The Olcott (27 West 72nd Street)
27 West 72nd Street, New York, NY 10023
Upper West Side
BBL 1011257502 · BIN 1087511
- Year built
- 1925
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 160
- Floors
- 15
- Landmark
- In a historic district
- Pets
- Pet-friendly
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
- $1,708
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 297
- On record
- 2004–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Olcott 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 Olcott is one of the Upper West Side's most desirable prewar condominiums — a 1925 apartment-hotel by George F. Pelham that operated as a residential hotel for roughly eighty years before its 2005 conversion to condominium ownership. Its address is exceptional: 27 West 72nd Street sits on the same block as The Dakota, half a block from Central Park and Strawberry Fields, running through the block to West 73rd Street. It is a contributing building in the Upper West Side / Central Park West Historic District, and its Neo-Renaissance brick-and-terra-cotta façade over a rusticated limestone base is characteristic of the era's finest West Side apartment houses.
What makes The Olcott stand out in this micro-market is its tenure. The prestige prewar stock immediately around Central Park West is overwhelmingly cooperative — board-approval buildings with strict financing and residency rules. The Olcott is a condominium. That distinction is a genuine selling point: no board interview, financing flexibility, and openness to pied-à-terre, investment, and foreign purchase, all a half-block from the Park in a landmarked prewar building. Buyers who want Central Park West adjacency without co-op friction find very few options as compelling.
The 2005 conversion, sponsored by Brack Capital and Stellar Management, restored the building's grand lobby — marble columns and ornate elevator cabs — and delivered a condominium with a full-service staff and a modern amenity package layered onto prewar bones. The building's history adds texture: over its decades as the Hotel Olcott it housed residents including the actor Martin Balsam and the entertainer Tiny Tim.
Architecture and unit composition
The residences span studios through large three-, four-, and five-bedroom layouts and penthouses, distributed across the building's fifteen floors. Renovated apartments carry high-end kitchens and baths layered onto prewar proportions — high ceilings, thick walls, and the light that the building's West 72nd/73rd through-block footprint provides.
Pelham's Neo-Renaissance exterior is preserved under the historic-district designation; interior conditions vary apartment-to-apartment, from period-sensitive restorations to fully modernized gut renovations. Higher-floor units on the north and south flanks capture open city light, and select apartments enjoy partial Park sightlines given the building's proximity to Central Park West.
Building operations
The Olcott operates as a full-service prewar condominium with a full-time doorman, 24-hour concierge, and a live-in superintendent, plus a fitness center, children's playroom, residents' lounge with a private dining room, cold storage, and bicycle and private storage. The restored grand lobby — marble columns and ornate elevators — is a signature of the building's presentation.
Common charges and property taxes are typical for a full-service prewar condominium; buyers should model the full monthly carry at the apartment level.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $59,587/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $31
- Modeled exposure split equally across 158 units (the city tax-lot count). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
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 filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair, with repairs due by the deadline stated in the filing. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
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
- Notable fees
- Working Capital Contribution equal to 2 months common charges (buyer); Move-in/out fees $300 each plus $500 refundable deposits
Recent sales
As a condominium, The Olcott is priced per square foot. Recent resale activity has generally cleared in the range typical for a landmarked prewar condominium a half-block from Central Park — supported by the building's tenure advantage, its address, and its service level, with larger and higher-floor apartments and penthouses commanding meaningful premiums. Pricing varies with floor, exposure, and renovation condition; apartment-level comparable analysis is the correct basis for pricing any specific unit.
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 8, 2026 | 201 | 4 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,200 sf | $6,750,000 | $2,109/sf | +0.0% |
| Sep 8, 2026 | 914 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 696 sf | $1,170,000 | $1,681/sf | off-mkt |
| Jul 8, 2026 | G5 | 1 BA · 439 sf | $600,000 | $1,367/sf | -10.4% |
| Jun 25, 2026 | 301 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 731 sf | $1,140,000 | $1,560/sf | -0.9% |
| May 4, 2026 | 605 | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,189 sf | $4,000,000 | $1,827/sf | +5.3% |
| Mar 25, 2026 | 209 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 620 sf | $1,075,000 | $1,734/sf | +0.0% |
| Jul 29, 2025 | 314 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 627 sf | $999,000 | $1,593/sf | -4.9% |
| Jun 27, 2025 | 1601 | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 2,400 sf | $6,400,000 | $2,667/sf | -14.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,708/sf (recorded) across 6 sales. Median listing discount 0.0% from the last ask.
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 1-01125-7502). 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 Olcott, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 25 | $5,500 |
| 2 bedroom | 4 | $9,107 |
| 3 bedroom | 2 | $25,000 |
| 4 bedroom | 2 | $23,250 |
34 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease August 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 $1.85M (12 sales since 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $75,744 to close, or 4.1% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $18,500
- Mortgage recording tax: $26,709
- Title insurance: $8,325
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $22,210
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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What to know if you’re buying
The condominium tenure is the differentiator. On a block dominated by co-ops, The Olcott offers no board interview, financing flexibility, and pied-à-terre, investment, and foreign-purchase openness — a half-block from Central Park.
It is a landmarked prewar building. Exterior alterations are regulated by the historic-district designation; renovation respects the prewar envelope.
Verify the apartment's condition. Interiors range from period restorations to full gut renovations; condition drives pricing at the unit level.
Confirm pet specifics. The building is pet-friendly; confirm the current policy detail with the managing agent for your situation.
Run the cliff thresholds. The mansion tax steps up at the $2M, $3M, and $5M cliffs. Run any number through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with tenure and address. The condominium structure on The Dakota's block, a half-block from Central Park, is a rare combination — market it explicitly.
Price at the apartment level. Building averages blend studios through penthouses and a wide range of renovation conditions; recent comparables on the specific line and condition should anchor positioning.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Olcott, also evaluate:
- The Dakota (1 West 72nd Street) — the iconic co-op on the same block; tenure contrast
- The Majestic (115 Central Park West) — Art Deco co-op nearby on Central Park West
- The Kenilworth (151 Central Park West) — prewar Central Park West co-op comp
- 101 Central Park West — prewar Central Park West co-op with flexible ownership rules
- 15 West 72nd Street — Central Park West-adjacent building on the same block
More Upper West Side buildings
- 25 West 71st Street — co-op
- 26 West 69th Street — 1925 co-op
- 27 West 67th Street — 1901 co-op
- 28 West 86th Street — 1900 condominium
- 28 West 96th Street — 1892 condominium
- 30 Lincoln Plaza (30 West 63rd Street) — 1979 condominium by Philip Birnbaum & Associates
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 Olcott?
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