219 West 81st Street (The Avonova)
219 West 81st Street, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1012297502 · BIN 1032680
- Year built
- 1912
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 114
- Floors
- 12
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pet-friendly (cats and dogs permitted)
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium bylaws, with board approval
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2008–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf (floor-adjusted)
- $1,641
- Listing discount
- 4.6%
- Recorded sales
- 129
- On record
- 2008–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Avonova 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.
The Avonova is a case study in how the Upper West Side's finest prewar bones can be re-engineered for modern condominium living. The building was designed by Gaetano Ajello and completed in 1912 — a Renaissance Revival apartment house from the golden era of West Side prewar construction, with a rusticated limestone base, a tan-brick body, and classical ornament that includes sculpted detail above the fifth-floor line. Ajello's West Side buildings are prized for exactly this: generous proportions, high ceilings, and a masonry presence at the street that later construction rarely matches.
In 2008 the building was converted to condominium ownership, with Gruzen Samton overseeing a comprehensive gut renovation — façade restoration, new windows, and new building systems including plumbing, mechanicals, and elevators. The result is a building that reads as prewar from the sidewalk and from the moldings, ceiling heights, and hardwood floors inside, but carries the systems, amenity program, and ownership flexibility buyers expect from a modern condominium. Many apartments were fitted with in-unit washer/dryers and updated kitchens and baths in the conversion.
The amenity package is unusually complete for a converted prewar building of this size: a full-time doorman and live-in superintendent, a fitness center with a yoga room, a landscaped and furnished roof deck, a children's playroom, a club room with a catering kitchen, and practical infrastructure — bike storage, private storage, and a package room with cold storage. There is no on-site parking garage, which is typical for a mid-block prewar conversion on this stretch.
The location is core Upper West Side. Mid-block on West 81st between Broadway and Amsterdam, the Avonova sits in the neighborhood's Broadway / Amsterdam residential corridor — the dense, walkable, retail-and-dining section of the neighborhood, a short walk from Central Park to the east and Riverside Park to the west, and steps from the 81st Street subway and the American Museum of Natural History.
For buyers, the Avonova offers prewar character and a strong amenity base with condominium flexibility, in a central UWS position — an alternative to both the trophy Central Park West cooperative tier and to ground-up new-construction condominiums.
Architecture and unit composition
Ajello's 1912 design gives the building its prewar identity: a rusticated limestone base, a tan-brick body, and Renaissance Revival ornament including sculpted figures above the fifth-floor windows. The massing rises about twelve residential floors above a ground-floor commercial level.
The residences run from studios through large combined homes of four to six bedrooms, reflecting the flexibility of the prewar floor plate. Prewar character is consistent throughout — ceiling heights commonly in the nine-and-a-half- to ten-foot range, crown moldings, and hardwood floors — paired with the renovated kitchens and baths of the 2008 conversion. Many apartments include in-unit washer/dryers, and some carry private terrace space.
Building operations
The Avonova operates as a full-service condominium with a full-time doorman, a live-in resident superintendent, and elevators, supported by a lower-level amenity center housing the fitness and club spaces. The condominium structure gives owners the flexibility that defines condo ownership — straightforward financing, investor and pied-à-terre use, and lighter approval than a cooperative.
As with any converted prewar building, buyers should confirm the current common-charge and tax picture, review the reserve position and any assessments, and check recent capital work during due diligence. Confirm the current sublet and pet rules with management at offer stage.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $9,501/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $7
- Modeled exposure split equally across 114 units (the city tax-lot count). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair, with repairs due by the deadline stated in the filing. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
Recent sales
Recent closings at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9, 2026 | 12CF | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,858 sf | $3,100,000 | $1,668/sf | -3.1% |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 9B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,518 sf | $2,047,500 | $1,349/sf | -2.5% |
| Dec 10, 2025 | 4C | 1 BR · 1 BA · 554 sf | $675,000 | $1,218/sf | -1.5% |
| Nov 7, 2025 | 6A | 4 BR · 3 BA · 2,117 sf | $3,500,000 | $1,653/sf | -7.9% |
| May 14, 2025 | 6H | 1 BR · 1 BA · 849 sf | $920,826 | $1,085/sf | -14.3% |
| Apr 17, 2025 | 10A | 4 BR · 3 BA · 2,117 sf | $2,724,637 | $1,287/sf | -8.4% |
| Mar 21, 2024 | 7E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,271 sf | $1,800,000 | $1,416/sf | +0.0% |
| Sep 28, 2023 | 11G | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,006 sf | $1,300,000 | $1,292/sf | -17.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,641/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. Median listing discount 4.6% 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.
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 1-01229-7502). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. 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.
Closed rents at The Avonova, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 2 | $4,075 |
| 2 bedroom | 5 | $7,550 |
| 3 bedroom | 3 | $11,000 |
10 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease July 2026. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
At the recent median sale of $2.72M (6 sales since 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $111,014 to close, or 4.1% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $34,058
- Mortgage recording tax: $39,337
- Title insurance: $12,261
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $25,359
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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What to know if you’re buying
Condo flexibility is real. Straightforward financing, foreign-buyer friendly, pied-à-terre and investment use permitted, and subletting allowed with board approval under the bylaws. Confirm current sublet terms with management.
You're buying prewar bones with modern systems. The appeal is Ajello's 1912 architecture and proportions delivered with the 2008 gut renovation's new systems and amenity base. Prioritize ceiling height, light, exposure, and finish.
The amenity base is a differentiator. For a converted prewar building of this size, the fitness center, roof deck, playroom, and club room are a meaningful package. Note there is no on-site garage.
Underwrite the conversion. Review common charges, taxes, reserves, and any assessments, and confirm the scope and timing of the conversion's capital work.
Central UWS walkability is the point. Mid-block Broadway / Amsterdam positioning puts the full neighborhood amenity base, the subway, and both parks within a short walk.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with prewar character plus condo flexibility. The Ajello architecture, the renovated systems, and the amenity base are the story — alongside the ease of condominium ownership.
Price at the apartment level. Floor, exposure, ceiling height, outdoor space, and condition drive value more than any building average. Comparable analysis should be apartment-specific.
Position against renovated prewar UWS condominiums. The right comparables are central UWS prewar condominium conversions and full-service prewar product, not new-construction towers.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 219 West 81st Street, also evaluate:
- 11 West 81st Street — prewar Central Park West-adjacent cooperative in the West 80s
- 15 West 81st Street — prewar West 81st cooperative near Central Park West
- 101 West 81st Street (The Endicott) — Romanesque Revival prewar cooperative on Amsterdam, one block over
- 200 Amsterdam Avenue — modern new-construction UWS condominium tower
- 215 West 84th Street (The Henry) — RAMSA-designed new-construction UWS condominium
- The Beresford (211 Central Park West) — trophy Emery Roth prewar cooperative two blocks east
More Upper West Side buildings
- 216 West 76th Street (The Laureate) — 2009 condominium by SLCE Architects
- 218 West 103rd Street (The Rockwell) — 2023 condominium by Hill West Architects
- 219 West 77th Street (221 West 77th Street) — 2017 condominium by Thomas Juul-Hansen
- 220 Riverside Boulevard — 2003 condominium
- 220 West 93rd Street — 1926 condominium by Jacob M. Felson
- Towers on the Park, 220 Manhattan Avenue — 1989
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
Considering a move at The Avonova?
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