- Year built
- 1941
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 198
- Floors
- 15
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pets permitted, up to 35 lbs
- Subletting
- Subject to board approval and co-op sublet rules (confirm at offer stage)
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
220 Madison Avenue — The John Murray House — is a solid, full-block prewar cooperative in one of Murray Hill's most enviable positions: directly across Madison Avenue from the Morgan Library & Museum. Completed around 1941 to a design by Kenneth B. Norton, the building occupies the entire Madison Avenue blockfront between 36th and 37th Streets, giving it the presence and the scale of a major prewar address.
The building's name honors John Murray, the colonial-era merchant whose farm gave the neighborhood its name — a fitting anchor for a building that sits at the historic heart of Murray Hill. Its architecture is restrained prewar classicism: red brick, white-stone pilasters on the lower floors, stringcourses, and setback terraces on the upper levels. It reads as a dignified, established residential building rather than a flashy one.
What distinguishes the John Murray House for buyers is its range. Built as a rental and converted to a cooperative in the 1980s, it offers an unusually broad spread of apartments — from compact studios and one-bedrooms to larger terraced combinations on the upper floors. That range makes it one of the more accessible white-glove co-ops in the neighborhood, with an entry point well below the corridor's trophy addresses.
Architecture and unit composition
The John Murray House is a 15-story prewar building executed in restrained classical style. The red-brick facade, white-stone pilasters on the lower three floors, and multiple stringcourses give the building its formal character, while the setback terraces on the upper floors add coveted private outdoor space to a subset of units. The full-block footprint produces a large floor plate and a wide variety of layouts and exposures.
With roughly 198 residential units, the building is large, and its inventory spans the full range — studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and larger combined or terraced units on the upper floors. That breadth is the building's defining feature: it serves a wide spectrum of buyers within a single white-glove address, and it means the value map is driven by floor, exposure, terrace access, and combination potential.
Building operations
220 Madison Avenue operates as a full-service cooperative with a doorman, elevators, an on-site parking garage, and a roof deck. As a co-op, purchases are subject to board approval, and the building's financial requirements, sublet policy, pied-à-terre policy, and pet rules are governed by the board and house rules.
Co-op carrying costs are expressed as monthly maintenance, which bundles operating expenses and the shareholder's portion of any underlying mortgage and property taxes. Maintenance levels, financing requirements, flip-tax provisions, and board approval standards are building-specific and should be confirmed at offer stage. The Roebling Research Library can provide current house rules, recent financial statements, and board materials during due diligence.
What to know if you’re buying
The range is the opportunity. This building offers white-glove co-op living at an unusually wide spread of price points; identify which sub-market your target unit sits in.
Terraces and upper floors carry premiums. Setback terraces and higher exposures are the value drivers at the top of the building.
Plan for the board. Purchases require board approval and meeting the building's financial standards; build that into your timeline and package.
Price on rooms. Co-op valuation runs on room count, exposure, and condition. Confirm the building's maintenance, financing, and sublet rules at offer stage.
Model the full carry. Monthly maintenance plus any financing. Run any purchase near a mansion-tax threshold through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Position against the right sub-market. A studio and a terraced upper-floor combination compete in entirely different pools; price and market each to its own buyer.
Foreground the location. Directly opposite the Morgan Library, at the historic center of Murray Hill — the address is a genuine asset.
Prepare the buyer for the board. Co-op sales hinge on a qualified buyer who can clear the board.
Co-op timelines are longer than condo. Board approval extends the closing process; set expectations accordingly.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 220 Madison Avenue, also evaluate:
- 105 Fifth Avenue — prewar Flatiron cooperative
- 108 Fifth Avenue — prewar Flatiron building with classical character
- 34 Gramercy Park East — historic Gramercy cooperative
- 50 Gramercy Park North — full-service condominium near Gramercy Park
- 120 Central Park South — prewar cooperative on Central Park South
The Roebling Team at The John Murray House
The Roebling Team at Compass works across the Murray Hill, Midtown, and Flatiron markets, and we publish this profile because prewar co-op buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — the rooms-based value map across a wide inventory, the co-op approval reality, and the transactional mechanics — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 220 Madison Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring the full context this page provides plus the specifics your situation requires — comparable analysis at the apartment level, board-package strategy, due diligence priorities, and a pacing strategy that fits your timeline.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Flatiron — read The Roebling Team Guide to Flatiron.
Get the full picture on this building.
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