262 Central Park West (The White House)

Sugarman & Berger were prolific commercial and residential architects whose CV includes One Fifth Avenue, the New Yorker Hotel, the Master Apartments on Riverside Drive, and 25 East 86th Street. At 262 CPW, they made a deliberate stylistic choice: as CityRealty notes, "Unlike the modish Art Deco style buildings rising along the park at the time, the architects turned to the more traditional Italian Renaissance for 262 Central Park West."

The 15-story building has a three-story rusticated limestone base topped by a white-brick facade with quoins. Carter Horsley describes 262 CPW as having "very handsome, cast-iron decorative doors and a good looking watertank enclosure on the roof." The lower half of the first story is faced with granite. The building features "topiary landscaping along its Central Park West frontage" along with attractive wrought-iron doors on the side street and ornamental balconies. Six elevator banks serve only two apartments per floor — an unusually generous lobby and circulation footprint for the 1920s CPW cohort.

The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission presented the building in a public April 9, 2024 hearing, indicating ongoing preservation-related diligence on the facade.

The original developer was Sisbrothers Inc. (Norbert Natanson, president); the building was sold in 1950 to Whitehouse Realty Associates (Walter Hirshon), which is why the building has long been called "The White House." The cooperative conversion took place in 1960.

The White House operates as a full-service Upper West Side cooperative:

• Full-time doormen and concierge
• Live-in resident manager
• Sidewalk landscaping
• Children's playroom
• Private storage
• New fitness center
• Half basketball court
• Bicycle storage
• No roof deck

The half basketball court is a structurally distinctive amenity uncommon among peer prewar Central Park West cooperatives.

Active 2026 inventory includes Unit 1B at $990K (BHS), Unit 2D at $1.85M (BHS), Unit 4-C at $4.325M (BHS), Unit 5A at $7.995M (CityRealty). Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers for full transactional context.

The $17.95 million 10E closing in 2024 is the most consequential recent benchmark, reflecting the upper-floor and trophy-line pricing.

The Sugarman & Berger Italian Renaissance refusal is structurally distinguishing. Architect's broader CV (One Fifth Avenue, New Yorker Hotel, Master Apartments) connects to a major institutional NYC building tradition.

The six elevator banks serving only two apartments per floor produce unusually generous circulation. Verify line-specific configuration during walkthrough.

The half basketball court is a structurally distinctive amenity. Uncommon among peer prewar Central Park West cooperatives.

The 40% to 50% financing variance should be verified at the offer stage. Sources disagree; managing agent confirmation is required.

The $17.95 million 10E closing (2024) benchmarks the upper-floor and trophy-line pricing. Plan accordingly.

The 2% buyer-paid flip tax is meaningful at closing. Factor into carrying-cost and net-proceeds calculations.

The Central Park reservoir view corridor is structurally valuable. The full-blockfront 86th-87th position carries among the most-discussed exposure profiles on the corridor.

Closing timelines are cooperative-standard. Plan for 6 to 10 weeks from contract through board approval to closing.

Marketing should emphasize the Sugarman & Berger architectural pedigree, the Italian Renaissance Revival composition, and the six-elevator-bank circulation. All three are real structural advantages over peer Upper West Side cooperative inventory.

The half basketball court and the comprehensive amenity infrastructure support premium positioning. Reference in materials.

The CityRealty rating of 85 (ranked #10 in Central Park West, #16 in Upper West Side) is marketable institutional context.

Pricing should reference the $17.95 million 10E closing and recent mid-floor comparables. Apartment-line-specific comparables should anchor positioning.

Closing timelines are cooperative-standard.

If you're considering The White House, also evaluate:

• 241 Central Park West (The Eldorado) — Roth / Margon & Holder 1931 Art Deco twin-tower trophy CPW peer
• 211 Central Park West (The Beresford) — Roth 1929 three-tower trophy CPW peer
• 251 Central Park West — CPW peer
• 225 Central Park West (The Alden) — CPW peer
• 285 Central Park West (The St. Urban) — CPW peer

The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because Central Park West cooperative buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architectural attribution, board posture, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.

If you're considering a purchase or sale at 262 CPW, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.

Schedule a consultation →

Corey Cohen · The Roebling Team at Compass 646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com

Sources: CityRealty (Carter Horsley review); The City Review (Carter B. Horsley); Corcoran building page; Brown Harris Stevens listings; Douglas Elliman building page; NYC LPC public hearing presentation, April 9, 2024; Landmark West! profile; NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Central Park West Historic District Designation Report (LP-1647, 1990); NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.