21 East 87th Street / 22 East 88th Street
21 East 87th Street / 22 East 88th Street, New York, NY 10128
- Year built
- 1927
- Flip tax
- 2%
21 East 87th Street is one of Emery Roth's most beloved Carnegie Hill commissions — a 1927 full-Madison-Avenue-block-front cooperative with entrances on both side streets and "a magnificent lobby with an elegant rotunda on each side." The 1953 cooperative conversion places the building among the earliest cooperative conversions in New York City.
The structural identity rests on three features. First, the Roth architectural pedigree — Roth's Carnegie Hill body of work includes the trophy buildings at 1125 Fifth (one apartment per floor) and 75 East 96th, placing 21 East 87th in a specific architect-defined Carnegie Hill cohort. Second, the 65% financing and 2% flip tax — among the more accommodating policy frameworks among peer Carnegie Hill prewar cooperatives. Third, the full-block-front configuration with dual side-street entrances — operational scale uncommon among peer cross-street prewars.
Recent sales
Active 2026 pipeline:
- Unit 6B — $5,995,000 (Brown Harris Stevens)
- Unit 2AB — $8,500,000
- Unit 10D — $4,495,000 (Raveis)
- Unit 11A — $2,295,000
Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers for full transactional context.
What to know if you’re buying
The Emery Roth architectural pedigree is real institutional context. Roth's broader Carnegie Hill body of work — 1125 Fifth and elsewhere — connects 21 East 87th to a substantial pre-war luxury residential tradition.
The full Madison Avenue block-front configuration with dual side-street entrances is structurally distinguishing. Operational scale uncommon for cross-street buildings.
The 65% financing maximum is meaningfully more accommodating than peer Carnegie Hill prewars. Plan accordingly.
The 1953 cooperative conversion is among NYC's earliest. Long ownership cycle supports operational depth.
The renovated gym, bike room, and per-unit private storage cage anchor the amenity layer.
Apartment configurations vary materially across the 72-unit inventory. Verify line-specific configuration during walkthrough.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard. Plan for 6 to 10 weeks from contract through board approval to closing.
Comparable buildings
- 14 East 90th Street — Carpenter 1928; nearby Carnegie Hill peer
- 19 East 88th Street — Dowling 1937 Art Deco; same-block Carnegie Hill peer
- 12 East 87th Street (The Capitol) — Blum & Blum 1910-12; same-block Carnegie Hill peer
- 17 East 89th Street — Ajello 1924; nearby Carnegie Hill peer
- 1125 Fifth Avenue — Roth 1925; same-architect Carnegie Hill peer
The Roebling Team at 21 East 87th Street / 22 East 88th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. If you're considering a purchase or sale at 21 East 87th, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Corey Cohen · The Roebling Team at Compass 646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com
Sources: CityRealty building page; Corcoran building page; Brown Harris Stevens listings; Robb Report listing feature; NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Carnegie Hill Historic District Designation Report (LP-0834, 1974 / LP-1834, 1993); NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.