646.939.7375·
★92 Google reviews
Buildings·Upper East Side·The Empire Condominium·Sold prices

188 East 78th Street (The Empire)Recorded sales & closing prices

188 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10075

102 recorded closings, 2002–2026. Sortable and searchable below.

Recorded closings
102
Date range
2002–2026
Median $/sf
$2,015
2026 · adjusted
Listing discount
7.3%
median, from last ask
Price range
$1.7M – $8.95M
Price shift · median $/sf
Since 2002
▲ +29.3%
10-Year
▼ -3.9%
Since 2022
▲ +1.9%
1-Year
▼ -1.5%

Change in the building’s median $/sf over each window, adjusted to a constant-quality (average-floor) unit so it reflects price — not which floors happened to sell. (2022 marks the rate-shock inflection.) Like-for-like repeat-sale figures to follow.

The complete recorded-sale history for The Empire Condominium, compiled from NYC Department of Finance transfer records and verified listing data, then enriched apartment-by-apartment by The Roebling Team research desk. Across sales with a public asking price, the building carries a median listing discount of 7.3% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy here.

Price per square foot over time

98 sales with a known square footage, by closing date.

$594$1,547$2,500'02'06'10'14'18'22'2620B · $1,404/sf · 20024C · $1,120/sf · 200430B · $1,749/sf · 200410A · $1,330/sf · 20043A · $1,081/sf · 200430A · $1,507/sf · 20049A · $1,398/sf · 20055E · $1,487/sf · 20053B · $1,010/sf · 200512B · $1,140/sf · 200527A · $1,700/sf · 200511B · $1,752/sf · 200528B · $1,653/sf · 2006PHB · $1,634/sf · 2006PHA · $1,589/sf · 20067AB · $1,474/sf · 200620A · $1,719/sf · 200623B · $1,635/sf · 200627B · $696/sf · 200611A · $1,692/sf · 20065E · $1,681/sf · 200721A · $1,952/sf · 200718B · $1,879/sf · 20074B · $1,413/sf · 20079C · $1,562/sf · 200816B · $1,758/sf · 20083A · $1,820/sf · 20087C · $1,844/sf · 20085/6C · $2,137/sf · 20094D · $1,169/sf · 20096E · $1,066/sf · 200923A · $923/sf · 201015C · $1,309/sf · 20109A · $1,690/sf · 20105/6C · $1,154/sf · 20103B · $1,168/sf · 201131A · $1,728/sf · 20118B · $1,728/sf · 201114C · $1,428/sf · 201214AB · $2,050/sf · 201210A · $1,598/sf · 201311B · $1,897/sf · 201324B · $2,366/sf · 20135B · $1,609/sf · 20144C · $2,082/sf · 201417C · $1,725/sf · 20146B · $1,619/sf · 201518B · $2,192/sf · 20153B · $1,697/sf · 201514C · $2,097/sf · 201620B · $1,404/sf · 201628A · $1,920/sf · 20175E · $1,347/sf · 20177C · $1,368/sf · 201712C · $1,477/sf · 201721A · $1,982/sf · 20173B · $1,568/sf · 20175A · $1,373/sf · 201721B · $2,255/sf · 201711C · $1,755/sf · 201728B · $2,070/sf · 201723B · $1,949/sf · 20175D · $1,283/sf · 20176D · $1,633/sf · 201817C · $1,874/sf · 20187AB · $2,398/sf · 201827A · $1,897/sf · 201816A · $1,668/sf · 201918A · $1,660/sf · 201911B · $1,691/sf · 20207C · $1,309/sf · 202022A · $1,460/sf · 202014AB · $1,514/sf · 202031B · $1,807/sf · 202110A · $1,838/sf · 202115A · $1,632/sf · 2022PHA · $1,665/sf · 20225E · $1,515/sf · 202230A · $2,099/sf · 202222B · $1,740/sf · 202228B · $2,109/sf · 202215A · $1,596/sf · 20226B · $1,675/sf · 20224C · $1,200/sf · 202223A · $1,522/sf · 202322A · $1,800/sf · 2023PHB · $1,584/sf · 20239C · $1,338/sf · 202324B · $2,053/sf · 202323B · $2,214/sf · 202319B · $1,862/sf · 202419A · $1,739/sf · 202416A · $1,862/sf · 202412B · $1,856/sf · 202512A · $1,547/sf · 20254D · $1,141/sf · 20255D · $1,594/sf · 20269C · $1,948/sf · 2026
Each dot is one recorded sale with a known interior square footage, plotted by closing date against price per square foot. The line is the median $/sf each year, adjusted to a constant-quality (average-floor) unit — so it reflects price movement, not which floors happened to sell that year. Individual sale prices in the table below are unadjusted — and you can click any dot to jump straight to that sale.
Building average$2,015/sfevery bar sits above or below this · 0%

