201 West 72nd Street (The Alexandria)
201 West 72nd Street, New York, NY 10023
- Year built
- 1990
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 202
- Floors
- 25
- Landmark
- No
- Amenities
- 24-hour doorman and concierge, live-in superintendent, health club with swimming pool (saltwater per recent listing records), whirlpool, sauna, and steam room, roof sun deck, landscaped garden, laundry rooms on every floor, private storage, bike room
- Pets
- Pet-friendly per brokerage records
- Financing
- Up to 90 percent per brokerage records
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,885
- Listing discount
- 3.3%
- Recorded sales
- 178
- On record
- 2003–2026
The Alexandria is the building that proved a new Upper West Side tower could have a personality. Completed in 1991 at the northwest corner of Broadway and 72nd Street — the busiest crossroads of the West Side, with the express subway station and Verdi Square at its feet — Frank Williams's design went against the politely contextual grain of its era: angled turret bays, stepped setbacks, indented balconies, a facade in reds, whites, and greens, and an octagonal water-tank enclosure in Egyptian dress that remains one of the corridor's most recognizable skyline ornaments. The authors of New York 2000 — the standard architectural history of the period — called it "the most flamboyant of Broadway's new generation of apartment houses," and architectural records have treated it as a deliberate companion to the Ansonia, the Beaux-Arts landmark one block north.
The development story is documented in the offering plan on file in The Roebling Research Library: sponsor Broadway/72nd Associates brought the plan effective in March 1990, offering 202 residential units, 37 storage units, and a single commercial unit for a combined residential-and-storage price of $93,513,893, with a counsel's 421-a tax-exemption opinion attached. The principals — William Zeckendorf Jr., Peter L. Malkin, and Arthur G. Cohen — built on the site of the 1938 Embassy movie theater (itself successor to the 1893 Hotel St. Andrew); architectural histories record that Zeckendorf originally planned a five-screen theater expansion and pivoted to the tower when the full blockfront assemblage failed. The first amendment on file adds a period detail worth knowing: the sponsor leased the entire commercial unit for roughly 20 years to the U.S. operation of HMV, whose record superstore made this corner a 1990s retail landmark.
For buyers, the structural proposition is condominium flexibility in the heart of the 72nd Street corridor at established-building pricing. The policy framework is among the friendlier on the avenue — pieds-à-terre and sublets permitted, financing to 90 percent and no transfer fee per brokerage records — and the amenity program (pool, health club, roof deck, garden) covers what most of the corridor's pre-war co-ops cannot offer. The location math is unmatched in the corridor: the 1/2/3 express stop is across the street, and the building sits in the middle of the West Side's densest retail and restaurant stretch.
Architecture and unit composition
The tower's massing does real work for the apartments: the setbacks generate terraces and balconies through the mid and upper floors — some lines carry 40-plus-foot wraps — and the angled turret bays produce corner light in a high share of units. The 202 original residences run from studios and one-bedrooms through three-bedroom lines and a crown of penthouses with large terraces; layouts are generously proportioned for the vintage, with entrance galleries in the larger lines and tall ceilings noted in architectural records. South- and east-facing units read down Broadway and over Verdi Square; upper floors clear the surrounding mid-rise fabric in most directions, with the Ansonia framing views to the north.
Condition spread is meaningful: original 1991 finishes and full renovations trade in the same lines, and outdoor space — the building's distinctive asset — drives the premium structure more than floor height alone.
Building operations
Full-service condominium: 24-hour doorman and concierge, live-in superintendent, and an amenity program centered on the health club with swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, and steam room, plus the roof sun deck and landscaped garden. Laundry rooms on every floor are an unusual original specification that still distinguishes the building; in-unit washer/dryers appear in renovated units. The commercial base contributes to the condominium's economics, as structured in the offering plan and first amendment on file. The offering plan and its amendments are in The Roebling Research Library and available to clients during diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $210,693/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $87
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The facade passed its last inspection with no required repairs — nothing to budget for here, and no facade assessment on the horizon for roughly five years.
