- Year built
- 1913
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 150
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- No pets permitted (service animals excepted as required by law)
- Subletting
- Permitted under reasonable terms; the building is self-managed and accepts co-purchasers and guarantors. Confirm current financial terms (financing percentage and sublet specifics) at offer stage
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2005–2025
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $875
- Listing discount
- 2.2%
- Recorded sales
- 34
- On record
- 2005–2025
The Berkley at 287 Amsterdam Avenue is a 1913 pre-war building at the corner of West 74th Street, built as a residential hotel and long since converted to a cooperative. Its former life shapes everything about it today: the conversion turned hotel rooms into a building of studios and one-bedrooms, which makes The Berkley one of the most accessible entry points into full-service, doorman pre-war living on the Upper West Side.
The building sits on the west side of Amsterdam Avenue in the low 70s — a block from Lincoln Center's orbit to the south and steps from the 1, 2, and 3 trains at 72nd Street. Notably, it sits just outside the Upper West Side / Central Park West Historic District, whose western boundary captures the east side of Amsterdam Avenue; The Berkley, on the west side, is not landmarked. What it offers instead is pre-war character — high ceilings, oversized windows, period detail — in smaller, attainable homes.
The Berkley's real distinction for buyers and sellers, beyond price point, is its operating culture. The building is self-managed and unusually flexible for a co-op: it permits pied-à-terre ownership, allows subletting under reasonable terms, and accepts co-purchasers and guarantors. For a doorman pre-war co-op, that combination is rare and widens the buyer pool considerably.
Architecture and unit composition
The building's roughly 150 apartments span 12 stories, with a composition dominated by studios and one-bedrooms — a direct legacy of the original residential-hotel plan. Within that smaller footprint, the pre-war character is genuine: high ceilings, oversized windows, hardwood floors, and period proportions survive in varying degrees depending on each apartment's renovation history.
This is a building to evaluate apartment by apartment. Exposure, floor, light, and the level of renovation drive value within a stock of broadly similar layouts; corner and higher-floor homes carry the clearest light.
Building operations
The Berkley operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative with a full-time doorman and concierge, a live-in superintendent, and three elevators. Shared facilities are the pre-war essentials — building laundry and private resident storage — with on-site management and maintenance staff. This is a service-oriented co-op rather than a luxury-amenity one: there is no gym, pool, or roof deck.
On policy, two facts stand out. First, the building does not permit pets (service animals are accommodated as required by law) — a plain rule buyers should weigh. Second, the building is genuinely flexible by co-op standards: it is self-managed, permits pied-à-terre ownership, allows subletting under reasonable terms, and accepts co-purchasers and guarantors. Shareholders in primary residence benefit from the NYC co-op/condo property-tax abatement. Specific financial policy — financing percentage permitted, flip tax, and exact sublet terms — should be confirmed at offer stage.
Recent sales
The Berkley is an entry-level pre-war co-op, and it prices accordingly. Studios and one-bedrooms transact at attainable levels for a full-service doorman building — among the more accessible per-room pricing on the central Upper West Side — with modest maintenance charges reflecting the small layouts and the self-managed, no-underlying-luxury-amenity structure. On a per-square-foot basis the building sits well below the corridor's pre-war grandees, consistent with its studio-and-one-bedroom stock.
Turnover is steady, as is typical of a building dominated by smaller homes that serve first-time buyers, pied-à-terre owners, and investors. Because layouts are broadly similar, condition and exposure are the swing factors; a current apartment-level comparable analysis is the right tool for pricing any individual home.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2025 | 1004 | 1 BR · 1 BA | $560,000 | -4.3% | |
| Mar 25, 2025 | 206 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 600 sf | $525,000 | $875/sf | -8.7% |
| Jun 20, 2024 | 1102 | 1 BA · 650 sf | $685,000 | $1,054/sf | -2.0% |
| May 14, 2024 | 802 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 550 sf | $500,000 | $909/sf | -2.9% |
| Apr 30, 2024 | 411 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 500 sf | $500,000 | $1,000/sf | off-mkt |
| Dec 11, 2023 | 809 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 500 sf | $613,000 | $1,226/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 3, 2023 | 1102 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 650 sf | $500,000 | $769/sf | -11.5% |
| May 18, 2022 | 1206 | 1 BR · 1 BA | $675,000 | +3.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $875/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 2.2% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2024 | 1210 | $525,000 |
| Nov 9, 2022 | 706 | $646,660 |
| Dec 17, 2019 | 1201 | $600,000 |
| Feb 13, 2018 | 916 | $575,000 |
| Mar 22, 2017 | 711 | $550,000 |
| May 26, 2016 | 108 | $515,000 |
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 1-01145-0061) 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
It's an attainable doorman pre-war co-op. Studios and one-bedrooms in a full-service building at an accessible price point — a rare combination on the central Upper West Side.
The flexibility is the differentiator. Self-management, permitted pied-à-terre, allowed subletting, and acceptance of co-purchasers and guarantors make this an unusually easy co-op to transact in.
There are no pets. The building does not permit pets (service animals excepted) — a firm rule to weigh up front.
It's a service co-op, not a luxury-amenity one. Doorman, super, and laundry — not gym, pool, or roof deck. Price and flexibility are the draws.
Buy on condition and exposure. Within similar layouts, renovation level and light drive value.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with access and flexibility. The attainable price point, self-management, permitted pied-à-terre, and allowed subletting reach first-time buyers, pied-à-terre purchasers, and investors alike.
Be direct about the pet policy. Disclosing it early avoids late-stage attrition.
Differentiate by condition and light. A renovated, well-exposed studio or one-bedroom warrants bespoke positioning within a similar-layout building.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Generally 4–8 weeks from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Berkley, also evaluate:
- 245 West 74th Street — Upper West Side building one block west
- The Ansonia — landmark Beaux-Arts Broadway-corridor condominium nearby
- 201 West 72nd Street — full-service Upper West Side building nearby
- 123 West 74th Street — Upper West Side building nearby
The Roebling Team at The Berkley
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper West Side, Central Park West, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because Upper West Side 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 Berkley, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.