- 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, 2008–2025
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,296
- Listing discount
- 6.0%
- Recorded sales
- 124
- On record
- 2008–2025
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | $920,827 | $1,085/sf | -14.3% |
| Apr 17, 2025 | 10A | 4 BR · 3 BA · 2,117 sf | $2,724,638 | $1,287/sf | -8.4% |
| Mar 21, 2024 | 7E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,271 sf | $1,800,000 | $1,416/sf | off-mkt |
| Sep 28, 2023 | 11G | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,006 sf | $1,300,000 | $1,292/sf | -17.5% |
| Jun 8, 2023 | 9H | 1 BR · 1 BA · 859 sf | $1,075,000 | $1,251/sf | -10.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,296/sf across 5 sales. Median listing discount 6.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2010 | 8C | $693,000 |
| Aug 20, 2008 | 8C | $661,750 |
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) 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
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
The Roebling Team at The Avonova
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market — including the central Upper West Side condominium tier. We publish this building profile because condominium buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, building operations, and apartment-level pricing — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 219 West 81st Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring the full context this page provides plus the transactional specifics your situation requires — financial structuring, due diligence priorities, comparable analysis at the apartment level, and pacing that fits your timeline.
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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