253 West 73rd Street (The Level Club)
253 West 73rd Street, New York, NY 10023
Upper West Side
BBL 1011657501 · BIN 1030558
- Year built
- 1925
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 144
- Floors
- 19
- Landmark
- In a historic district
- Pets
- Pet-friendly (owners; policy may differ for renters and is at management discretion)
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium bylaws (confirm current house rules)
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf (floor-adjusted)
- $1,269
- Listing discount
- 3.4%
- Recorded sales
- 200
- On record
- 2003–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Level Club 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.
The Level Club is one of the most storied conversion buildings on the Upper West Side — a landmarked 1920s Masonic clubhouse turned residential condominium, and one of the few Manhattan apartment buildings whose façade tells a genuine iconographic story. Built in the mid-1920s by a group of Freemasons and named for the Masonic "level" symbol, the Level Club was a monumental Neo-Romanesque clubhouse and hotel: a reported multi-million-dollar program that included an Olympic-size swimming pool, a theater, and a gymnasium, wrapped in a façade dense with Masonic symbolism — columns corbeled as the heads of King Solomon and Hiram Abiff, bronze globes crowning its twin towers, and carved emblems across the base.
The building's later life reads like a New York morality tale. The club failed at the end of the 1920s and passed into foreclosure; the building then served as a hotel, and later as a drug-rehabilitation center, before a 1984 conversion re-imagined it as residential condominiums. That history left behind a building of rare architectural character — nineteen stories of setbacks and twin towers, with apartments carved from an institutional structure of unusual scale and craft.
Its landmark status is now secure. The Level Club is a contributing building in the West End–Collegiate Historic District Extension, designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2013 — protection that recognizes both the building itself and its place in one of the West Side's most cohesive prewar streetscapes.
The location is core Upper West Side. Mid-block on West 73rd between Broadway and West End Avenue, the building sits in the West End–Collegiate landmark corridor, a short walk from Riverside Park, Lincoln Center, and the express subway at 72nd Street.
For buyers, the Level Club offers something distinct: landmarked architectural character with a genuine story, full-service condominium living, and condo flexibility, at price points below the trophy tiers of the neighborhood.
Architecture and unit composition
The building's Neo-Romanesque design — from a Clinton & Russell-lineage firm — is its signature. The nineteen-story massing steps back to twin towers crowned by bronze globes, and the base carries the Masonic iconography that makes the façade one of the most recognizable on the West Side.
The residences run from studios through three-bedrooms, including duplexes and a penthouse, reflecting the flexibility of the converted institutional floor plate. Prewar character is common — hardwood floors, high ceilings, and, in some homes, private outdoor space and city views. In-unit washer/dryers are permitted in some apartments with board approval. Upper-floor and tower units capture the strongest light and the best outlook.
Building operations
The Level Club operates as a full-service condominium with a 24-hour doorman, concierge and porter staff, a resident superintendent, and elevators, supported by a central laundry, a children's playroom, secure bike storage, and a package room. The condominium is investor- and pied-à-terre-friendly — listing practice across the building has long welcomed pied-à-terre and investor buyers, consistent with condo ownership.
As with any landmarked prewar conversion, buyers should confirm the current common-charge and tax picture, review the reserve position and any assessments, and check recent capital work — with attention to the landmark façade and the building's twin-tower massing — during due diligence. Confirm current sublet and pet rules with management at offer stage.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Sublet policy
- Allowed; board has 30-day waiver review; short-term/AirBnB not allowed
- Notable fees
- Buyer application $700; credit report $125/applicant; move-in fee $500; move-in/out refundable deposit $3,000; transfer fee $500; transfer agent closing fee $1,000; guarantors allowed
Recent sales
Recent closings at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | 3BC | 2 BR · 3 BA · 2,114 sf | $2,100,000 | $993/sf | -15.8% |
| Jul 14, 2026 | 4N | 1 BR · 1 BA · 760 sf | $935,000 | $1,230/sf | -1.1% |
| Jun 29, 2026 | 9G | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $1,150,000 | $1,438/sf | +0.0% |
| Jun 26, 2026 | 3A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,662 sf | $1,573,000 | $946/sf | -8.8% |
| Apr 3, 2026 | 5O | 1 BA · 641 sf | $749,000 | $1,168/sf | -6.3% |
| Mar 9, 2026 | 2G | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,263 sf | $1,475,000 | $1,168/sf | -1.6% |
| Dec 16, 2024 | 2M | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,094 sf | $1,450,000 | $1,325/sf | -1.3% |
| Nov 25, 2024 | 14DE | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,796 sf | $3,275,000 | $1,823/sf | -6.3% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,269/sf (floor-adjusted) across 6 sales. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. Median listing discount 3.4% 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 1-01165-7501). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. 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.
Closed rents at The Level Club, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 3 | $3,800 |
| 1 bedroom | 9 | $5,100 |
| 3 bedroom | 3 | $7,995 |
15 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease April 2026. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
At the recent median sale of $1.48M (10 sales since 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $63,074 to close, or 4.3% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $14,750
- Mortgage recording tax: $21,295
- Title insurance: $6,637
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $20,391
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
Keep up with The Level Club and its market
The Roebling Report, monthly: Manhattan sales data and analysis, including buildings like The Level Club. Unsubscribe anytime.
We’ll use your email for The Roebling Report and note your interest in this building. See our privacy policy.
What to know if you’re buying
Condo flexibility is real. Straightforward financing, foreign-buyer friendly, pied-à-terre and investor use permitted, and subletting allowed under the bylaws. Confirm current house rules with management.
You're buying a landmark with a story. The Level Club's Neo-Romanesque façade, Masonic iconography, and twin-tower silhouette are genuinely distinctive. That character is the value — prioritize floor, tower position, light, and condition.
Underwrite a landmarked conversion. As a designated contributing building, exterior work is subject to landmark review, and the twin-tower massing is a substantial structure to maintain. Review common charges, taxes, reserves, assessments, and the façade / capital history closely.
Layouts vary widely. Apartments carved from a former institutional building differ meaningfully in proportion and configuration. See units in person and evaluate each layout on its own terms.
Location is a strength. Mid-block on a landmarked block near Riverside Park, Lincoln Center, and the express subway.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the architecture and the story. The Level Club's landmark status, Masonic history, and twin-tower façade are a marketing asset few buildings can match.
Price at the apartment level. Floor, tower position, outdoor space, and condition drive value more than any building average. Comparable analysis should be apartment-specific.
Position against landmarked UWS conversions and full-service condominiums. The right comparables are character-rich West Side prewar condominiums, not new-construction towers.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 253 West 73rd Street, also evaluate:
- 105 West 73rd Street — prewar building on the same block
- 123 West 74th Street — prewar residential building one block north
- 200 West 72nd Street — full-service Broadway-corridor condominium
- 200 Amsterdam Avenue — modern new-construction UWS condominium tower
- The Dakota (1 West 72nd Street) — the archetypal Upper West Side landmark cooperative
- The San Remo (145 Central Park West) — twin-towered Emery Roth cooperative on Central Park West
More Upper West Side buildings
- The Central, 250 West 88th Street — 1920 condominium
- 251 West 89th Street (The Admaston) — 1911 condominium by George and Edward Blum
- 252 West 85th Street — 1914 co-op by Schwartz & Gross
- 255 West 108th Street (The Manchester) — 1910 co-op by Neville & Bagge
- 255 West 84th Street (The Alameda) — 1914 condop by Gaetano Ajello
- 255 West 90th Street — 1909 co-op by Neville & Bagge
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
Considering a move at The Level Club?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.