- Year built
- 1962
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 114
- Floors
- 14
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Permitted (verify current house rules)
- Subletting
- Permitted with board approval
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $698K
- Recent range
- $596K – $1M
- Listing discount
- 5.8%
- Recorded transfers
- 70
333 East 55th Street — marketed as Sutton55 — is a full-service postwar cooperative that occupies a specific and durable position in the Midtown East market: a quiet, mid-block red-brick building a few doors from Second Avenue, close enough to the Sutton Place community to borrow its name, but priced and positioned as an approachable full-service co-op rather than a trophy address. The building was erected in 1962 and converted to cooperative ownership in 1979, part of the broad East Side conversion cycle that turned much of the neighborhood's postwar rental inventory into owner-occupied cooperatives.
What makes the building matter to a buyer is not architectural distinction — it is the combination of a genuine full-service operation (doorman, live-in resident manager, roof deck, fitness center, garage, bike room, laundry) with an unusually flexible board posture for a co-op of its vintage. Where much of the East Side's pre-war and early-postwar cooperative stock enforces strict primary-residence rules, this building has historically accommodated guarantors, gifting, co-purchasing, parents purchasing for children, pied-à-terre use, and subletting — all subject to board approval. For buyers who need co-op flexibility on the East Side, that policy framework is the building's defining feature.
The location is the second structural fact. East 55th Street between First and Second is quiet and residential, insulated from the avenue traffic, yet within a short walk of the restaurants and services that serve the Sutton Place and Midtown East communities. The Queensboro Bridge approach sits a few blocks north; the building's mid-block position keeps it off the busiest approach corridors while retaining full neighborhood access. Cross-town bus service on 57th Street and the East Side subway lines put the rest of Manhattan within easy reach.
The building's identity, in short, is an East Side full-service cooperative that trades on service, policy flexibility, and a quiet block rather than on architecture or altitude. That is a specific value proposition, and it draws a specific buyer.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is a 14-story, mid-block red-brick apartment house with a two-step-down entrance, sidewalk landscaping, some bay and corner windows, consistent fenestration, and discreet through-wall air conditioning — the standard vocabulary of the better early-1960s Manhattan apartment building. It is not a landmark, and public records do not separately attribute a notable architect; the building's interest is operational rather than architectural.
The apartment mix runs across studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and larger combination layouts, with the roughly 114–124-unit count producing a broad range of price points within a single building. Corner and bay-windowed units carry a light-and-air premium; the low-rise Bristol Medical Building diagonally across the street preserves meaningful open exposure for a number of lines. Upper-floor units gain roof-deck-level light and, on the better lines, open city views.
Because this is a cooperative, value is best understood in co-op terms — price per room and the monthly maintenance carry — rather than in the price-per-square-foot framing used for condominiums. A studio, a one-bedroom, and a two-bedroom at this building are best compared to their peer co-op inventory in the corridor on a room-count and maintenance basis, with the building's amenity package and policy flexibility priced in.
Building operations
333 East 55th Street operates as a full-service cooperative: full-time doorman, a live-in resident manager (superintendent), a roof deck with seating and open views, a fitness center, a bike room, a laundry room, an on-site parking garage, and a planted courtyard. For a building of its size and vintage, that is a strong amenity set — notably, the building added fitness facilities that the original 1962 configuration did not include.
Monthly maintenance covers the building's operating costs, staff, real estate taxes attributable to each unit's shares, and the underlying mortgage debt service — the standard cooperative structure. Maintenance is the number that matters most to a co-op buyer's carry, and it varies by line and share count; prospective purchasers should review the current maintenance schedule, the most recent financial statements, the reserve position, and any planned or assessed capital work during due diligence. As with any red-brick postwar building, façade and Local Law 11 cycle work is a recurring capital category worth confirming.
There is no ground-lease complication of record; the building sits on land it owns, which supports financing and simplifies the underlying-mortgage picture relative to land-lease cooperatives. Confirm current financials and any active assessments at the diligence stage.
Recent sales
Sales at 333 East 55th Street should be read as a Midtown East full-service co-op market rather than a trophy market. Pricing is driven by line, floor, exposure, and — critically for a cooperative — the maintenance carry and the buyer's ability to clear the board. Studios and one-bedrooms turn over most frequently and set the building's entry price points; two-bedroom and combination units transact less often and command the building's top pricing.
