- Year built
- 1912
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 64
- Landmark
- Designated
The Cleburne at 2745 Broadway is one of the more substantial pre-war apartment houses on the upper Broadway corridor — a 1912 Schwartz & Gross building that fills the entire block from Broadway to West End Avenue along West 105th Street. Schwartz & Gross was among the defining residential firms of the pre-war West Side, and the Cleburne shows the practice working at full scale: a Renaissance Revival composition of brick, limestone, and terra-cotta, distinguished by a sheltered porte-cochère entrance on the West 105th Street flank and the decorative metalwork that frames its entrances and light courts.
The building carries a notable piece of New York history. It rises on the site of the former mansion of Isidor and Ida Straus, the Macy's owners who died together aboard the Titanic; their memorial stands one block north in the small triangle now known as Straus Park, at the convergence of Broadway and West End Avenue. That setting — a landmarked memorial garden at the door, the river-facing avenues a few steps west — gives the Cleburne a quieter, more residential character than its Broadway address might suggest.
The layouts are the draw. The Cleburne was built for spacious living, with three elevators serving only two residences per landing and exclusive landing service into apartments that run to classic-six, seven, eight, and larger configurations. For buyers, it offers genuine pre-war scale and a serious Schwartz & Gross facade — with immediate Broadway transit and the full retail texture of the upper West Side at the door — typically at a more accessible basis than the river-facing Riverside Drive tier a block west, and with a board that negotiates financing to a comparatively generous 75%.
Architecture and unit composition
The roughly 64 apartments span 13 stories in the layouts of a 1912 luxury apartment house designed for large households: high principal-room ceilings, formal entry galleries, separated living and dining rooms, and the full service infrastructure of the period. The two-per-landing plan and exclusive landing service give the building the privacy and proportion that buyers seeking true pre-war scale come for, and the block-through siting means apartments draw light from Broadway, West End Avenue, West 105th Street, and the interior light courts.
The Renaissance Revival exterior — brick over a limestone base, terra-cotta trim, and the porte-cochère entrance — reads as a building of genuine architectural seriousness, recognized by its inclusion in the Riverside–West End Avenue Historic District Extension II. Because this is an early pre-war building, apartment-level variation in size, layout, and renovation condition is significant, from original detail to fully modernized homes.
Building operations
The Cleburne operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative with doorman service, a sheltered porte-cochère entrance on West 105th Street, three elevators with two residences per landing and exclusive landing service, and a live-in superintendent. The block-through plan and the porte-cochère are distinctive operational features uncommon among corridor buildings of its era.
On the financing side the board is comparatively accommodating: financing of up to 75% of the purchase price is negotiated, broader latitude than many pre-war co-ops permit. Board review follows established West Side pre-war norms, with documented financials and a primary-residence orientation among the central criteria.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $63,900/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $83
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into 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 →Recent sales
Sales context at the Cleburne:
- Turnover is modest given the roughly 64-unit scale; a typical year produces a low single-digit number of closings.
- The large classic-six-and-up footprint pushes much of the inventory toward the upper end of the corridor band; condition and floor altitude are the primary swing factors.
- Pricing generally tracks below the river-facing Riverside Drive and West End Avenue cooperative tiers while delivering comparable pre-war scale.
Apartment-level analysis depends on exposure, floor, and renovation condition; we provide current, building-specific comparables on request.
What to know if you’re buying
The scale and the architecture are the case. Classic-six-and-larger pre-war layouts, two-per-landing privacy, and a serious Schwartz & Gross facade are the building's enduring strengths.
Financing latitude is a real advantage. The board negotiates financing to 75% — broader than much of the pre-war stock nearby.
The setting is quieter than the address suggests. The Straus Park memorial garden, the porte-cochère, and the river-facing avenues a step west give the block a residential calm.
Pre-war condition varies widely. Inspect the specific apartment carefully — original detail, systems, and prior renovation differ unit to unit in a 1912 building.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with scale, pedigree, and history. The block-through layouts, Schwartz & Gross authorship, the porte-cochère, and the Straus Park association are distinctive, marketable assets.
Price to condition and floor. Renovation level and exposure are the dominant value drivers in a varied pre-war unit mix; comp against the most similar recent corridor trades.
Closing timelines are co-op standard — generally 6–10 weeks from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering the Cleburne, also evaluate:
- 2780 Broadway — nearby Broadway corridor comparable
- 310 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war co-op a few blocks west
- 320 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war comparable
- 325 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war building nearby
The Roebling Team at The Cleburne
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader park- and river-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because Broadway-corridor buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at the Cleburne, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
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