024 | 19B | 5 BR · 4.5 BA · 2,874 sf | $5,350,000 | $1,862/sf | -12.3% |
| Nov 17, 2023 | 23B | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 2,874 sf | $6,363,000 | $2,214/sf | -0.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,959/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 6.2% 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 1-01412-7502) 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
Full-service condo in central Lenox Hill. The combination of a deep amenity package, high-rise views, and condominium flexibility is the building's value proposition.
The amenities carry cost. Garage, screening room, garden, and roof deck are real but staffed and maintained — model the common charges and taxes.
Condo flexibility applies. Pied-à-terre, investment use, and subletting are permitted under the declaration; closings run 30–45 days.
Mansion tax thresholds apply. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the amenity depth and the views. For a building of this size, the amenity roster is a genuine differentiator — foreground it alongside floor and exposure.
Apartment-level positioning matters. Floor and view drive pricing variation; choose the comparable set precisely.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 188 East 78th Street, also evaluate:
- 200 East 83rd Street — newer full-service condominium high-rise nearby
- 145 East 76th Street — boutique full-service condominium in Lenox Hill
- 30 East 76th Street — full-service condominium closer to Madison and the Park
- 180 East 79th Street — established Lenox Hill full-service co-op
- Manhattan House — large postwar full-service condominium
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
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