- Year built
- 1910
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- Designated
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2024
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median
- $2.5M
- Recent range
- $2M – $2.5M
- Listing discount
- 4.3%
- Recorded transfers
- 14
The Kelmscott is a 1910 Renaissance Revival cooperative on one of the Upper West Side's most desirable corridors — the quiet, tree-lined blocks between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue, a step from Riverside Park. Designed by Schwartz & Gross, one of the most prolific and accomplished apartment-house firms of pre-war New York, it is the architectural twin of 310 West 79th Street, The Hereford, just down the block — the two buildings were conceived as a matched pair and remain a defining presence on the street.
For buyers, the appeal is the combination that defines this stretch of the West Side: substantial pre-war apartments, masonry construction, and immediate park proximity, all without the price premium of Central Park West or Fifth Avenue. The Kelmscott's twenty-five residences make it an intimate building by neighborhood standards, and its policies — pet-friendly, generous financing, sublet flexibility — make it unusually accommodating for a pre-war co-op.
The result is a building that captures what people move to the Riverside corridor for: architectural character, real space, and a residential calm a short walk from the Hudson, with the cultural and transit conveniences of Broadway close at hand.
Architecture and unit composition
Schwartz & Gross gave The Kelmscott the disciplined Renaissance Revival composition that was their stock-in-trade: a masonry facade with a clearly articulated base, midsection, and crowning cornice, detailed with the restrained classicism that has kept these buildings in demand for more than a century. As the architectural twin of The Hereford next door, the building reads as part of a deliberate streetscape rather than a one-off — a hallmark of the West End–Collegiate district's pre-war coherence.
The twenty-five residences are pre-war apartments in the truest sense: generous room proportions, hardwood floors, and the high ceilings and good light that twelve-story 1910 construction allowed. Layouts run to roomy multi-bedroom homes, including three-bedroom apartments, with the gracious entry foyers and separated living and sleeping zones that pre-war buyers prize. With only about two residences per floor on most levels, the building offers a quiet, private feel uncommon at its price point.
Building operations
The Kelmscott operates as a well-run, pet-friendly cooperative. Day-to-day service is provided by part-time door staff and a live-in resident superintendent, and shared amenities include a central laundry room, a bike room, a private storage room, and a roof deck with the open sky and river-adjacent light the location affords.
The building's policies are notably buyer-friendly for a pre-war co-op: financing is permitted up to 75% of the purchase price, and subletting is allowed on one-year terms with board approval, up to a maximum of roughly three years. Pets are welcome. These terms make The Kelmscott more flexible than many neighboring cooperatives and broaden its appeal to buyers who value the option of subletting or who simply want a co-op that does not impose the strictest financing limits.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $17,389/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $58
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into 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
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 | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2024 | 7W | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,550,000 | -1.9% |
| Aug 29, 2023 | 4E | 3 BR · 1.5 BA | $2,000,000 | -4.3% |
| Jul 12, 2023 | 7W | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,550,000 | -8.1% |
| Oct 31, 2019 | 12E | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,300,000 | -14.7% |
| Apr 27, 2016 | 9W | 4 BR | $3,000,000 | -16.7% |
| Feb 17, 2015 | 4E | 3 BR | $2,400,000 | +2.1% |
| Aug 11, 2011 | 12W | 3 BR | $2,500,000 | -13.6% |
| Apr 16, 2008 | 3E | 3 BR | $2,340,000 | -0.4% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2004) cleared a median $813/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 4.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2011 | 11W | $3,495,000 |
| Apr 23, 2008 | 11W | $2,600,000 |
| Oct 15, 2003 | 7W | $1,595,000 |
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 1-01186-0091) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
The Kelmscott rewards buyers who want pre-war character and real square footage in a building that does not make ownership unnecessarily restrictive. The 75% financing allowance is a genuine advantage over co-ops that cap leverage more tightly, and the pet and sublet policies add flexibility that is rare in the pre-war stock. Buyers should still expect a standard cooperative board package and interview, and should budget for maintenance consistent with a century-old masonry building under careful stewardship.
The location is the durable draw: a quiet block between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue, Riverside Park at the corner, and Broadway's restaurants, markets, and the 1 train within a couple of blocks. For a buyer who values that setting, The Kelmscott offers an accommodating path into it.
What to know if you’re selling
A sale here leads with the building's strengths: a named Schwartz & Gross pre-war cooperative, the architectural-twin distinction shared with The Hereford, genuine pre-war proportions, and an unusually flexible policy set. The 75% financing allowance widens the qualified buyer pool meaningfully relative to stricter co-ops, and the pet-friendly, sublet-permissive posture is a real marketing asset.
Pricing should be benchmarked against comparable pre-war co-ops on the Riverside and West End corridor, with adjustments for floor, light, and layout. The buyer here is someone seeking pre-war space and park proximity at a value to Central Park West — a deep and consistent segment of the West Side market. A well-presented residence, accurately positioned, tends to find that buyer efficiently.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 316 West 79th Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper West Side cooperatives:
- 310 West 79th Street — The Hereford, the building's architectural twin next door
- 112 West 79th Street — pre-war co-op nearby
- 145 West 79th Street — Upper West Side pre-war cooperative
- 100 Riverside Drive — pre-war co-op on the Riverside corridor
- 300 West 83rd Street — West End-area pre-war cooperative
The Roebling Team at The Kelmscott
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper West Side, the Riverside Drive and West End Avenue corridors, and the pre-war cooperative market in particular. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers in a building like The Kelmscott deserve real building-specific intelligence — the architecture, the policy set, the amenities, and where pricing sits against the surrounding pre-war stock.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 316 West 79th Street, a consultation is the right first step.
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.