The vertical premium

The climb in price per square foot as you rise through the building — light and views included, time-adjusted to today’s market.

Floors 31–35 1 sale
$2,085/sf+3%
Floors 26–30 2 sales
$2,085/sf+3%
Floors 21–25 6 sales
$2,085/sf+3%
Floors 16–20 3 sales
$2,084/sf+3%
Floors 11–15 6 sales
$1,940/sf-4%
Floors 6–10 5 sales
$1,940/sf-4%
Floors 1–5 4 sales
$1,755/sf-13%

Premium by line

What each line’s exposure is worth — its light, outlook, and orientation — measured against the building’s average sale.

Line B 9 sales
$2,084/sf+3%
Line A 10 sales
$1,947/sf-3%
Line C 4 sales
$1,559/sf-23%

Recent closings

The building’s 10 most recent market sales.

DateUnitApartmentPrice$/sfvs. Ask
Jan 28, 20269C2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,681 sf$3,275,000$1,948-6.4%
Jan 27, 20265D2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,500 sf$2,390,500$1,594—
Sep 15, 20254D2 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,011 sf$2,295,000$1,141-4.2%
Sep 4, 202512A2,068 sf$3,200,000$1,547—
Mar 20, 202512B3 BR · 3.5 BA · 1,886 sf$3,500,000$1,856—
Dec 23, 202416A3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,068 sf$3,850,000$1,862-6.7%
Aug 14, 202419A4 BR · 5.5 BA · 2,530 sf$4,400,000$1,739-7.4%
Apr 2, 202419B5 BR · 4.5 BA · 2,874 sf$5,350,000$1,862-12.3%
Nov 17, 202323B4 BR · 4.5 BA · 2,874 sf$6,363,000$2,214-0.5%
Nov 15, 202324B5 BR · 5.5 BA · 2,874 sf$5,900,000$2,053-4.8%

The retrade record

Lines that have changed hands more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment. Showing the 24 strongest of 29 repeat-trade lines; sort the table below by Unit to see every line’s full history.

