Cooperative · 1925
305 West 104th Street
305 West 104th Street, New York, NY 10025
Buildings·Cooperative

305 West 104th Street

305 West 104th Street, New York, NY 10025

At a glance
Year built
1925
Type
Cooperative
Landmark
Designated

305 West 104th Street is the kind of handsome, human-scaled pre-war cooperative that defines the quiet streets between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive. Completed in the mid-1920s to the design of Sugarman & Berger — the firm whose portfolio includes the landmark Art Deco New Yorker Hotel — it is a Colonial Revival apartment house in brick, limestone, and terra cotta, sited on a leafy mid-block stretch a short walk from Riverside Park and the Hudson.

The appeal is value and livability rather than spectacle. At 40 apartments across ten stories, with roughly four homes per floor, the building offers the proportions of pre-war construction at a more accessible entry point than the grand doorman houses on Riverside Drive itself. For buyers who want a real pre-war home — high ceilings, solid walls, period detail — on a postcard Upper West Side block, it is a compelling option.

The location is the everyday luxury: Riverside Park and its playgrounds and waterfront paths are a block west, the West Side's restaurant and market streets along Broadway and Amsterdam are close, and the 1 train at 103rd Street keeps the building well connected. This is residential Upper West Side at its most settled.

Architecture and unit composition

Sugarman & Berger designed 305 West 104th Street in a restrained Colonial Revival idiom — a brick body trimmed in limestone and terra cotta, with the dignified street presence typical of the firm and of the Riverside Drive–West End Historic District in which it sits. The building has been carefully maintained over the decades while preserving the character that makes pre-war West Side apartments so durable.

Inside, the four-per-floor plan yields homes with the gracious bones of the period: well-proportioned rooms, generous light from the mid-block exposures, hardwood floors, and the quiet that comes with masonry construction. Layouts run from intimate to classic family configurations, and the building's scale keeps the community close-knit. In-unit washer/dryers are permitted with board approval, a meaningful convenience in a building of this era.

Building operations

305 West 104th Street operates as a well-run boutique cooperative. There is a live-in superintendent and a practical set of shared amenities — a furnished, planted resident garden, a central laundry room, bike storage, and private storage. As a non-doorman building, it carries lower monthly costs than the full-service houses on Riverside Drive while still offering attentive on-site management.

The board's policies are accommodating by co-op standards. The building is pet-friendly. Financing is permitted up to 80% — notably generous for a pre-war cooperative and a real advantage for buyers. In-unit washer/dryers are allowed with board approval. The flip tax is the lower of 10% of gross profit or 7% of the sale price, a structure to model carefully when estimating net proceeds. The combination of high allowable financing and a pet policy makes the building approachable for a wide range of buyers.

Local Law 97

Carbon-penalty exposure
🟡
Moderate — manageable today, 2030 cliff likely
2024–2029 annual penalty
$0 (under cap)
2030–2034 annual penalty
$836/yr
Per unit / month range
$0 – $2
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →

Facade safety — Local Law 11

Local Law 11 / FISP · last inspection 2020–25
Unsafe
What this means for you

An active hazard: the building must keep a sidewalk shed up and make repairs now — expect construction, disruption, and a likely special assessment. We’d get you the repair scope and the building’s funding plan up front, so you go in knowing exactly what’s underway and what it’s likely to cost.

Inspection history
2005–10
SWARMP
2010–15
SWARMP
2015–20
SWARMP
2020–25
Unsafe
2025–30
Due
Next report due
by Feb 2029
On record
$63,850 in filing penalties
The three grades, in buyer terms
SafeGood for ~5 years — no facade assessment on the horizon.
SWARMPSafe now, repairs due on a deadline — budget for the work or a possible assessment.
UnsafeActive hazard: sidewalk shed and repairs now. Expect disruption and an assessment.

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

As a 40-unit cooperative, 305 West 104th Street generates a modest, steady cadence of closings rather than constant turnover. Apartments here tend to be pre-war layouts priced within the Upper West Side cooperative range, with values shaped by floor, light, condition, and the building's value-oriented, non-doorman cost profile. The generous financing allowance broadens the buyer pool and supports liquidity. For the current recorded transfer history tied to this address, see the building's sales page.

What to know if you’re buying

The headline for buyers is access: up to 80% financing is unusually buyer-friendly for a pre-war co-op, lowering the cash barrier relative to most of the neighborhood. The building is pet-friendly and permits washer/dryers with approval. The most important number to model is the flip tax, structured as the lower of 10% of gross profit or 7% of sale price — most relevant to your eventual resale, but worth understanding up front. Expect a standard co-op board package and the lower monthlies that come with a well-run non-doorman building.

What to know if you’re selling

The selling case is value plus location: a Sugarman & Berger Colonial Revival on a prime Riverside-adjacent block, a furnished resident garden, generous 80% financing, and a pet-friendly policy — all of which widen the buyer pool. Because the building is boutique and non-doorman, pricing leans on the broader Upper West Side pre-war cooperative set and on the specific apartment's floor, light, and condition. We position each listing against that comparable tier and prepare sellers to address the flip-tax structure clearly with buyers.

Comparable buildings

If you're considering 305 West 104th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper West Side cooperatives:

The Roebling Team at 305 West 104th Street

The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper West Side, the Riverside and West End corridors, and the broader pre-war cooperative market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers at boutique co-ops like 305 West 104th Street deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture, the financing latitude, the flip-tax structure, and where values sit against the surrounding West Side stock.

If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 305 West 104th Street, a focused consultation is the right starting point.

Considering a move at 305 West 104th Street?

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.

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Corey Cohen, Principal · The Roebling Team at Compass
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com