- Year built
- 1930
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 94
- Landmark
- Designated
329 West 77th Street — better known by its Riverside Drive address, 50 Riverside Drive — is a 1930 pre-war cooperative that holds one of the more coveted corner positions on the upper Upper West Side: the seam where West 77th Street meets Riverside Drive and Riverside Park. The building enters from the side street but takes the more prestigious Drive address, a familiar pre-war convention for corner buildings angling for the Riverside premium.
Designed by Gronenberg & Leuchtag and completed in 1930, the building belongs to the final wave of pre-Depression Upper West Side apartment construction. Its facade carries the period's characteristic detailing — a terra-cotta door surround, brick spandrels with decorative stone insets, bracketed stone balconettes at the upper stories, and a dentiled cornice with roundels — a confident, well-detailed piece of 1930 residential design rather than a stripped utility building. Its inclusion in the West End-Collegiate Historic District Extension reflects that architectural quality and permanently protects the streetscape around it.
The location is the structural draw. Riverside Drive frontage means Riverside Park and the Hudson at the doorstep, a lower-density residential character than the avenue corridors, and the protected calm of one of Manhattan's distinguished historic districts. The 79th Street and 72nd Street subway stations and Broadway's full retail-and-restaurant life are a few blocks east. For buyers who want pre-war architecture, a Riverside Drive corner, and park-and-river orientation, 50 Riverside Drive is a clear and full-service option.
Architecture and unit composition
The building's roughly 94 apartments span pre-war configurations across 15 stories. The corner siting gives many residences dual exposures, and west-facing apartments on the Riverside flank carry the building's park-and-river orientation — a durable value driver given that the park and river cannot be built over. Interiors carry classic pre-war character: herringbone hardwood floors, high beamed ceilings, decorative moldings, and large windows that draw strong natural light, particularly on the western lines.
Pre-war signatures recur throughout: generous proportions, entry foyers, and the solid masonry construction of 1930-era Upper West Side apartment houses. Apartment-level variation is meaningful — floor altitude, corner versus interior exposure, layout, and renovation history all matter to value, and lines price on their individual merits.
Building operations
50 Riverside Drive operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative with a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a live-in resident manager, a children's playroom, a bike room, private storage bins, and central laundry. The amenity package and staffing are robust for a corner pre-war Riverside building, and the playroom in particular signals the building's family orientation.
The cooperative permits financing of up to 75% with board approval, which is more accommodating than the all-cash and low-leverage posture of the tier-one Park and Fifth Avenue co-ops. The building permits pets and allows pied-à-terre ownership — an unusually flexible combination for a pre-war co-op. Guarantors are not accepted, while gifting of funds is permitted. Buyers should review the current proprietary lease and house rules in the course of a purchase.
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 facade passed its last inspection with no required repairs — nothing to budget for here, and no facade assessment on the horizon for roughly five years.
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
Sales context at 50 Riverside Drive:
- With roughly 94 apartments, the building produces a moderate cadence of closings — typically a few transactions per year.
- Pricing spans a band tied to apartment scale, floor, and exposure; corner and park-facing high-floor apartments anchor the top of the range, with interior and lower-floor units more accessible.
- The historic-district setting, Riverside Park frontage, and the building's pet- and pied-à-terre-friendly posture support steady buyer interest.
Treat the ranges here as general context rather than quotations of specific trades; the building's sales record updates from public data.
What to know if you’re buying
The Riverside corner is the asset. Park-and-river orientation and a Riverside Drive address carry a durable premium on the Upper West Side, and the western exposures are protected by the park in perpetuity.
The board posture is flexible for a pre-war co-op. Up to 75% financing, pets allowed, and pied-à-terre ownership permitted make this an easier purchase than much of the surrounding pre-war stock.
The historic-district setting protects the streetscape. The West End-Collegiate Extension governs exterior work and preserves the block's pre-war character.
Inspect the specific apartment. In a 1930 building, condition and layout vary; weigh exposure, light, and renovation history for the unit in question.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the Riverside corner, the pre-war detail, and the board flexibility. The park-and-river orientation, the herringbone-and-beamed-ceiling interiors, and the unusually permissive pet and pied-à-terre policies are the strongest selling points.
Pricing requires apartment-level comparable analysis. Corner versus interior, floor altitude, and renovation quality drive value more than building averages.
The buyer pool skews toward park-oriented West Side buyers and families. Riverside Drive's character and the playroom draw a particular, motivated demographic.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Roughly 6–10 weeks from contract to closing, subject to board-package and interview scheduling.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 50 Riverside Drive, also evaluate:
- 173 Riverside Drive — nearby Riverside Drive cooperative
- 110 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war peer
- 100 Riverside Drive — nearby Riverside Drive cooperative
- 137 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war peer
- 194 Riverside Drive — nearby Riverside Drive cooperative
- 320 West 83rd Street — nearby West End Avenue–area pre-war building
The Roebling Team at 329 West 77th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because Riverside Drive buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 50 Riverside Drive, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
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.