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 closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2026 | 8C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,070 sf | $2,080,000 | $1,944/sf | -3.3% |
| Apr 14, 2026 | 20B | 1,177 sf | $2,200,000 | $1,869/sf | off-mkt |
| Jan 6, 2026 | 15D | 2 BR · 1,061 sf | $2,050,000 | $1,932/sf | off-mkt |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 5A | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,656 sf | $2,985,000 | $1,803/sf | -9.5% |
| Oct 23, 2025 | 9G | 1 BR · 1 BA · 723 sf | $850,000 | $1,176/sf | +6.4% |
| Aug 4, 2025 | 10F | 1 BR · 1 BA · 649 sf | $930,000 | $1,433/sf | -6.0% |
| Jul 24, 2025 | 3I | 1 BA · 525 sf | $725,000 | $1,381/sf | +3.7% |
| May 21, 2025 | 10O | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 913 sf | $1,490,000 | $1,632/sf | -3.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,885/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 3.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2022 | 11G | $995,000 |
| Dec 10, 2009 | PH1B | $985,000 |
| Apr 2, 2008 | 6F | $870,000 |
| Aug 20, 2007 | 10B | $900,000 |
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 1-01164-7501) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
The policy framework is the structural advantage. Pieds-à-terre, sublets, financing to 90 percent, no transfer fee per brokerage records — a materially wider set of possibilities than the surrounding pre-war co-op stock, in the same corridor. Confirm specifics against the by-laws and the managing agent at offer stage.
Buy the outdoor space if you can. The setback architecture created terrace lines that are scarce in the corridor and hold value through cycles. A terraced unit here competes with buildings charging far more per foot for the same amenity.
The corner is lively — price your tolerance honestly. Broadway and 72nd is the West Side at full volume: express trains, retail, and foot traffic at all hours. Higher floors and west- and north-facing lines buy quiet; spend an evening at the corner before contract.
Underwrite the 1991 systems. The building is past its 30-year mark; your attorney should review current financials, the capital plan, and any assessment history. The 421-a benefits documented in the offering plan expired long ago — current taxes are fully phased in, so the carrying-cost picture is stable and knowable. Run the True Monthly Carrying Cost Calculator on the specific unit.
City data quirks are cosmetic. The 1938 year-built figure in one city feed belongs to the Embassy theater that preceded the tower, and floor-count records differ across the setbacks. Neither affects title; both are worth knowing so they don't surprise you in diligence documents.
What to know if you’re selling
Market the building's personality. Frank Williams, the New York 2000 "most flamboyant" credential, the Egyptian crown, the Ansonia pairing — this is one of the few post-1980 West Side buildings with a real architectural identity, and the corridor's buyer pool responds to it. Use it with precision.
Lead with the condo mechanics. Against the corridor's co-op-dominated inventory, the no-board-interview, high-financing, pied-à-terre-friendly framework is the headline for a meaningful share of buyers. Say it plainly in the marketing.
Anchor to line-specific history. The spread between terraced and interior lines, and between original and renovated condition, makes building-average pricing misleading. Same-line comparables are the right anchor; we maintain them in the Research Library.
Mind the mansion-tax thresholds. Much of the building's larger inventory trades near the $1 million and $2 million cliffs. Run the Mansion Tax Calculator at the intended ask and understand how thresholds shape buyer offers.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 201 West 72nd Street, also evaluate:
- The Ansonia — the Beaux-Arts condominium landmark one block north; the building The Alexandria was designed to converse with
- The Dorilton — the flamboyant 1902 co-op across the intersection; the pre-war counterpart in spirit
- 15 West 72nd Street — post-war co-op alternative toward Central Park
- 340 West 72nd Street (The Chatsworth) — pre-war condominium conversion at the river end of 72nd Street
- 200 Amsterdam Avenue — the corridor's new-development benchmark
- The Copley (2000 Broadway) and The Boulevard (2373 Broadway) — the closest contemporaries from the same Broadway condo generation
- One West End — the modern full-amenity condo alternative south of the corridor
The Roebling Team at The Alexandria
The Roebling Team at Compass works the Upper West Side and the Broadway corridor as a core practice area. We publish this building profile because Alexandria buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — offering-plan documentation, policy framework, and corridor-level comparables — not generic neighborhood commentary.
If you're considering a transaction at 201 West 72nd Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
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