285 Riverside Drive
285 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10025
Upper West Side
BBL 1018890036 · BIN 1057146
- Year built
- 1926
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 86
- Financing
- Up to roughly 67% permitted
- Flip tax
- 2%, paid by the buyer
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median
- $1.7M
- Recent range
- $370K – $2.3M
- Listing discount
- 2.9%
- Recorded transfers
- 70
285 Riverside Drive is a 1926 pre-war cooperative by Rosario Candela — the most celebrated apartment-house architect of the pre-war era — overlooking Riverside Park at the southern corner of West 101st Street. Candela's name carries singular weight in the Manhattan market: his buildings on Fifth and Park Avenues set the standard for pre-war luxury planning, and his hand on a Riverside Drive co-op is a meaningful distinction in a corridor where most buildings came from more workmanlike practices.
285 was built for developer Charles Paterno, the prolific builder behind a large share of upper Riverside Drive and the surrounding blocks, and it is a close architectural sibling of the adjacent 280 Riverside Drive — the two buildings were designed by the same Candela-Paterno team and read as a related pair on the Drive. The building's beige-brick body rises over a one-story limestone base, with terra-cotta pilasters and spandrels articulating the second and third floors and a distinctive roofline of two low, curved arches crowning the Riverside Drive façade. A handsome marble lobby and wrought-iron doors on the 101st Street side complete the composition.
The Riverside Drive position is the building's defining asset. Apartments on the western flank look directly across Riverside Park to the Hudson — a permanent, protected view that no later construction can obstruct. For buyers who want Candela architecture and direct park-and-river exposure at pricing more accessible than the architect's Fifth and Park Avenue work, 285 Riverside occupies a distinctive niche.
Architecture and unit composition
Candela's composition for 285 is restrained and confident: the limestone base, the beige-brick body, the terra-cotta detail at the lower floors, and the unusual double-arch roofline that distinguishes the building's silhouette on the Drive. The marble lobby and the wrought-iron 101st Street doors reflect the quality of the original construction.
The roughly 86 apartments span a range of configurations across the floor plates, with the larger lines offering the well-resolved family layouts that are a Candela hallmark. Pre-war signatures are characteristic of the vintage: high ceilings in the principal rooms, entry foyers and galleries, separate dining rooms, hardwood floors, and the deep closet and service-zone planning that defines mid-1920s luxury apartments. River-facing apartments on the western flank command the building's premium for their direct Riverside Park and Hudson exposures; corner residences gain dual light.
Building operations
285 Riverside Drive operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative, converted to cooperative ownership in 1970 — among the earlier conversions in the corridor. Staffing includes a full-time doorman and a live-in superintendent, with central laundry, a bike room, and private storage on premises. The roughly 86-apartment scale supports full service while retaining a residential, owner-occupied character.
The building is pet-friendly and permits financing up to roughly 67% of the purchase price. A 2% flip tax is paid by the buyer at closing — an unusual structure, since most co-op flip taxes fall to the seller — so purchasers should factor it into their closing math. Pied-à-terre ownership, co-purchasing, and parents buying for children are considered on a case-by-case basis with board approval, in keeping with established Riverside Drive co-op norms.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of purchase price (buyer); seller transfer fee $850 ($1,150 estate sale)
- Sublet policy
- Allowed (application/board approval required)
- Notable fees
- Sale: Application $475 ($800 no broker), Credit $200/applicant, Reproduction $250, Move-in/out deposits $1,500 each; App Admin 5%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 2026 | 11G | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,938 sf | $2,250,000 | $1,161/sf | +0.0% |
| Nov 3, 2025 | 3F | 2 BR · 1 BA | $865,000 | -3.4% | |
| Oct 15, 2025 | 4A | 4 BR · 3 BA · 2,200 sf | $1,980,000 | $900/sf | -10.0% |
| Jul 15, 2025 | 2C | 3 BR · 3 BA | $1,700,000 | -2.6% | |
| Jul 10, 2025 | 14D | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,500,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jun 5, 2025 | 1G | 1 BA · 500 sf | $370,000 | $740/sf | -7.3% |
| Oct 2, 2024 | 5B | 3 BR · 3 BA | $1,525,000 | -12.9% | |
| May 8, 2024 | 6E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $749,000 | $936/sf | +0.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,156/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 3.3% 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 1-01889-0036) 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
The Candela pedigree is a genuine asset. A Rosario Candela co-op carries marketing and resale advantages that anonymous pre-war stock cannot match.
The river view is permanent. West-facing apartments look across Riverside Park to the Hudson — a protected exposure.
Budget the buyer-paid flip tax. The 2% transfer fee falls to the buyer here, not the seller — an unusual structure that shapes your closing costs.
Confirm financing and policy fit. Financing runs to roughly 67%, and pied-à-terre and co-purchase requests are reviewed case by case.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with Candela and the view. Listing copy should foreground the architect, the 1926 vintage, the distinctive double-arch roofline, and — for west-facing apartments — the direct park-and-river exposure.
The buyer-paid flip tax is a quiet advantage. Sellers here avoid the transfer fee that most co-op sellers absorb — a point worth understanding when modeling net proceeds.
Pricing requires apartment-level comparable analysis. Floor, exposure (river versus cross-street), configuration, and renovation history all move value materially.
Closing timelines are co-op standard — generally 6–10 weeks from contract signing to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 285 Riverside Drive, also evaluate:
- 280 Riverside Drive — the adjacent Rosario Candela sibling building (1926)
- 300 Riverside Drive — pre-war Riverside Drive co-op nearby
- 320 Riverside Drive — 1928 pre-war Riverside Drive co-op nearby
- 310 Riverside Drive — pre-war Riverside Drive co-op nearby
- 325 Riverside Drive — pre-war Riverside Drive co-op nearby
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Riverside Drive — read The Roebling Team Guide to Riverside Drive.
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 285 Riverside Drive?
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 285 Riverside Drive 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.