- Year built
- 2003
- Type
- Condominium
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,667
- Listing discount
- 5.5%
- Recorded sales
- 255
- On record
- 2004–2026
The Milan, at 300 East 55th Street, is a 31-story full-service condominium completed in 2003 on a corner of Second Avenue with a storied past — the site of the legendary El Morocco, the zebra-striped Café Society nightclub where mid-century New York went to be seen. The building that replaced it is a different kind of landmark: one of the earliest and most polished products of the 2000s condominium wave in Turtle Bay, with 152 residences, a live-in resident manager, a parking garage, and a designed garden that set a higher standard for the corridor.
The building's appeal is the balance it strikes. It offers genuine full-service operation — including the rare luxury of an on-site garage and a live-in super — alongside the flexibility of condominium ownership, in a central, transit-rich Midtown East location. It was built to a higher specification than much of the surrounding 2000s stock, and its amenity set, anchored by a Zen garden designed by the noted landscape architect Ken Smith, reflects that ambition.
For buyers, the proposition is clear: condominium flexibility, a complete full-service staff, an on-site garage, and a refined amenity package, on a central Second Avenue corner with deep restaurant, retail, and transit convenience.
Architecture and unit composition
The Milan presents as a refined contemporary tower of its era — 31 stories of stone and glass with a clean, durable envelope, scaled to its Second Avenue corner. The architecture was pitched a notch above the standard 2000s condominium, with materials and detailing chosen to age well and to signal a building positioned toward the top of the Turtle Bay set.
The 152 residences span studios through three-bedrooms, with floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings, and hardwood floors. The corner siting yields open exposures and strong light across many lines; higher floors capture city and partial river views over the surrounding low-rise stock. Layouts are practical and well-proportioned, and many homes have been updated by individual owners over the years.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $79,331/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $57
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
Recent closings 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 14, 2026 | 17B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,535 sf | $2,250,000 | $1,466/sf | -2.0% |
| Jan 29, 2026 | 10D | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,480 sf | $2,225,000 | $1,503/sf | off-mkt |
| Apr 24, 2025 | 20C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,235 sf | $1,850,000 | $1,498/sf | -6.3% |
| Jan 16, 2025 | PHB | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,515 sf | $4,920,000 | $1,956/sf | -1.1% |
| Dec 6, 2024 | 5F | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,120 sf | $1,340,000 | $1,196/sf | -4.3% |
| Apr 26, 2024 | 8F | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,121 sf | $1,425,000 | $1,271/sf | -3.4% |
| Apr 4, 2024 | 26B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,619 sf | $2,362,500 | $1,459/sf | -5.3% |
| Feb 20, 2024 | 4A | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,556 sf | $1,800,000 | $1,157/sf | -14.3% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,667/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 5.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2015 | 7C | $2,372,500 |
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 1-01347-7501) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
The Milan is a condominium, which is its structural advantage in a corridor heavy with co-ops. Financing is flexible, there is no co-op board admissions process — purchases clear a lighter condominium right-of-first-refusal — and pied-à-terre, investment, trust, and LLC purchases are customary, with resale and subletting materially freer than at a co-op. The building is pet-friendly and offers an on-site garage — both meaningful conveniences. For buyers who want full-service living with flexibility in central Midtown East, the building is a logical target.
Underwrite the full carrying picture. Common charges fund the doorman, the live-in super, the garden and amenities, and building operations; real estate taxes complete the monthly figure. We help buyers model the all-in cost and weigh it against the co-op and rental alternatives nearby.
What to know if you’re selling
The Milan sells on its full-service operation and its conveniences. The live-in resident manager, the on-site garage, the pet-friendly policy, the Ken Smith garden, and the condominium structure are concrete, marketable differentiators — and the El Morocco history gives the address a memorable story that sets it apart in a corridor of anonymous towers.
Price to the Turtle Bay / Midtown East condominium set, adjusted for floor, exposure, and renovation. A high-floor corner line with open light belongs at the top of the building's range; an original lower-floor studio sets the entry. Condominium closing mechanics — a right-of-first-refusal rather than a board process — are themselves a selling point to the flexibility-minded buyer this building attracts, and a clean, well-presented listing moves quickly given the building's amenities.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Milan, also evaluate nearby Turtle Bay and Midtown East buildings:
- 250 East 53rd Street (The Veneto) — Midtown East condominium nearby
- 305 East 51st Street (Halcyon) — Midtown East condominium with pool
- 345 East 56th Street — Sutton-area co-op nearby
- 100 East 53rd Street — Midtown East luxury condominium
- 300 East 59th Street — full-service Midtown East building
The Roebling Team at The Milan
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Midtown East, Turtle Bay, Sutton Place, and the broader full-service Manhattan condominium market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers at full-service condominiums deserve building-specific intelligence — the amenity set, the carrying-cost picture, and where each line sits against the corridor.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at The Milan, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point — we'll walk the building, the numbers, and the comparison set with you.
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.