3 East 69th Street
3 East 69th Street, New York, NY 10021
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1013840010 · BIN 1041292
- Year built
- 1938
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- Designated
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 4BR+ median
- $4.7M
- Recent range
- $1.7M – $4.9M
- Listing discount
- 3.7%
- Recorded transfers
- 26
3 East 69th Street occupies one of the most coveted positions in Manhattan: a few steps off Fifth Avenue, on a quiet, tree-lined block between Fifth and Madison, with Central Park and the city's great museums effectively at the door. It is a building defined by its address and its caliber — a boutique, white-glove Art Deco cooperative whose value rests on location, service, and the architectural polish of its 1938 design.
The architect was Sylvan Bien, a name associated with some of the era's most assured residential and hotel work, and the building reflects his late-pre-war sensibility — an Art Deco vocabulary applied to a refined, full-service cooperative rather than a flashy tower. With only thirty-one apartments across thirteen stories, it is intimate by design, the kind of building where service is personal and turnover is rare.
For buyers, the case is straightforward and rare: a premier Fifth-Avenue-adjacent cooperative with white-glove staffing and, by the standards of this stretch, an accommodating set of house rules — including financing latitude and a welcome to part-time residents that several of its Fifth Avenue neighbors do not extend.
Architecture and unit composition
Bien's design sits at the inflection point between high pre-war and early modern — an Art Deco building that reads as substantial and discreet rather than ornamental. The result is a dignified masonry house that holds its own among the Fifth Avenue stock while carrying the cleaner lines and proportions of the late 1930s.
The thirty-one residences reflect the era's planning logic at a refined scale: gracious entry galleries, well-zoned entertaining and private wings, high ceilings, and the millwork and hardwood floors that define the period's best work. Because the building is boutique and tightly held, interiors vary widely from preserved to fully reimagined, but the bones are consistently generous, and the best apartments capture the light and the park-adjacent calm that the block affords. Layouts run from substantial to grand, suited to the full-time and part-time owners who gravitate to this corner of the city.
Building operations
3 East 69th runs as a genuine white-glove cooperative. A full-time doorman and attended lobby, supported by a live-in resident manager, deliver the personal, anticipatory service that defines this tier of building, scaled to just thirty-one households. Private storage rounds out the practical amenities; the real amenity here is the staff, the address, and the privacy of a small building.
On house rules, the cooperative is notably flexible for its position. It permits pied-à-terre ownership — a meaningful distinction on a stretch where many cooperatives demand full-time residency — allows pets subject to restrictions, and permits financing of up to 50% of the purchase price. That combination of white-glove service and accommodating policy is uncommon this close to Fifth Avenue and is a real part of the building's appeal to the international and bi-coastal buyers who want a base steps from Central Park.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $23,907/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $64
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 before the next inspection cycle. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2026 | 3 | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,300 sf | $1,825,000 | $1,404/sf | -3.7% |
| Jan 20, 2026 | 9 | 4 BR · 4 BA · 3,000 sf | $4,700,000 | $1,567/sf | -5.1% |
| Jun 5, 2025 | 7A | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,100 sf | $4,901,950 | $1,581/sf | +3.2% |
| Dec 14, 2022 | 2 | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $1,700,000 | -8.1% | |
| Oct 20, 2022 | 7 | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,900 sf | $3,600,000 | $923/sf | -2.6% |
| Jul 11, 2017 | 12A | 2 BR · 1,550 sf | $2,350,000 | $1,516/sf | -6.0% |
| Aug 30, 2016 | 1A | 2 BR · 1,500 sf | $1,925,000 | $1,283/sf | -16.3% |
| Oct 7, 2015 | 9 | 1 BR · 1,100 sf | $1,725,000 | $1,568/sf | -8.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,486/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 5.9% 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 1-01384-0010) 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 white-glove cooperative, so expect a thorough board package and interview and the financial scrutiny that comes with this tier of building. The compensating advantages are real: pied-à-terre ownership is permitted, pets are allowed within restrictions, and up to 50% financing is available — a more flexible profile than many of the all-cash, full-time-only houses on Fifth Avenue itself. For a buyer who wants a park-adjacent base with white-glove service and the option of part-time use, that flexibility is the building's central draw.
Inventory is the constraint. With so few apartments, a serious buyer should be prepared to act when a home appears and to evaluate it closely — floor, light, layout, and condition all move value materially in a boutique building. We help buyers underwrite the apartment, the building's financials, and the board posture before committing.
What to know if you’re selling
Scarcity and address are the seller's strongest cards. A boutique, white-glove Art Deco cooperative steps from Fifth Avenue and Central Park, with a flexible rule set, is precisely the profile that brings out the buyers who have been waiting for the right home on this stretch. The marketing should lead with the location, the service, the Sylvan Bien pedigree, and the policy flexibility — especially the pied-à-terre allowance, which widens the pool to the part-time and international buyers this corner attracts.
Position against the premier park-adjacent Lenox Hill cooperative tier, and recognize that in a thirty-one-unit building each sale effectively resets the record. Presentation and disciplined pricing carry outsized weight: a beautifully shown apartment in a building this tightly held competes for a buyer pool that rarely gets a chance to enter, and a well-run process captures that demand.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 3 East 69th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper East Side cooperatives:
- 2 East 70th Street — Fifth-Avenue-adjacent cooperative one block north
- 10 East 70th Street — pre-war cooperative near the park
- 150 East 69th Street — full-service cooperative on the same block line
- 4 East 72nd Street — premier pre-war cooperative near Fifth
- 45 East 72nd Street — full-service cooperative nearby
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
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 3 East 69th 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 3 East 69th 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.