303 East 57th Street (The Excelsior)
303 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022
- Year built
- 1967
The Excelsior is, per Carter Horsley, "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.
The structural identity rests on three features. First, when built it was the city's tallest residential tower — a 47-story precursor of the late-1960s and 1970s East Side high-rise generation. Second, the Philip Birnbaum architect-as-resident anchor — Birnbaum moved his own offices into the building. Third, the comprehensive amenity package — state-of-the-art fitness center, swimming pool, sauna, steam rooms, spacious lobby, ground-floor retail.
Recent sales
Building offers broad inventory across studios, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, and combo 5BR layouts. Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.
What to know if you’re buying
The Birnbaum mixed-use template is real institutional context. The Excelsior pioneered the residential-over-office stack that defined the next decade of NYC mixed-use construction.
The 47-story scale and 371-unit inventory support broad price-range optionality. Studios through combo 5BR available.
The Queensboro Bridge approach noise is the building's structural marketing challenge. Evaluate lower-floor and east-facing units accordingly.
The white-brick glazed-facade freeze-cycle issues are real institutional history. Verify current capital project status at diligence.
The comprehensive amenity package — swimming pool, sauna, steam rooms — is among the strongest for a 1967-vintage cooperative.
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) — 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
The Roebling Team at The Excelsior
Corey Cohen · The Roebling Team at Compass 646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com
Sources: CityRealty (Carter Horsley review, building 453); theexcelsiornyc.com; NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers.