27 West 55th Street
27 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019
Central Midtown
BBL 1012710021 · BIN 1034823
- Year built
- 1923
- Type
- Cooperative
27 West 55th Street is a boutique pre-war cooperative on one of Midtown's most centrally located residential blocks — the stretch of West 55th between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, a few minutes' walk from Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, and the flagship retail of Fifth Avenue. Built in 1923 and converted to a cooperative in 1949, it rises nine stories with roughly 34 apartments and occupies a niche that has only grown scarcer: a true pre-war home in the heart of Midtown, at a price well below the trophy towers and grand Fifth Avenue houses nearby.
The case for a building like this is location and character at a sensible cost. For buyers who work in or near Midtown, or who want a pied-à-terre within walking distance of the park, MoMA, and the city's cultural and commercial core, 27 West 55th offers the pre-war architecture and the address without the overhead of a full-service luxury house.
Architecture and unit composition
The building presents a handsome brown-brick face to West 55th Street, anchored by a canopied entrance and limestone detailing — the disciplined, well-proportioned vocabulary of early-1920s Manhattan apartment design. At 34 homes across nine floors, the building keeps a low, owner-occupied density, with a manageable number of apartments per landing.
Inside, the apartments carry the pre-war features buyers seek in this part of town — higher ceilings than post-war stock, separate kitchens, hardwood floors, and the solid masonry construction that keeps these homes quiet against the Midtown bustle outside. Across roughly 37,000 residential square feet and 34 homes, the layouts run to comfortable one- and two-bedroom apartments. As a converted cooperative, renovation level varies line to line, creating both turnkey and value-add opportunities.
Building operations
27 West 55th Street runs as a traditional cooperative with part-time door attendance and a live-in resident manager — a staffing model that preserves service and security while keeping the monthly maintenance efficient. Shared facilities are practical: a central laundry room and storage. The building trades a deep amenity stack for a low carry and a location whose amenities are the neighborhood itself — Central Park, MoMA, Rockefeller Center, and the restaurants and retail of Midtown all within a short walk.
As a cooperative, purchases clear through a board with a financial package and interview. Financing is permitted within a stated cap, and subletting is allowed under board-defined terms after an initial owner-occupancy period — standard posture for a stable, owner-occupied pre-war building of this size.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $16,207/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $40
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.
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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2025 | 71 | 2 BR · 1 BA | $760,000 | -4.9% | |
| Oct 13, 2022 | 42 | 2 BR · 1 BA · 780 sf | $798,000 | $1,023/sf | +0.4% |
| Aug 11, 2021 | 82 | 2 BR · 1 BA | $630,000 | +0.8% | |
| Jun 11, 2021 | 52 | 2 BR · 1 BA | $715,000 | -1.4% | |
| Feb 20, 2020 | 93 | 2 BR · 1 BA | $775,000 | -13.9% | |
| Feb 26, 2019 | 72 | 2 BR · 1 BA | $765,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jun 26, 2018 | 62 | 2 BR · 1 BA | $825,000 | -4.1% | |
| May 16, 2017 | 73 | 2 BR | $825,000 | +0.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2022): a median $1,023/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2025. Median listing discount 1.7% 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 1-01271-0021) 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
This is a board-approval cooperative, so plan for a full financial package, an interview, and a financing cap. Underwrite the all-in monthly carry — maintenance plus financing — and read the building's financials for reserve health and any planned capital work, which matters for any masonry building of this era. Confirm the current sublet and financing terms against your own plans early.
The reasons to buy are location-first: a pre-war home in the geographic center of Midtown, walking distance to Central Park, MoMA, and Rockefeller Center, at a price point well below the neighborhood's full-service luxury inventory. For owner-occupants and pied-à-terre buyers who value central location and pre-war character over a full amenity stack, the value case is strong.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the location and the pre-war character: few blocks in Manhattan combine this much centrality with this much architectural quiet. The comparable set is recent closings in the building and in the immediate Midtown pre-war cooperative cohort, adjusted for floor, light, and renovation.
Presentation is where value is won in a small co-op. A renovated, well-staged apartment that photographs its ceiling height and light consistently outperforms an unrenovated comparable. We price to the building's real ceiling rather than the broad neighborhood average, position the central-Midtown lifestyle accurately, and prepare the board package so a qualified buyer clears review cleanly.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 27 West 55th Street, also look at these Midtown pre-war cooperatives:
- 33 West 56th Street — pre-war Midtown cooperative nearby
- 10 West 55th Street — cooperative on the same block
- 17 West 54th Street — the Rockefeller Apartments, Harrison & Fouilhoux's landmarked International Style co-op
- 25 West 54th Street — Midtown pre-war peer
- 146 West 57th Street — Midtown West cooperative near Carnegie Hall
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 27 West 55th Street?
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 27 West 55th Street 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.