20 East 68th Street
20 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1013827501 · BIN 1041237
- Year built
- 1955
- Type
- Condop
- Units
- 83
- Pets
- Dogs and cats permitted for owners; renters may keep cats only (verify current policy at offer stage)
- Subletting
- Unlimited
- Financing
- Up to approximately 90% permitted
- Flip tax
- 2% (paid by the buyer)
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $2.1M
- Recent range
- $790K – $2.5M
- Listing discount
- 7.5%
- Recorded transfers
- 103
20 East 68th Street is a condop — legally a cooperative (Rockwood Owners Corp.) operated under condominium-style rules — on one of the Upper East Side's most prestigious blocks, 68th Street between Fifth and Madison, a short walk from Central Park and the Frick Collection. That combination is unusual and valuable: a prime Lenox Hill address, a distinguished Boak & Raad postwar building within the Upper East Side Historic District, and the operational flexibility of a condop rather than the gatekeeping of a traditional cooperative.
The condop structure is the building's defining transactional feature. There is no board approval and no board interview; subletting is unlimited; financing is permitted up to approximately 90%; and pied-à-terre, corporate, investor, and parents-buying-for-children purchases are all accommodated. For buyers who want a Fifth-to-Madison location and a historic-district building without surviving a traditional co-op board, that flexibility is the entire proposition. The tradeoff — the reason this inventory trades at a discount to the block's trophy cooperatives and condominiums — is precisely the cooperative-share structure, which some buyers weigh against the flexibility.
The building sits within the Upper East Side Historic District, which means the exterior is regulated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission — a 2019 window-replacement plan, for example, was reviewed and approved with modifications. The historic-district status is part of what preserves the block's character. Like a cooperative, the building prices in rooms rather than square feet.
Building operations
20 East 68th Street operates with a full-time doorman, a live-in super, two elevators, a bike room, basement storage, and a laundry. There is no garage, gym, roof deck, or pool — this is a service-and-location building rather than an amenity tower.
The condop structure is the operative distinction. Unlike a traditional cooperative, the building requires no board approval and conducts no board interview; subletting is unlimited; financing is permitted up to approximately 90%; and pied-à-terre, corporate, investor, and parents-for-children purchases are welcome. A 2% flip tax applies, paid by the buyer. Pet permissions differ by resident type — dogs and cats for owners, cats only for renters. Specific current policies should be confirmed against building materials during due diligence. Our Co-op vs Condo guide covers the ownership-structure framing, and the condop sits between the two.
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of purchase price (buyer)
- Sublet policy
- Sublet app $750 (shareholder) + $500 subtenant; move-in/out $500 each
- Notable fees
- Managing agent transfer fee $1,000; financing fee $400; move-in/out $500 + $1,000 deposit
Recent sales
20 East 68th trades at a discount to the block's trophy cooperatives and condominiums — a discount that reflects the cooperative-share structure — while its condop flexibility supports a broader buyer pool than a traditional co-op. Investors, international buyers, pied-à-terre purchasers, and parents buying for children all transact here without the board gatekeeping that limits demand at neighboring co-ops, and the roughly 90% financing further widens the pool. As with any building priced by room, pricing should be read at the apartment level; room count, floor, exposure, and condition drive the variation.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2025 | 12D | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,100,000 | -2.1% | |
| Feb 6, 2025 | 14E | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,500,000 | -5.7% | |
| Dec 17, 2024 | 16B | 3 BR · 2 BA | $2,400,000 | -7.5% | |
| Oct 14, 2024 | 7C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,500 sf | $2,300,000 | $1,533/sf | -12.4% |
| May 30, 2024 | 14A | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,000 sf | $1,280,000 | $1,280/sf | -6.2% |
| Mar 7, 2024 | 9E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 1,050 sf | $1,315,000 | $1,252/sf | -13.8% |
| Mar 23, 2023 | 6F | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,450 sf | $1,800,000 | $1,241/sf | -10.0% |
| May 26, 2022 | 5C | 2 BR · 1,500 sf | $2,410,000 | $1,607/sf | +9.6% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2024): a median $1,252/sf across 3 sales. The building has traded as recently as 2025. Median listing discount 3.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2025 | 3F | $1,767,500 |
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 1-01382-7501) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
This is a condop — cooperative form, condominium flexibility. You buy shares, not a deeded unit, so it prices by room. But there is no board approval, no interview, unlimited subletting, and financing up to roughly 90%. For buyers who want a Fifth-to-Madison address without co-op gatekeeping, that is the point.
The location and the building are prime. The Fifth-to-Madison block, the Boak & Raad architecture, and the Upper East Side Historic District status are genuine quality markers — the discount here is structural (the share form), not locational.
A 2% flip tax applies at purchase, paid by the buyer. This is the reverse of the more common seller-paid flip tax; factor it into your acquisition math.
The building is in a historic district. Exterior alterations are subject to Landmarks Preservation Commission review, which preserves the block's character but constrains facade changes.
Confirm current policies directly. Pet permissions (which differ for owners and renters), sublet mechanics, and financing terms should be confirmed against current materials during due diligence.
What to know if you’re selling
Foreground the condop flexibility and the address. The no-approval, unlimited-sublet, high-financing framework combined with a Fifth-to-Madison historic-district building is a distinctive selling proposition — it reaches investors, international buyers, and pied-à-terre purchasers that co-ops turn away.
Pricing requires apartment-level comparable analysis. Recent comparables on the specific line, room count, floor, and exposure should anchor the approach.
The buyer pool is broader than a co-op's. Position the flexibility and the roughly 90% financing to reach the widest qualified pool.
Closing timelines are faster than a co-op's. With no board approval, timelines run closer to a condominium than to a traditional cooperative.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 20 East 68th Street, also evaluate:
- 11 East 68th Street — adjacent 68th Street building
- 130 East 63rd Street — nearby Lenox Hill condop with comparable flexibility
- 45 East 66th Street — nearby Lenox Hill cooperative
- 1 East 66th Street — nearby Lenox Hill building
- 4 East 66th Street — nearby 66th Street cooperative
- 137 East 66th Street — nearby 66th Street building
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 20 East 68th 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 20 East 68th 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.