303 East 57th Street (The Excelsior)
303 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022
Sutton Place
BBL 1013500001 · BIN 1039997
- Year built
- 1967
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 371
- Floors
- 47
- Managing agent
- Orsid New York
Compiled by The Roebling Research Desk from the building’s offering plan, amendments, and related building documents (primary source dated 2026). Board policies can change by amendment — confirm at the offer stage.
Every recorded sale at this building, 2002–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $425
- Listing discount
- 5.2%
- Recorded sales
- 443
- On record
- 2002–2026
The Excelsior is, per public records, "a precursor of many major mixed-use buildings" — the residential-over-office stacking that would become the template for The Galleria (1975), Olympic Tower (1976), Trump Tower (1983) grew out of the model Birnbaum pioneered here in 1967.
Scale is where the building made its mark: when built it was the city's tallest residential tower, a 47-story precursor to the entire late-1960s and 1970s East Side high-rise generation. Birnbaum believed in the project enough to make himself its architect-as-resident anchor, moving his own offices into the building. And he equipped it with a comprehensive amenity package uncommon for the era — state-of-the-art fitness center, swimming pool, sauna, steam rooms, a spacious lobby, and ground-floor retail.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $6,325,662/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $6,712,813/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $1,421 – $1,508
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
- 1.5% of sales price or $1,000, whichever is higher (shareholder, at closing)
- Sublet policy
- Building SubLease Fee = one month maintenance paid over 12 months; sublet renewal processing fee $250
- Notable fees
- Max financing 50% of purchase price; income must equal 40x monthly maintenance; 1.5x sale price in liquid assets
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 7G | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,400 sf | $665,000 | $475/sf | -4.9% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 41G | 4 BR · 4 BA · 3,300 sf | $1,250,000 | $379/sf | -24.2% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 6F | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,100 sf | $410,000 | $373/sf | -5.7% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 16F | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,100 sf | $450,000 | $409/sf | -9.8% |
| Jan 20, 2026 | 46E | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,800 sf | $950,000 | $528/sf | -4.9% |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 35B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,800 sf | $1,050,000 | $583/sf | -16.0% |
| Dec 2, 2025 | 14G | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $450,000 | +0.0% | |
| Sep 4, 2025 | 41A | 2 BR · 3 BA · 2,200 sf | $950,000 | $432/sf | -4.9% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $425/sf across 5 sales. Median listing discount 5.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2003 | 35G | $1,695,000 |
| Jul 24, 2002 | 31F | $800,000 |
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 1-01350-0001) 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.
Comparable buildings
- The Galleria (117 East 57th Street) — Specter 1975; same-block Midtown East peer
- 322 East 57th Street — Caughey & Evans 1929-30; same-block Midtown East peer
- [Olympic Tower (641 Fifth Avenue)](https://www.theroeblingteam.com/buildings/641-fifth-avenue) — SOM 1976; nearby Midtown East peer
- The Sovereign (425 East 58th Street) — Roth & Sons 1973-74; nearby peer
- Trump Plaza (167 East 61st Street) — Birnbaum 1984; same-architect Lenox Hill peer
Sources: The Roebling Research Library (offering plans, house rules, financial statements, board minutes, internal transaction records); NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers; publicly recorded NYC building data.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Midtown East — read The Roebling Team Guide to Midtown East.
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 The Excelsior?
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 The Excelsior 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.