252 West 85th Street
252 West 85th Street, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1012320057 · BIN 1033123
- Year built
- 1914
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median
- $1.9M
- Recent range
- $449K – $2M
- Listing discount
- 4.2%
- Recorded transfers
- 33
The Clinton is a Schwartz & Gross pre-war cooperative from 1914, set on one of the most desirable residential stretches of the Upper West Side — between Broadway and West End Avenue, a short walk from Riverside Park and the West End / Riverside Drive corridor of grand pre-war buildings. Designed by the same firm responsible for landmark apartment houses across the East and West Sides, it carries the architectural seriousness of its pedigree into a building scaled for gracious family living rather than spectacle.
What defines it is the layouts. With just four apartments per floor across ten stories, the building is organized around the classic pre-war footprints buyers prize: front "classic six" homes — two bedrooms, two baths, plus a maid's room — and rear "classic five" homes with two bedrooms and a bath and a half. These are the proportioned, well-zoned layouts that the post-war era stopped building, and they are the core of the Clinton's appeal.
At 38 apartments, the building is intimate and owner-occupied, with the settled character of a long-established West Side co-op.
Architecture and unit composition
The Clinton presents a classic 1914 pre-war face — a ten-story masonry block with the proportions and detailing of its era — and behind it a gracious lobby retaining its period pre-war character. Schwartz & Gross built for permanence and proportion, and the building reflects it: substantial, dignified, and at home among the Riverside-West End pre-war stock.
The unit composition is unusually legible. Four apartments per floor means generous corner light and clear front-versus-rear distinctions. The front classic sixes offer two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a maid's room; the rear classic fives offer two bedrooms and a bath and a half. Both carry the high ceilings, hardwood floors, and period moldings of the vintage, and every apartment comes with private storage — a genuinely valuable feature in a pre-war building.
Building operations
The Clinton is a well-run pre-war cooperative with a live-in superintendent. Shareholders share a laundry room, a bicycle room, a children's playroom, and — notably — private storage assigned to every apartment, which removes the storage scramble that plagues many pre-war buildings. The scale and staffing produce the personal, attentive management buyers expect on these blocks.
On policy, the building permits pets. Purchases proceed through a standard co-op board application and interview, with the financial review typical of an established pre-war cooperative. Buyers should prepare a complete board package and confirm current financing and sublet parameters with the managing agent as part of their application.
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 latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair before the next inspection cycle. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 15% of net profit (payable by seller)
- Sublet policy
- Sublease fee = 10% of monthly maintenance (1st yr), 15% (2nd yr)
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed (case by case)
- Notable fees
- Buyer application $700; credit check $150/applicant; recognition agreement $300; closing fee $600; guarantors allowed case-by-case; max financing 75%
Recent sales
Recent transfers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2025 | 7B | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,500 sf | $2,035,000 | $1,357/sf | +5.7% |
| Jun 23, 2025 | 6B | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,999,000 | +8.1% | |
| Nov 7, 2023 | 2B | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,765,000 | -6.9% | |
| Aug 10, 2023 | 3D | 2 BR · 1 BA | $1,280,000 | -1.5% | |
| Apr 13, 2023 | 4D | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $1,385,000 | -14.8% | |
| Sep 15, 2022 | 7A | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,320 sf | $1,995,000 | $1,511/sf | -4.8% |
| Jul 6, 2022 | 9C | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,625,000 | +0.0% | |
| Aug 24, 2021 | 5C | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,275,000 | +18.6% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,357/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 1.5% 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.
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 1-01232-0057) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
Know which apartment you're buying. A front classic six and a rear classic five live very differently — light, room count, and the maid's room all differ — and they price differently. Confirm the exposure and exact layout before anchoring on a comparable, and value the per-apartment private storage, which is a real convenience here.
Expect a standard board process: a full package, an interview, and financials that meet the co-op's requirements. Underwrite the maintenance — which funds the staff and shared spaces — alongside the price. For a family seeking a true pre-war layout near Riverside Park, the Clinton is one of the cleaner expressions of that classic West Side product.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the layout and the pedigree. "Classic six in a 1914 Schwartz & Gross co-op, four apartments per floor, near Riverside Park" is precisely the description that draws the pre-war family buyer, and the per-apartment private storage and playroom reinforce the family appeal. Photograph the proportioned rooms and the light.
Price to the specific home — front versus rear, floor, exposure, and renovation level — since the building's consistent floor plate makes those differences clear to buyers. Prepare the board package early. A well-positioned classic layout here competes strongly in the Riverside / West End market.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 252 West 85th Street, these nearby Upper West Side cooperatives belong on the same list:
- 320 West 86th Street — pre-war cooperative near West End and Riverside
- 302 West 86th Street — full-service pre-war co-op on the West 80s
- 305 West 86th Street — pre-war cooperative near Riverside Drive
- 300 West 83rd Street — pre-war co-op a few blocks south
- 320 West 83rd Street — Upper West Side cooperative near Riverside Park
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
Considering a move at The Clinton?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Clinton would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.