3A · 2,308 sf+68%
$2,495,000 ($1,081/sf) 2004 → $4,200,000 ($1,820/sf) 2008
23A · 2,530 sf+65%
$2,335,192 ($923/sf) 2010 → $3,850,000 ($1,522/sf) 2023
7AB · 3,732 sf+63%
$5,500,000 ($1,474/sf) 2006 → $8,950,000 ($2,398/sf) 2018
3B · 1,881 sf+55%
$1,900,000 ($1,010/sf) 2005 → $2,197,500 ($1,168/sf) 2011 → $3,191,732 ($1,697/sf) 2015 → $2,950,000 ($1,568/sf) 2017
14C · 1,681 sf+47%
$2,400,000 ($1,428/sf) 2012 → $3,525,000 ($2,097/sf) 2016
30A · 2,156 sf+39%
$3,250,000 ($1,507/sf) 2004 → $4,525,000 ($2,099/sf) 2022
10A · 2,068 sf+38%
$2,750,000 ($1,330/sf) 2004 → $3,305,000 ($1,598/sf) 2013 → $3,800,000 ($1,838/sf) 2021
28B · 2,874 sf+26%
$4,750,000 ($1,653/sf) 2006 → $5,950,000 ($2,070/sf) 2017 → $6,000,000 ($2,088/sf) 2022
9C · 1,681 sf+25%
$2,625,000 ($1,562/sf) 2008 → $2,250,000 ($1,338/sf) 2023 → $3,275,000 ($1,948/sf) 2026
5D · 1,500 sf+24%
$1,925,000 ($1,283/sf) 2017 → $2,390,500 ($1,594/sf) 2026
9A · 2,068 sf+21%
$2,891,000 ($1,398/sf) 2005 → $3,495,000 ($1,690/sf) 2010
18B · 2,874 sf+17%
$5,400,000 ($1,879/sf) 2007 → $6,300,000 ($2,192/sf) 2015
16A · 2,068 sf+12%
$3,450,000 ($1,668/sf) 2019 → $3,850,000 ($1,862/sf) 2024
27A · 2,530 sf+12%
$4,300,000 ($1,700/sf) 2005 → $4,800,000 ($1,897/sf) 2018
17C · 1,681 sf+9%
$2,900,000 ($1,725/sf) 2014 → $3,150,000 ($1,874/sf) 2018
4C · 1,513 sf+7%
$1,695,000 ($1,120/sf) 2004 → $3,150,000 ($2,082/sf) 2014 → $1,815,000 ($1,200/sf) 2022
PHA · 2,156 sf+5%
$3,425,000 ($1,589/sf) 2006 → $3,590,000 ($1,665/sf) 2022
6B · 2,299 sf+3%
$3,722,500 ($1,619/sf) 2015 → $3,850,000 ($1,675/sf) 2022
5E · 1,782 sf+2%
$2,650,000 ($1,487/sf) 2005 → $2,995,000 ($1,681/sf) 2007 → $2,400,000 ($1,347/sf) 2017 → $2,700,000 ($1,515/sf) 2022
21A · 2,510 sf+2%
$4,900,000 ($1,952/sf) 2007 → $4,975,000 ($1,982/sf) 2017
20B · 2,845 sf+0%
$3,995,000 ($1,404/sf) 2002 → $3,995,000 ($1,404/sf) 2016
4D · 2,011 sf-2%
$2,350,000 ($1,169/sf) 2009 → $2,295,000 ($1,141/sf) 2025
15A · 2,068 sf-2%
$3,375,000 ($1,632/sf) 2022 → $3,300,000 ($1,596/sf) 2022
PHB · 2,601 sf-3%
$4,250,000 ($1,634/sf) 2006 → $4,120,000 ($1,584/sf) 2023

Every recorded sale

Sort any column; filter by unit or keyword. Prices are the recorded transfer amount at the NYC Department of Finance.

