305 East 72nd Street (Charing Cross House)
305 East 72nd Street, New York, NY 10021
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1014477501 · BIN 1076314
- Year built
- 1955
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 177
- Floors
- 17
- Pets
- Permitted under building rules
- Financing
- Up to 75 percent permitted (25 percent minimum down)
- Flip tax
- 2 percent of the gross sale price, seller-paid
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR · combo median
- $670K
- Recent range
- $200K – $1.8M
- Listing discount
- 5.3%
- Recorded transfers
- 218
Charing Cross House is a case study in why tenure has to be read carefully rather than assumed. Its legal entity is "305/72 Condominium," and a quick glance at the city's tax records would file it as a condominium. In practice, the building sells and operates as a cooperative — a cond-op — where buyers purchase shares, pay monthly maintenance, and go through cooperative board approval. Getting that right is the difference between an accurate underwriting and a wrong one, and it is exactly the kind of distinction a generic building description misses.
Beyond the structure, the building carries a genuine piece of New York literary history. Helene Hanff — author of 84, Charing Cross Road, the beloved epistolary memoir of her correspondence with a London bookseller — lived here, and the building takes its name from her book. That is a real, documented asset, and it gives an otherwise workmanlike postwar tower a story that resonates with a certain kind of buyer.
What Charing Cross House offers in the market is accessible full-service cooperative living in Lenox Hill: a doorman, a roof deck, a gym, and ground-floor conveniences including a 24-hour pharmacy, at price points that sit well below the corridor's pre-war co-ops. The financing and policy framework — 75 percent financing, pieds-à-terre entertained case by case — is friendlier than the Park and Fifth Avenue tier, which widens the buyer pool.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is postwar pragmatism at scale: H.I. Feldman's design joins a 6-story north wing facing East 73rd Street to a 17-story south tower facing East 72nd Street via a connecting corridor, in beige brick, with the column-free corner windows characteristic of the era and terraces and bay windows on select lines. Roughly 177 apartments run from studios and one-bedrooms — the building's core inventory — through two-bedroom combinations; sources differ modestly on the exact count and the building's precise construction year, and the offering plan controls on any specific unit. Some apartments carry in-unit washer/dryers; the building is noted for a "green building" designation.
Because this is a cooperative, apartments are valued on a per-room basis rather than strictly per square foot — an important framing for buyers translating between condominium and co-op pricing in the same neighborhood.
Building operations
Charing Cross House runs as a full-service cooperative: 24-hour doorman, a live-in resident manager, a fitness center, a landscaped roof deck with skyline views, central laundry across both wings, a bike room, and private and common storage, over ground-floor retail that includes a 24-hour pharmacy. The building is managed by AKAM Associates. The offering plan, house rules, board fee schedule, and financial statements are held in The Roebling Research Library and available to clients during diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
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
The building's resale market is a value-and-flexibility market. Buyers reach it wanting a doorman, a roof deck, and a gym in Lenox Hill without the down-payment and pied-à-terre restrictions of the avenue co-ops — and the 75 percent financing posture and case-by-case pied-à-terre tolerance deliver exactly that. Studios and one-bedrooms are the building's currency, which makes it a natural first-purchase and parents-buying building and means same-line comparables are plentiful. The seller-paid 2 percent flip tax is a real number to build into pricing and net-proceeds math from the start.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2026 | 3HN | 1 BR · 1 BA · 720 sf | $685,000 | $951/sf | +9.6% |
| Apr 13, 2026 | 3DS | 1 BR · 1 BA · 750 sf | $670,000 | $893/sf | +3.2% |
| Mar 20, 2026 | 4CN | $407,500 | -1.8% | ||
| Jan 28, 2026 | 13I | 1 BA | $390,000 | -1.3% | |
| Nov 7, 2025 | 10G | 1 BA · 550 sf | $480,000 | $873/sf | -3.8% |
| Oct 23, 2025 | 6IS | 1 BA | $445,000 | -8.2% | |
| Sep 18, 2025 | 6FN | 1 BR · 1 BA · 700 sf | $610,000 | $871/sf | -6.2% |
| Aug 25, 2025 | 2FN | 1 BR · 1 BA | $670,000 | -3.6% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $940/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 1.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2018 | 13F | $646,000 |
| Dec 9, 2009 | 14B | $259,000 |
| Dec 9, 2009 | PHF | $125,000 |
| May 13, 2003 | 12G | $275,000 |
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 1-01447-7501) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
Understand the cond-op structure. Despite the "Condominium" in the entity name, you are buying shares in a cooperative and going through co-op board approval. Underwrite it as a co-op — board package, maintenance, financing cap, and all. Run the Co-op Board Qualification Calculator before offering.
The framework is flexible for the corridor. 75 percent financing and case-by-case pied-à-terre tolerance widen the buyer pool relative to the 50–70 percent, primary-residence-only co-ops nearby. Confirm current policy — including any sublet seasoning and duration caps — in writing at contract.
Build the flip tax into the math. The 2 percent seller-paid transfer fee affects pricing strategy and, indirectly, the value you underwrite. Factor it into offer and resale modeling.
Studios and one-bedrooms are the currency. Same-line comparables are the right anchor. Run the Co-op Affordability Calculator on the specific unit.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the story and the flexibility. The Helene Hanff / Charing Cross House history is a documented, searchable asset, and the 75 percent financing and pied-à-terre posture are selling points to this building's buyer pool. Use both.
State the tenure plainly. Buyers and their attorneys need to understand this is a cooperative in operation; framing it correctly up front shortens diligence and prevents mid-deal surprises.
The flip tax shapes your net. Build the seller-paid 2 percent transfer fee into pricing from the start. Run the Seller Closing Cost Calculator before listing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 305 East 72nd Street, also evaluate:
- Belaire (524 East 72nd Street) — full-service condominium two blocks east on the same street, with a pool
- 420 East 72nd Street — Lenox Hill co-op peer on the same corridor
- 220 East 73rd Street (Eastgate) — Emery Roth pre-war co-op one block north; the architecture step-up
- The Impala (404 East 76th Street) — Michael Graves condominium; the flexibility-and-amenity alternative
- 196 East 75th Street (1296 Third Avenue) — full-service Lenox Hill co-op of similar era and scale
- 400 East 70th Street — postwar Lenox Hill full-service building 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 Charing Cross House?
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 Charing Cross House 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.