3 East 85th Street
3 East 85th Street, between Fifth and Madison avenues, Upper East Side, Manhattan
BBL 1014970005 · BIN 1046828
- Year built
- 1912
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 30
- Floors
- 9
- Amenities
- Resident superintendent, porter service, central laundry and resident storage
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; in the Metropolitan Museum Historic District
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission records, updated February 2026
- Maximum financing
- 75% of the purchase price
- Flip tax
- Tiered or formula; see fees
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median, 2023–2026
- $581K
- 3 qualifying sales
- Recent range
- $480K – $2.3M
- Listing discount
- 2.2%
- Recorded transfers
- 34
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A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 3 East 85th 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.
3 East 85th Street is an early New York apartment house by J. E. R. Carpenter, commissioned by Fullerton Weaver Realty Company beside Fifth Avenue. Its limestone Italian Renaissance exterior was designed for large apartments occupying whole floors. A 1947 cooperative conversion subdivided the original residences, creating the smaller homes that now account for much of its resale inventory.
The building therefore offers a broad range of apartment sizes within the shell of an early luxury apartment house. One-bedroom homes share the same entrance and architectural envelope as larger combined residences. The location is a short distance from Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum, on the East 85th Street side of the block.
LPC identifies the building among Carpenter's earliest New York work. He later became a leading designer of Manhattan apartment houses, but this commission belongs to the opening stage of his New York practice. Its nine-story scale and limestone treatment remain intact within the Metropolitan Museum Historic District.
Architecture and unit composition
The façade is divided into distinct horizontal sections. A rusticated lower portion extends through three stories, while banding and an intermediate cornice separate the upper stages. Varied window surrounds and carved shields contribute to the Italian Renaissance design, and a projecting bracketed cornice crowns the building.
Historical advertisements described full-floor apartments with approximately eleven rooms. The 1947 alteration created multiple apartments on most levels and retained a single residence at the top. Later combinations and renovations have added to the variety of the current inventory.
Today's layouts run principally from one to three bedrooms. Smaller homes may face the rear or side courtyards, while larger combinations can have several exposures. Beamed ceilings, herringbone flooring and generous closet space survive in some interiors. Open kitchens appear in renovated homes, while other apartments preserve separate kitchens and a more traditional room sequence.
The window arrangement reflects the original design and differing interior room heights. A modestly sized apartment here can retain a high ceiling or an unusually proportioned room from the original building. Conversely, the exterior's large-house scale should not be read as evidence that every apartment has a similarly expansive plan.
Building operations
A resident superintendent and porter serve the cooperative. The staff accept deliveries, with mail and packages delivered to apartment doors. Shared facilities include laundry and storage in the basement. Entry is by intercom, and the building has an elevator.
The limestone façade, ornament and cornice are shared building elements within a designated historic district. Exterior restoration is subject to LPC requirements. The building's relatively small apartment count means that its substantial historic exterior is supported by a much smaller shareholder base than a large tower's.
Its tax lot is Class 2, with no building-wide development abatement recorded. The site falls within the Special Park Improvement District and has a built FAR above the stated residential allowance. Historic-district designation and special-district controls form part of the setting for any proposed exterior alteration or enlargement.
Policy framework
Financing of up to 75% is permitted — confirm with the managing agent. That translates to a stated minimum down payment of 25%, before any separate liquidity requirements imposed through the purchase application — confirm with the managing agent.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of July 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
- Terms
- $ 2% of Purchase Price
- Paid by
- Seller
Source: building management's published schedule, as of July 2026
Purchase
8 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $600 | Refundable Not stated |
| Credit Report FeePer applicantRequired | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $100 per applicant | Refundable Not stated |
| Power of Attorney FeePer applicant | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $250 per POA | Refundable Not stated |
| Recognition Agreement Fee | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $400 | Refundable Not stated |
| Power of Attorney FeePer applicant | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $250 per POA | Refundable Not stated |
| Transfer Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $1,250 | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move In Deposit | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Move Out Deposit | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
Sublet
5 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $600 | Refundable Not stated |
| Credit Check FeePer applicantRequired | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $100 per applicant | Refundable Not stated |
| Sublet FeeRecurring | Paid by Shareholder | When Upon approval | Amount $25% of the maintenance charge per month | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move Out Deposit | Paid by Shareholder | When Upon approval | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Move In Deposit | Paid by Subtenant | When Upon approval | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
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Financing and purchase requirements
- Maximum financing
- 75% of the purchase priceSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Maintenance, per room
- $431 per room a monthMedian of 5 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
Maintenance as recorded with each sale. A co-op's maintenance already covers the building's real estate taxes and the building's own mortgage, if it has one; add your own loan payment for the monthly outlay. A summary of recorded sales, not a current bill; charges change.
Building staffing and amenities
- Live-in superintendent
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- Storage, laundry roomSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $21,788/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $61
- Modeled exposure split equally across 30 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. A filed Safe grade is not a guarantee of current condition: owners still maintain the facade and, where required, observe parapets each year. Future inspection timing (Local Law 49 of 2025 changed the cycle framework from October 1, 2026), repair and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs 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 data last refreshed October 2026.
Photographs of 3 East 85th Street
Recent sales
Recent transfers 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 | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2026 | 3C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $581,000 | +3.9% |
| Jun 12, 2025 | 5AB | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,250,000 | +3.2% |
| Jan 10, 2025 | 5D | 2 BR · 1 BA | $840,000 | +0.0% |
| Oct 23, 2024 | 6D | 2 BR · 1 BA | $850,000 | -5.6% |
| Jun 27, 2024 | 3C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $480,000 | -11.1% |
| Sep 29, 2023 | 4A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $735,000 | -4.4% |
| Aug 19, 2022 | 6A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $895,000 | -0.4% |
| Dec 14, 2021 | 9BC | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,003,665 | -14.2% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2021): a median $825/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 3.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2006 | 4D | $325,000 |
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 1-01497-0005). 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.
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At the recent median sale of $840K (3 transfers in the past 24 months, since November 12, 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $11,700 to close, or 1.4% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $0
- No mortgage recording tax or title insurance on a co-op purchase
- Attorneys, lender, building fees and filings: $11,700
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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Comparable buildings
- 10 East 85th Street — A same-street prewar cooperative with a similar height and residential count.
- 12 East 87th Street — The Capitol — An early-twentieth-century cooperative with a closely comparable scale near Fifth Avenue.
- 17 East 84th Street — A smaller prewar cooperative on the neighboring side street.
- 4 East 88th Street — A nine-story prewar cooperative with a similar apartment count in the same Fifth Avenue side-street market.
- 68 East 86th Street — A cooperative from the same early-twentieth-century period, with fewer apartments across more floors.
More Upper East Side buildings
- 3 East 69th Street — 1938 co-op by Sylvan Bien
- 3 East 71st Street — 1944 co-op
- 3 East 84th Street — 1928 co-op
- 3 East 95th Street (The Carhart Mansion) — 1913 condominium
- The Stuart Duncan House, 3 East 75th Street — 1902 condominium
- 4 East 62nd Street (Curzon House) — 1910 condominium by Clinton & Russell
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, 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.
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.
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646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com