305 West 86th Street
305 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1012480027 · BIN 1033940
- Year built
- 1926
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $686K
- Recent range
- $619K – $1.5M
- Listing discount
- 2.5%
- Recorded transfers
- 69
305 West 86th Street belongs to the dense, high-quality stock of pre-war apartment houses that fills the side streets between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive — the quiet, residential heart of the Upper West Side. Built in 1926 at the close of the corridor's great apartment-house boom, it is a fifteen-story masonry building of the kind that gave these blocks their consistent, dignified streetwall: solid brick over a limestone base, generous floor plates, and the room proportions that define West Side pre-war living.
The building converted from rental to cooperative ownership in 1988, and its appeal today is the same one that draws buyers to this stretch in general — a real pre-war apartment, with the layouts and detail that new construction cannot replicate, on one of the calmest residential blocks in the neighborhood and steps from Riverside Park. With 49 residences across fifteen floors, it is mid-sized: large enough to spread building costs across a meaningful number of shareholders, small enough to retain a settled, owner-occupied character.
For buyers, the case is straightforward. This is classic Upper West Side value: beamed ceilings, herringbone floors, and well-proportioned rooms, in a cooperative that is notably accommodating on the household rules that matter most day to day.
Architecture and unit composition
The building reads as a typical — and well-executed — example of the mid-1920s West End Avenue / Riverside Drive type: a brick shaft over a limestone-trimmed base, with the symmetrical fenestration and quiet classical detailing that the era favored over ornament. Fifteen stories give it real presence on the block without the bulk of the avenue towers a few hundred feet east.
Inside, the apartments carry the hallmarks buyers come to this stretch for: high, beamed ceilings, herringbone hardwood floors, picture moldings, and the generously scaled rooms of pre-war planning. The 49 residences span a range of layouts — from one- and two-bedroom homes to larger family configurations — and the mid-block, between-avenues siting means light from both the street and interior exposures rather than avenue noise. Many homes retain their original pre-war millwork and proportions, the features that make these apartments hold value across cycles.
Building operations
305 West 86th Street runs as a service-oriented pre-war co-op scaled to its size: a part-time doorman, a live-in resident manager who keeps the building tightly maintained, and an attended elevator core. Basement storage and a bike room round out the practical amenities — the package long-term West Side owners actually use. The roughly 1,300-square-foot-per-unit average across the building reflects substantial, family-scaled apartments rather than a chopped-up floor plan.
On house rules, the building is unusually flexible for a pre-war co-op: it is one of the relatively few on the Upper West Side that permits washer/dryers within the apartments, and it is pet-friendly, allowing both dogs and cats. That combination — in-unit laundry plus pets — is a genuine differentiator on a corridor where many boards prohibit one or both.
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 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 →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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2026 | 5B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,150 sf | $1,470,000 | $1,278/sf | -1.7% |
| Jun 23, 2026 | 8A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 850 sf | $740,000 | $871/sf | -7.2% |
| Apr 4, 2024 | 3C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $619,000 | -2.5% | |
| Nov 9, 2023 | 7SOUTH | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,045,000 | +4.6% | |
| Nov 8, 2023 | 7B | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,045,000 | -8.7% | |
| Jul 21, 2023 | 7D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $686,000 | -1.9% | |
| Mar 10, 2022 | 9A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $771,500 | -12.2% | |
| Jan 19, 2022 | 3D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $525,000 | -8.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,119/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 2.5% 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.
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 1-01248-0027) 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
This is a cooperative, so expect the full co-op process: a board application, financial disclosure, and an interview. The flexibility on washer/dryers and pets is a meaningful quality-of-life advantage — confirm the specifics of your intended renovation and any household details as part of the package, but the building's posture on both is established and favorable.
Underwrite the apartment for what it is: a pre-war home where layout, light, condition, and original detail matter more than amenity count. The mid-block, between-avenues location is among the quietest in the neighborhood and a short walk from Riverside Park, the 86th Street crosstown service, and the Broadway retail-and-restaurant spine. For buyers who want authentic Upper West Side pre-war living without the price of a marquee Riverside Drive or West End Avenue building, this is precisely the kind of address that delivers it.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the pre-war substance and the rules. Beamed ceilings, herringbone floors, and pre-war room proportions are the building's marketing core, and the washer/dryer-and-pets policy is a concrete selling point that widens your buyer pool against stricter neighbors. A well-renovated apartment that preserves the original detail consistently outperforms here.
Price to the building's actual comparable set — the pre-war co-ops on the West End / Riverside blocks — rather than to the avenue trophies. Buyers in this segment reward condition and light, so staging an apartment to show its scale and exposures pays off. The board-package process is standard; a clean, well-prepared buyer who fits the building's owner-occupant profile moves through it smoothly.
Comparable buildings
If you're evaluating 305 West 86th Street, also look at these pre-war Upper West Side cooperatives nearby:
- 145 West 86th Street — pre-war co-op on the same block to the east
- 215 West 84th Street — pre-war co-op a few blocks south
- 300 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war co-op around the corner
- 310 Riverside Drive — landmark-quality Riverside Drive cooperative
- 173 Riverside Drive — pre-war Riverside Drive co-op to the south
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West 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 305 West 86th Street?
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 305 West 86th Street 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.