102 recorded sales
Apartment
Jan 28, 20269C2 BR · 2.5 BA1,681$3,275,000$1,948-6.4%
Jan 27, 20265D2 BR · 2.5 BA1,500$2,390,500$1,594—
Sep 15, 20254D2 BR · 2.5 BA2,011$2,295,000$1,141-4.2%
Sep 4, 202512A2,068$3,200,000$1,547—
Mar 20, 202512B3 BR · 3.5 BA1,886$3,500,000$1,856—
Dec 23, 202416A3 BR · 3.5 BA2,068$3,850,000$1,862-6.7%
Aug 14, 202419A4 BR · 5.5 BA2,530$4,400,000$1,739-7.4%
Apr 2, 202419B5 BR · 4.5 BA2,874$5,350,000$1,862-12.3%
Nov 17, 202323B4 BR · 4.5 BA2,874$6,363,000$2,214-0.5%
Nov 15, 202324B5 BR · 5.5 BA2,874$5,900,000$2,053-4.8%
Nov 7, 20239C2 BR · 2.5 BA1,681$2,250,000$1,338-9.8%
Jul 14, 2023PHB3 BR · 3 BA2,601$4,120,000$1,584—
Jun 30, 202322A4 BR · 4.5 BA2,500$4,500,000$1,800-2.2%
May 2, 202323A5 BR · 4.5 BA2,530$3,850,000$1,522—
Dec 6, 20224C2 BR · 2.5 BA1,513$1,815,000$1,200-27.4%
Nov 28, 20226B3 BR · 3.5 BA2,299$3,850,000$1,675-2.5%
Oct 3, 202215A3 BR · 3.5 BA2,068$3,300,000$1,596-5.6%
Jul 6, 202228B4 BR · 3.5 BA2,845$6,000,000$2,109-7.6%
Jun 1, 202222B2,874$5,000,000$1,740—
May 24, 202230A3 BR · 2.5 BA2,156$4,525,000$2,099—
May 9, 20225E2 BR1,782$2,700,000$1,515-15.6%
Mar 30, 2022PHA2 BR · 2.5 BA2,156$3,590,000$1,665-10.1%
Mar 23, 202215A3 BR · 3.5 BA2,068$3,375,000$1,632—
Dec 22, 202110A3 BR · 3.5 BA2,068$3,800,000$1,838-3.8%
Feb 25, 202131B3 BR · 3.5 BA2,601$4,700,000$1,807—
Dec 29, 202014AB5 BR · 3.5 BA3,732$5,650,000$1,514-13.0%
Dec 21, 202022A5 BR · 4.5 BA2,500$3,650,000$1,460-15.1%
Sep 24, 20207C2 BR · 2.5 BA1,681$2,200,000$1,309—
Feb 25, 202011B3 BR · 2.5 BA1,685$2,850,000$1,691-10.9%
Aug 27, 201918A5 BR · 4.5 BA2,530$4,200,000$1,660-4.5%
Feb 6, 201916A3 BR · 2.5 BA2,068$3,450,000$1,668-13.4%
Sep 25, 201827A3 BR · 3.5 BA2,530$4,800,000$1,897-8.6%
Apr 30, 20187AB4 BR · 4 BA3,732$8,950,000$2,398-5.8%
Apr 12, 201817C2 BR1,681$3,150,000$1,874-7.4%
Jan 5, 20186D2 BR · 2.5 BA1,500$2,450,000$1,633-2.0%
Sep 28, 20175D2 BR1,500$1,925,000$1,283-19.6%
Aug 1, 201723B5 BR · 5.5 BA2,874$5,600,000$1,949-1.8%
Jun 28, 201728B4 BR · 3.5 BA2,874$5,950,000$2,070-4.8%
Jun 27, 201711C1,681$2,950,000$1,755—
Jun 20, 201721B3 BR · 3 BA2,874$6,480,000$2,255+1.6%
Jun 19, 20175A1 BR1,275$1,750,000$1,373-10.3%
Jun 14, 20173B2 BR1,881$2,950,000$1,568-15.7%
Jun 7, 201721A5 BR · 5.5 BA2,510$4,975,000$1,982-21.0%
Jun 1, 201712C2 BR1,459$2,155,000$1,477-24.4%
May 17, 20177C2 BR1,681$2,300,000$1,368-35.2%
Apr 24, 20175E2 BR · 2.5 BA1,782$2,400,000$1,347-22.6%
Jan 3, 201728A5 BR2,500$4,800,000$1,920—
Dec 7, 201620B3 BR2,845$3,995,000$1,404—
Mar 14, 201614C2 BR1,681$3,525,000$2,097-11.3%
Dec 31, 20153B2 BR1,881$3,191,732$1,697-0.1%
Nov 5, 201518B5 BR · 4 BA2,874$6,300,000$2,192-4.2%
May 1, 20156B3 BR · 3.5 BA2,299$3,722,500$1,619—
Oct 16, 201417C2 BR1,681$2,900,000$1,725+9.4%
Jul 23, 20144C2 BR · 2.5 BA1,513$3,150,000$2,082—
Jan 16, 20145B3 BR2,300$3,700,000$1,609-15.9%
Oct 25, 201324B5 BR · 5.5 BA2,874$6,800,000$2,366—
Sep 24, 201326A/Bnon-market transfer (excluded from $/sf & trends)—$9,950,000——
Aug 19, 201311B3 BR1,684$3,195,000$1,897-8.6%
