- Year built
- 1920
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 20
- Floors
- 5
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pet-friendly — confirm current house rules at offer stage
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,092
- Listing discount
- 3.9%
- Recorded sales
- 11
- On record
- 2004–2026
237 East 88th Street is a small pre-war condominium in the heart of Yorkville, mid-block between Second and Third Avenues. Built around 1920, it is a five-story building with roughly 20 residences. This is a walk-up building — there is no elevator — which is the single most important fact for a buyer to weigh, and it is priced accordingly.
The proposition here is entry-level ownership on the Upper East Side. The building offers deeded condominium ownership — investor-friendly, with units that may be rented — near the Q at the Second Avenue subway at 86th Street and Carl Schurz Park. For the buyer who wants an accessible price point on the Upper East Side and does not need an elevator or a doorman, or for an investor looking for a rentable unit, the building is a straightforward, cost-efficient choice.
Building operations
The condominium runs lean: a live-in superintendent, a video intercom, and a basement laundry room. There is no doorman, no elevator, and no garage — appropriate and cost-efficient for a small pre-war walk-up, and central to the building's low carrying costs. The building is pet-friendly and investor-friendly, and units may be rented.
As a condominium, ownership is by deed rather than shares: purchases are subject to condominium application and a right of first refusal rather than a co-op board interview, financing is flexible, and — importantly for this building — units may be rented, making it a genuinely investor-friendly address. Confirm the current pet policy, rental rules, and common charges at offer stage.
Recent sales
Condominium pricing is read on a price-per-square-foot basis, and 237 East 88th trades as an entry-level Upper East Side condominium — a modest $/sf reflecting the walk-up structure, the small units, and the boutique pre-war scale. Recent one-bedroom trades have landed in the low-to-mid $400,000s. With roughly 20 units and small layouts, resale volume is thin. When underwriting a purchase or a list price, capture the floor (walk-up flights matter to buyers), the exposure, the layout, and renovation condition rather than relying on a neighborhood average. Genuinely variable financial figures should be confirmed at offer stage.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | 101 | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 1,475 sf | $1,610,000 | $1,092/sf | -10.3% |
| Jun 2, 2025 | 301 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 500 sf | $550,000 | $1,100/sf | -4.3% |
| Feb 13, 2025 | 201 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 500 sf | $550,000 | $1,100/sf | off-mkt |
| Aug 17, 2023 | 401 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 347 sf | $515,000 | $1,484/sf | -1.9% |
| Sep 23, 2020 | 202 | 1 BR · 1 BA | $515,000 | -6.4% | |
| Jun 13, 2016 | 502 | 1 BR · 363 sf | $538,000 | $1,482/sf | +2.5% |
| Mar 26, 2015 | 501 | 1 BR | $527,500 | -3.9% | |
| Sep 30, 2013 | 101 | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,475 sf | $1,225,000 | $831/sf | -5.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,092/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 3.9% 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 27, 2004 | RES | $3,100,000 |
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 1-01534-7502) 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
This is a condominium, so the path is a condominium application and board right of first refusal rather than a co-op interview — a simpler, more flexible process, with financing latitude and, notably, the ability to rent the unit. Weigh the walk-up honestly: there is no elevator, and the flight of stairs affects both livability and resale. The reasons to buy are the price point and the flexibility — deeded, investor-friendly ownership on the Upper East Side, near the Q and Carl Schurz Park, at a cost structure well below the doorman condominiums nearby. Review the common charges, reserve, and rental rules given the building's age and investor mix.
What to know if you’re selling
The story is the entry point and the flexibility. The circa-1920 pre-war character, the small deeded units, the investor-friendly rental policy, and the Yorkville location — near the Q and Carl Schurz Park — sell to a first-time buyer or an investor who wants an accessible Upper East Side condominium and does not need an elevator. Pricing is a residence-specific exercise on a $/sf basis: floor, walk-up flights, exposure, layout, and condition drive the number more than any block average. We position the flexibility and the value and benchmark against the right comparable tier of small pre-war Upper East Side condominiums.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 237 East 88th Street, also look at these nearby Upper East Side and Yorkville buildings:
- 170 East 92nd Street — pre-war Carnegie Hill cooperative
- 120 East 83rd Street — pre-war cooperative near the Met
- 1376 York Avenue — boutique Yorkville cooperative
- 359 East 68th Street — full-service Lenox Hill condominium
The Roebling Team at 237 East 88th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Manhattan's pre-war cooperative and condominium market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers of small pre-war condominiums deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture and neighborhood context, the condominium structure, the staffing and amenity reality, and where pricing sits against the right comparable tier.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 237 East 88th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
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