- Year built
- 1926
- Type
- Cooperative
239 Central Park West is a 1926 pre-war cooperative on the southwest corner of 84th Street — a 16-story, 84-unit building from the era that gave Central Park West its grand, masonry skyline. It was designed by Sugarman & Berger, the firm behind some of the city's most ambitious pre-war work, and it carries the hallmarks of that moment: an Italian Renaissance vocabulary, a richly detailed limestone base, and a ceremonial entrance flanked by carved stone lions.
The address is the heart of the appeal. The building sits directly on Central Park, a half-block from the park's 85th Street entrance and the transverse, with the American Museum of Natural History and the 81st Street subway a short walk south. It offers what buyers come to Central Park West for — the park at the front door, pre-war proportions inside, and a quiet, owner-occupied cooperative — at the more attainable end of the corridor's price spectrum.
Architecture and unit composition
Sugarman & Berger designed 239 Central Park West in the confident pre-war manner: a limestone-and-brick elevation with Renaissance detailing, a stringcourse banding the upper floors, and a sculpted entrance surround whose carved lions are a small landmark on the block. At 84 apartments across 16 stories, the building runs roughly five to six homes per landing.
The interiors are classic pre-war: gracious, well-proportioned layouts with generous room sizes, high beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, and the separation of entertaining and private space that defines the era. A number of apartments retain wood-burning fireplaces, and the park-facing lines capture direct, protected views over Central Park — the most coveted exposure on the avenue. Layouts range from well-scaled one- and two-bedrooms to larger family homes on the upper floors.
Building operations
239 Central Park West runs as a full-service, white-glove cooperative. A 24-hour doorman attends the lobby and a live-in resident manager oversees the building day to day. Shared facilities include a fitness center, central laundry, bicycle storage, and basement storage units. The board permits 50% financing, allows pets, and applies a 2% flip tax paid by the purchaser — a financing-friendly, pet-friendly posture that is relatively accommodating by Central Park West standards.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The facade passed its last inspection with no required repairs — nothing to budget for here, and no facade assessment on the horizon for roughly five years.
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent). Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library.
See the full facade history →Recent sales
As an 84-unit pre-war cooperative, 239 Central Park West turns over at a measured pace — a handful of resales in a typical year, concentrated in its one- and two-bedroom lines, with larger park-facing homes the rarer and more competitive events. Pricing tracks the Central Park West pre-war co-op market, with a clear premium for direct park views, higher floors, intact pre-war detail, and renovated kitchens and baths. For unit-by-unit recorded transfers tied to this building, see the automatically maintained sales record for this address.
What to know if you’re buying
This is a pre-war cooperative purchase, so expect a board application and interview and prepare a complete financial package — though the 50% financing allowance and pet-friendly policy make the building more accessible than the stricter co-ops on the avenue. Focus on exposure: the park-facing lines command the premium and the views, while side-street and rear apartments offer pre-war scale at better value. Original detail and renovation status drive price within the building, and apartments with a wood-burning fireplace and intact moldings carry a premium. We help buyers read the building's financials, weigh the line and exposure, and underwrite the renovation question with eyes open.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with what is irreplaceable: a 1926 Sugarman & Berger building directly on Central Park, with pre-war proportions, a carved-lion entrance, and an accommodating board (pets allowed, 50% financing, a modest 2% flip tax). Park views sell themselves on the high-floor park lines; for side-street homes, emphasize pre-war scale, light, and value relative to the avenue. A clean renovation that respects the building's bones closes the sale fastest. Price to the Central Park West pre-war cooperative comparable set and the unit moves. We position each listing to its strongest feature and run the analysis that gets it sold.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 239 Central Park West, also evaluate these nearby Central Park West cooperatives:
- 241 Central Park West — pre-war cooperative immediately adjacent
- 257 Central Park West — full-service pre-war cooperative nearby
- 262 Central Park West — Central Park West cooperative just north
- 271 Central Park West — pre-war park-facing cooperative
The Roebling Team at 239 Central Park West
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers evaluating pre-war park-front cooperatives deserve building-specific intelligence: the architecture, the board's policies, where the value sits by line and exposure, and how a home here trades against its real comparable set.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 239 Central Park West, a 30-minute consultation is the right place to start.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.