Feb 27, 201310A3 BR · 3 BA2,068$3,305,000$1,598+0.9%
Mar 15, 201214AB5 BR · 3 BA3,732$7,650,000$2,050-3.2%
Feb 9, 201214C2 BR1,681$2,400,000$1,428-5.9%
Jul 29, 20118B3 BR1,664$2,875,000$1,728-2.5%
May 18, 201131A2 BR2,156$3,725,000$1,728-1.8%
May 4, 20113B2 BR1,881$2,197,500$1,168-10.3%
Nov 23, 20105/6C3 BR3,205$3,700,000$1,154-11.8%
Jun 29, 20109A3 BR · 3 BA2,068$3,495,000$1,690—
Apr 30, 201015C1,681$2,200,000$1,309—
Jan 22, 201023A5 BR · 4.5 BA2,530$2,335,192$923—
Dec 8, 20096E2 BR1,782$1,900,000$1,066-17.4%
Dec 2, 20094D2 BR2,011$2,350,000$1,169-1.1%
Nov 1, 20095/6C3 BR3,205$6,850,000$2,137—
May 20, 20087C2 BR · 2 BA1,681$3,100,000$1,844—
Apr 17, 20083A3 BR2,308$4,200,000$1,820-2.2%
Mar 21, 200816B3 BR1,664$2,925,000$1,758-6.8%
Feb 5, 200824A5 BR—$5,600,000—+3.8%
Jan 24, 20089C2 BR1,681$2,625,000$1,562-9.3%
Sep 21, 20074B2 BR1,875$2,650,000$1,413-5.2%
Aug 6, 200718B5 BR2,874$5,400,000$1,879-3.6%
May 11, 200721A5 BR2,510$4,900,000$1,952—
Feb 13, 20075E2 BR1,782$2,995,000$1,681—
Dec 14, 200611A3 BR2,068$3,500,000$1,692-2.8%
Aug 8, 200627B2,874$2,000,000$696—
Jun 29, 200623B5 BR2,874$4,700,000$1,635-4.1%
Jun 22, 200620A4 BR2,530$4,350,000$1,719-3.3%
May 8, 20067AB4 BR3,732$5,500,000$1,474-8.3%
May 3, 2006PHA2 BR · 2 BA2,156$3,425,000$1,589-16.5%
May 2, 2006PHB3 BR · 3 BA2,601$4,250,000$1,634-15.0%
Feb 10, 200628B4 BR · 3 BA2,874$4,750,000$1,653-10.4%
Sep 9, 200511B3 BR1,684$2,950,000$1,752—
Aug 10, 200527A3 BR2,530$4,300,000$1,700-6.5%
Jun 9, 200512B4 BR2,000$2,279,500$1,140-14.0%
Jun 8, 20053B2 BR1,881$1,900,000$1,010-7.3%
May 17, 20055E2 BR1,782$2,650,000$1,487-1.9%
Apr 28, 20059A3 BR · 3 BA2,068$2,891,000$1,398-9.7%
Dec 13, 200421B5 BRnon-market transfer (excluded from $/sf & trends)2,874$1,600,000——
Nov 16, 200430A3 BR · 2.5 BA2,156$3,250,000$1,507—
Nov 8, 20043A3 BR2,308$2,495,000$1,081—
Aug 19, 200410A3 BR2,068$2,750,000$1,330-8.2%
Aug 11, 200430B3 BR · 3 BA2,601$4,550,000$1,749-13.3%
May 20, 20044C2 BR · 2 BA1,513$1,695,000$1,120—
May 23, 200220B3 BR · 5 BA2,845$3,995,000$1,404—
Apr 19, 20029C2 BR · 2 BAnon-market transfer (excluded from $/sf & trends)1,681$1,400,000——

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. Storage, parking, and commercial units are excluded from all figures. Floor- and line-level $/sf are time-controlled (each sale measured against the building’s going rate at the time of sale) and expressed at today’s pricing, so they isolate the floor or line premium rather than blend two decades of market movement.

Buying or selling at The Empire Condominium?

Put this data to work.

Buying here

Know what’s fair before you offer — we’ll show you where each line trades, the building’s discount-to-ask pattern, and where the value sits right now.

Selling here

Price to the building’s real trajectory, not a guess — we’ll position your line against its true comps to maximize the outcome.

Schedule a consultation →
Corey Cohen, Principal · The Roebling Team at Compass
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com