Because the building is a cooperative, the relevant comparables are per-room and per-maintenance-dollar, not per-square-foot. A well-renovated unit on a high floor with a favorable exposure and a manageable maintenance will price at a premium to a comparable-size unit with dated finishes or a heavier carry. The absence of a flip tax (verify at offer stage) is a modest but real advantage to sellers relative to peer buildings that impose one.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 2026 | 7G | 2 BR · 1 BA · 820 sf | $650,000 | $793/sf | -5.8% |
| Dec 4, 2025 | PHC | 1 BR · 1 BA · 810 sf | $700,000 | $864/sf | -3.4% |
| Jun 20, 2025 | 7F | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $675,000 | $844/sf | +12.5% |
| Jun 11, 2024 | 10G | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $720,000 | $900/sf | -1.4% |
| May 31, 2024 | 10E | 1 BR · 1 BA | $735,000 | -6.8% | |
| May 28, 2024 | 2H | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $596,000 | $745/sf | -8.3% |
| May 1, 2024 | 5F | 2 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $860,000 | $1,075/sf | off-mkt |
| Sep 7, 2023 | 10D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf | $1,025,000 | $854/sf | off-mkt |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $772/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 3.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2022 | 8H | $635,000 |
| Jul 28, 2021 | 9F | $730,000 |
| Jul 14, 2021 | 4A | $500,000 |
| Sep 22, 2017 | 4J | $595,000 |
| Oct 30, 2014 | 5E | $795,000 |
| Mar 26, 2014 | 8J | $515,000 |
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 1-01348-0016) 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 — underwrite the board and the carry, not just the price. A purchase here requires board approval, a board interview, and financials that satisfy the building's post-closing liquidity and debt-to-income expectations. Model the full monthly carry (maintenance plus any assessment) and confirm the building's financing ceiling before you make an offer.
The policy flexibility is the building's edge. The building has historically accommodated guarantors, gifting, co-purchasing, parents buying for children, pied-à-terre use, and subletting — all with board approval. If your situation needs any of those, this building is unusually well-suited among East Side co-ops. Confirm the current house rules and any sublet term limits at diligence.
Financing is typically permitted to a meaningful level. The building has historically allowed financing up to roughly 75% (verify current policy). That supports a broader buyer pool than the all-cash and low-financing co-ops elsewhere in the corridor.
Maintenance and capital position are the key diligence items. Review the current maintenance schedule, the most recent financial statements, the reserve fund, and any planned or assessed capital work — particularly façade and Local Law 11 cycle projects typical of red-brick postwar buildings.
Exposure and line matter. The low-rise building across the street preserves light and air for a number of lines; corner and bay-windowed units carry a premium. View units in person, at more than one time of day, to assess light and any avenue-adjacent noise.
Confirm the flip tax. Public policy data indicates no flip tax at this building, which benefits sellers and is worth confirming in writing at offer stage.
What to know if you’re selling
Price in co-op terms. The buyer pool compares this apartment to peer full-service co-ops on a per-room and maintenance-carry basis. Position the maintenance, the amenity package, and the policy flexibility as part of the value story, not just the asking price.
Board approvability shapes the buyer pool. The building's flexible policies widen the pool — pied-à-terre, sublet, and co-purchase buyers who are shut out elsewhere can transact here. Market to that reality.
Condition drives premium. Renovated units with favorable exposures and manageable maintenance command the building's top pricing; dated units compete on price. Stage and present accordingly.
Closing timelines follow the co-op calendar. Board application, package review, and interview add time relative to a condo; plan the marketing-to-close timeline around the board process.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 333 East 55th Street, also evaluate:
- 303 East 57th Street (The Excelsior) — Philip Birnbaum 1967; nearby full-service Midtown East cooperative
- 322 East 57th Street — pre-war Midtown East cooperative a few blocks north
- 117 East 57th Street (The Galleria) — 1975 full-service Midtown East mixed-use peer
- 430 East 58th Street — nearby East Side cooperative
- 167 East 61st Street (Trump Plaza) — Birnbaum 1984; nearby full-service Lenox Hill cooperative
The Roebling Team at Sutton55
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Manhattan cooperative market — including the full-service co-op inventory of Midtown East. We publish this building profile because co-op buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — board posture, maintenance reality, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 333 East 55th 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 — board-package strategy, financing structure, due diligence priorities, and comparable analysis at the apartment level.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Midtown East — read The Roebling Team Guide to Midtown East.
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