- Year built
- 1957
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 160
- Floors
- 20
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Permitted under condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted with board approval
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
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
- $975
- Listing discount
- 4.2%
- Recorded sales
- 43
- On record
- 2004–2026
Turtle Bay House is a full-service post-war condominium on one of Midtown East's quieter and most sought-after residential blocks — East 48th Street between Second and Third Avenues, within the Turtle Bay enclave. The 1957 white-brick building operates as a condominium, offering the transactional flexibility of condo ownership in a stretch of Manhattan otherwise dominated by cooperatives.
That flexibility is the building's central appeal. Turtle Bay is a cooperative-heavy neighborhood, and a well-run condominium here serves buyers who want the neighborhood's residential calm and proximity to Midtown employment without the board-approval friction and use restrictions of a co-op. Pieds-à-terre and investment use are permitted, and closings are faster than the co-op alternative.
The location combines quiet with access. The block sits within walking distance of Grand Central Terminal, the United Nations, and the Midtown East office core, while the Turtle Bay streets themselves — including the landmarked Turtle Bay Gardens a short walk away — retain a low-rise, tree-lined character unusual for the area.
Architecture and unit composition
The approximately 160 to 163 residences distribute across roughly 20 stories in a classic post-war white-brick envelope, with a canopied entrance and modest sidewalk landscaping. The building has no balconies; air conditioning is through-wall in the post-war manner.
The unit mix runs from studios and one-bedrooms through larger two- and three-bedroom layouts. Interiors are post-war in bones — efficient, well-proportioned rooms — with renovation quality varying apartment to apartment and driving much of the pricing spread. The lobby, elevators, and package room were modernized in recent building improvements.
Building operations
Turtle Bay House operates as a full-service condominium: 24-hour doorman and concierge, a live-in resident manager, porters and handymen, on-site laundry, a private parking garage with spaces available to buy or rent, a mail room, and a renovated lobby, elevators, and package room. Pets are permitted under building rules.
As a condominium, the building offers standard condo flexibility — pieds-à-terre and investment use are permitted, and subletting is allowed with board approval. Common charges and property taxes should be modeled for the specific apartment; buyers should review the current financials, any assessments, and the reserve position during due diligence.
Recent sales
Turtle Bay House trades as a mid-market Midtown East condominium, read on a price-per-square-foot basis. Recent closings have run around the low-to-mid $900s per square foot, with pricing driven by floor, exposure, and — heavily — renovation condition. Apartments have historically sold modestly below asking after a normal marketing period.
The building's value proposition — condominium flexibility on a quiet Turtle Bay block, with full building services and on-site parking, at a mid-market price point — supports steady demand from buyers who want ownership latitude in a co-op-dominated neighborhood.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2026 | 10B | 3 BR · 4 BA · 2,721 sf | $2,650,000 | $974/sf | -3.6% |
| Dec 4, 2025 | 5J | 776 sf | $822,500 | $1,060/sf | off-mkt |
| Nov 25, 2025 | 5D | 1,494 sf | $1,500,000 | $1,004/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 15, 2025 | 2E | 873 sf | $725,000 | $830/sf | off-mkt |
| Sep 26, 2025 | 3A | 1 BA · 633 sf | $650,000 | $1,027/sf | -3.7% |
| Oct 15, 2024 | 4A | 5 BR · 1 BA · 631 sf | $575,000 | $911/sf | -4.0% |
| Jun 27, 2024 | 4E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 850 sf | $740,000 | $871/sf | -8.6% |
| Jun 14, 2024 | 13D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,494 sf | $1,525,000 | $1,021/sf | -4.4% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $975/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 4.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2017 | 8A | $735,000 |
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 1-01322-7501) 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 in a co-op neighborhood. The building's condo structure is its differentiator in Turtle Bay — pieds-à-terre and investment use permitted, subletting with board approval, faster closings.
Condition drives price. Renovation quality is the largest single pricing variable within the building. Inspect kitchens, baths, and mechanicals and price against comparable condition.
On-site parking is a genuine amenity. The private garage, with spaces to buy or rent, is meaningful in this part of Midtown. Confirm availability and terms.
Model the full carry. Confirm common charges, property taxes, and any assessment for the specific apartment.
Confirm the exact exposure. The block is quiet, but specific lines and floors vary in light and outlook. Confirm what a given apartment sees.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with flexibility and location. Condo flexibility on a quiet Turtle Bay block, near Grand Central and the UN, is the marketing story. Foreground it.
Presentation matters. Because condition drives the pricing spread, staging and preparation materially affect outcome.
Price against genuinely comparable units. Comparable analysis should weight floor, exposure, and condition, and account for the building's condo flexibility in the buyer pool it attracts.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 249 East 48th Street, also evaluate:
- 145 East 48th Street (The Cosmopolitan) — full-amenity Midtown East condominium tower
- 232 East 47th Street (The Club at Turtle Bay) — Turtle Bay condominium tower
- 250 East 49th Street — Turtle Bay condominium nearby
- Midtown East — the broader corridor
The Roebling Team at Turtle Bay House
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Midtown East, Turtle Bay, and the broader Manhattan condominium market. We publish this building profile because condominium buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, transactional mechanics, and apartment-level pricing reality — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 249 East 48th 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 the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Midtown East — read The Roebling Team Guide to Midtown East.
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