- Year built
- 1886
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 17
- Floors
- 6
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Per the condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2023
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $826
- Listing discount
- 2.4%
- Recorded sales
- 25
- On record
- 2003–2023
309 West 83rd Street is one of the more layered addresses on the Upper West Side — a Colonial Revival building of 1886–87 designed by J. E. Terhune, standing on the quiet, landmarked block between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive. Its history reads like a compressed chronicle of the neighborhood: Terhune designed it as four single-family dwellings; in 1916 the houses were combined and converted into a school; in 1933 the Thirteenth Church of Christ, Scientist purchased the building and occupied it as a church; and between 1978 and 1981 it was sold and converted into two condominium units — one reserved for institutional use, the other a residential condominium of Class A apartments. Since 1995 the institutional unit has housed the Aish Center, a social and cultural center for young Jewish professionals.
For a buyer, the residential condominium is the point of interest: seventeen apartments inside a distinctive brick building with an arched main entrance, a triple row of decorative header brick above the arch, iron balconies stacked from the second through the sixth stories, and flanking chimneys — the full vocabulary of a well-preserved 1880s Colonial Revival composition, protected within the Riverside Drive–West End Historic District Extension I. The block itself is among the Upper West Side's most desirable residential streets, low-rise and tree-lined, a short walk from Riverside Park.
This is a small, historically rich building rather than a full-service tower. Its appeal is the architecture, the landmark-protected block, and the intimacy of a seventeen-unit condominium a few steps from the park.
Architecture and unit composition
Terhune's design is a textbook piece of 1880s Colonial Revival masonry. The brick facade centers on an arched main entrance topped by a triple row of decorative header brick; iron balconies run at the second through sixth stories, and flanking chimneys and a brick parapet with metal railings complete the roofline. The building's evolution — from four row houses to a school, to a church, to a condominium — has left it with an unusual internal history, and the residential conversion of 1978–81 organized the apartment portion as a distinct condominium unit alongside the institutional space.
Inside, the seventeen residences reflect that reconfiguration: apartments carved from a nineteenth-century structure, varied in size and plan, with the light and proportion of a low-rise, park-adjacent building. As with any building of this lineage, layouts differ from floor to floor, and pricing is best built unit by unit.
Building operations
309 West 83rd Street operates as a boutique condominium sharing its structure with a separate institutional condominium unit — a configuration buyers should understand during due diligence, including how common areas, entrances, and shared systems are allocated between the residential and institutional units. The residential building offers an elevator, common storage, and secured entry. Because the building sits within the Riverside Drive–West End Historic District, visible exterior work is subject to Landmarks review, which protects the facade and streetwall but adds process to any alteration. Common charges reflect a small residential condominium; buyers should review the declaration, reserves, and the cost-sharing arrangement with the institutional unit closely.
Recent sales
As a condominium, 309 West 83rd Street prices on a price-per-square-foot basis, with the higher and better-configured residences carrying the building's premiums. Turnover is light in a seventeen-unit building of this age; both resale and owner-rental activity occur, but this is an ownership condominium, not a rental building. Apartment-level context — floor, exposure, prewar proportion, and condition — drives pricing far more than any building average, and the landmark block and park proximity support pricing for residences that present the building's character well.
Recent closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2023 | C | 2 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,180 sf | $975,000 | $826/sf | -2.4% |
| Dec 12, 2022 | 1A | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $890,000 | -0.6% | |
| Sep 7, 2021 | B | 1 BR · 1.5 BA | $899,000 | -5.3% | |
| Feb 13, 2019 | C | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $925,000 | -2.6% | |
| Jun 15, 2017 | 5C | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,235,000 | -0.7% | |
| May 20, 2016 | 4C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,400 sf | $1,750,000 | $1,250/sf | off-mkt |
| Mar 10, 2016 | 5B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 600 sf | $2,050,000 | $3,417/sf | -10.7% |
| Jul 15, 2015 | 5D | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,400,000 | +0.2% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2023) cleared a median $826/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 2.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2007 | B | $899,000 |
| Sep 26, 2005 | 5A | $1,679,000 |
| Jun 20, 2005 | B | $799,000 |
| Oct 15, 2003 | 5A | $1,679,000 |
| Sep 30, 2003 | 5D | $1,150,000 |
| 5C | $2,235,000 |
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 1-01245-7501) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
Understand the two-condominium structure. The building contains a residential condominium unit and a separate institutional unit (the Aish Center). Review how the declaration allocates common areas, entrances, and shared systems.
The architecture and block are the assets. An 1887 Terhune facade on a landmarked, park-adjacent block is a durable, defensible story.
Plan around Landmarks. Visible exterior changes require LPC review. The protection is a feature, but it shapes timelines for facade or window work.
Condo flexibility, with due diligence. Pied-à-terre, subletting, and LLC/trust ownership are generally permitted under a condominium declaration; confirm the specifics, along with reserves and the cost-sharing arrangement, before you commit.
Mansion tax thresholds apply. At this building's pricing, the $1M and $2M cliffs can be in play. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the history and the block. The Terhune architecture, the layered building history, and the landmarked, park-adjacent street are the marketing story.
Comp at the apartment level. With seventeen heterogeneous units, generic neighborhood averages mislead. Price from the building's own trades and the closest park-block peers.
Be ready to explain the structure. A prepared, transparent account of the residential-and-institutional condominium arrangement reassures buyers and their attorneys.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 309 West 83rd Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper West Side buildings:
- 320 West 83rd Street — nearby West 83rd Street building on the same block
- 323 West 83rd Street — neighboring West 83rd Street building
- 325 West 83rd Street — nearby West 83rd Street building
- 303 West 80th Street — nearby West End Avenue–area building
- 310 West 79th Street — nearby Upper West Side building
The Roebling Team at 309 West 83rd Street
The Roebling Team at Compass works the full Upper West Side, including the landmarked blocks between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive. We publish this profile because buildings with unusual histories and mixed condominium structures deserve building-level intelligence — architecture, the legal configuration, and apartment-level pricing context — rather than generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 309 West 83rd Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring the full context this page provides plus the transactional specifics your situation requires.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
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