- Year built
- 1925
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- Designated
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $1.9M
- Recent range
- $1.1M – $4.3M
- Listing discount
- 4.0%
- Recorded transfers
- 35
20 West 77th Street has one of the great front-yard views on the Upper West Side: it faces the American Museum of Natural History and Theodore Roosevelt Park directly, with Central Park a half-block east. On a block defined by that institution, the building looks onto protected green and museum architecture that will not be built up — a permanence of outlook that is among the most valuable things a West Side apartment can offer.
Designed by George F. Pelham — one of the most prolific apartment-house architects of early-20th-century Manhattan — and completed in the mid-1920s, it is a neo-Renaissance building of brick and brownstone on a steel frame, fifteen stories of dignified, well-proportioned pre-war architecture. Inside, the planning is the draw: just two apartments per floor, reached by semi-private landings, so that residences live with the privacy and cross-light of a near-full-floor home.
Converted to cooperative ownership in 1969 — early in the conversion era — it has the settled, owner-occupied character of a long-established co-op, within the protections of the Upper West Side / Central Park West Historic District.
Architecture and unit composition
Pelham gave the building a neo-Renaissance face — brick above a brownstone base, with the classical detailing and measured proportions of the 1920s — and a steel-frame structure that allowed its fifteen-story height on a narrow lot. It is a contributing building in the historic district, sitting comfortably among the museum-block and Central Park West pre-war stock.
The two-apartments-per-floor plan is the building's defining feature. Each residence enjoys generous exposure and the privacy of a semi-private landing, and the homes carry the pre-war hallmarks buyers seek: high ceilings, hardwood floors, and period detail. The upper floors command the museum, park, and skyline views that the building's siting affords. Across 31 apartments the mix runs to substantial layouts shaped by that low-density floor plate.
Building operations
20 West 77th Street is a well-run pre-war cooperative with a part-time doorman and a live-in superintendent. The amenity set is strong for a boutique building: a landscaped roof deck with Central Park and skyline views, bicycle storage, individual storage bins, and a laundry room. The low unit count and resident superintendent produce attentive, personal management.
On policy, purchases proceed through a standard co-op board application and interview, with the financial review typical of an established pre-war cooperative. Buyers should prepare a complete board package and confirm current financing, pet, and sublet parameters with the managing agent as part of their application.
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
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into 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
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 8, 2026 | 11A | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,900 sf | $2,975,000 | $1,566/sf | +0.8% |
| Dec 18, 2025 | 15A | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,900,000 | -17.0% | |
| Apr 25, 2024 | 11B | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,880,000 | -0.8% | |
| May 30, 2023 | 3A | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,637,500 | -18.8% | |
| May 2, 2023 | 13B | 2 BR · 1 BA | $1,560,000 | -4.0% | |
| Apr 30, 2021 | 3B | 2 BR · 1 BA | $1,445,000 | -9.4% | |
| Sep 11, 2019 | 5A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,900,000 | -9.2% | |
| Jan 14, 2019 | 6A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $3,825,000 | -16.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $950/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 4.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 2025 | 7A | $2,950,000 |
| Aug 29, 2023 | 6A | $4,275,000 |
| May 25, 2023 | 5B | $1,125,000 |
| Oct 12, 2021 | 6B | $1,495,000 |
| May 6, 2021 | 7B | $1,500,000 |
| Apr 23, 2008 | 10A | $3,500,000 |
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 1-01129-0045) 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 view and the floor plan are the assets. A museum- and park-facing home on a low-density floor plate is a specific, scarce product — confirm the exact exposure and floor, since the difference between a high-floor museum-and-park outlook and a lower or rear exposure is the difference that drives price here. Value the two-per-floor privacy and the cross-light it delivers.
Expect a standard board process: a full package, an interview, and financials that meet the co-op's requirements. Underwrite the maintenance — which funds the staff, roof deck, and shared spaces — alongside the price. For a buyer who wants pre-war proportions and a permanent green-and-museum outlook within the historic district, the building is a strong fit.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the outlook and the architecture. "Facing the Museum of Natural History and Roosevelt Park, a half-block from Central Park, in a George F. Pelham neo-Renaissance co-op" is among the most compelling descriptions a museum-block listing can carry, and the two-per-floor layout and roof-deck views reinforce it. Photograph the exposure and the light from the upper floors.
Scarcity favors the seller: the building's tiny unit count and protected views keep qualified buyers competing for limited inventory. Price to the specific home — floor, exposure, layout, and condition — rather than to a neighborhood average, since the upper-floor museum-and-park homes command a meaningful premium. Prepare the board package early so the application clears cleanly.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 20 West 77th Street, these nearby Upper West Side cooperatives belong on the same shortlist:
- 40 West 77th Street — museum-block cooperative on the same street
- 15 West 81st Street — pre-war co-op near the museum
- 15 West 72nd Street — full-service pre-war cooperative off Central Park West
- 17 West 71st Street — boutique pre-war co-op near the park
- 155 West 68th Street — Upper West Side cooperative near Lincoln Center
The Roebling Team at 20 West 77th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the museum and Central Park West blocks and the broader pre-war Upper West Side cooperative market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers deserve building-level intelligence — here, that means understanding which lines hold the protected museum-and-park views, how the low-density floor plan lives, and how to price a museum-facing home.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 20 West 77th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.