- Year built
- 1975
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 138
- Pets
- Pet-friendly (verify current policy at offer stage)
- Subletting
- Permitted after two years of ownership
- Financing
- Up to 75% permitted
- Flip tax
- $135 per share
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $635K
- Recent range
- $575K – $705K
- Listing discount
- 2.3%
- Recorded transfers
- 78
The Fontaine is a full-service, 35-story cooperative on 72nd Street between First and Second Avenues — one of the taller cooperatives on the Upper East Side, which is unusual in a neighborhood where the cooperative stock tends to be pre-war and mid-rise. Built in 1975 and converted to cooperative ownership in 1982, the building combines the cooperative form that defines the Upper East Side with a genuine amenity package — a fitness center, a roof deck with panoramic city views, and full-time service — and a tower height that delivers open exposures the neighborhood's lower cooperatives cannot.
For buyers, the building sits at Lenox Hill's accessible cooperative tier. It offers full-service living, real amenities, and high-floor city views at a price point below the prime Fifth, Park, and Madison Avenue cooperatives. The 72nd Street location, near the Second Avenue subway (the Q line) and close to the East River and the neighborhood's Lenox Hill medical corridor, is a genuine convenience. The building's policies are workable for the tier: financing up to 75%, a modest per-share flip tax, subletting permitted after two years, and pied-à-terre use permitted on a case-by-case basis.
Like most Upper East Side cooperatives, The Fontaine prices in rooms rather than square feet, and the resale market tracks the building's postwar tower layouts, its amenity package, and its high-floor exposures.
Architecture and unit composition
The Fontaine is a 1975 postwar high-rise — a 35-story tower rather than a pre-war or mid-rise building. The height is the point: the upper floors capture open city exposures and the panoramic views that the roof deck showcases. The building's tower form and its 138-unit scale support a full amenity program and a broad apartment mix.
The apartment mix reflects postwar tower construction — layouts across the 138 residences, priced by room in the cooperative convention, with the higher floors capturing the building's premium exposures.
Building operations
The Fontaine operates as a full-service cooperative with a 24-hour doorman, a live-in super, a fitness center, a roof deck/terrace with panoramic city views, a central laundry, bike storage, and private storage rooms. The lobby and elevators have been renovated. The fitness center and the roof deck are meaningful amenities for the cooperative tier.
As a cooperative, the building reviews prospective purchasers through a board application and interview process. Financing is permitted up to 75%, the flip tax is $135 per share, subletting is permitted after two years of ownership, and pied-à-terre use is permitted on a case-by-case basis with board approval. Specific current policies — including pet policy detail and the current board posture — should be confirmed against building materials and the managing agent during due diligence. Our Co-op vs Condo guide covers the ownership-structure framing.
Recent sales
The Fontaine trades at Lenox Hill's full-service cooperative tier, priced by room, with recent trading generally below the prime Upper East Side avenue cooperatives. The building's amenity package, tower height, and workable policies — 75% financing, a modest per-share flip tax, subletting after two years — support demand relative to amenity-light neighborhood co-ops. As with any cooperative, pricing should be read at the apartment level; room count, floor, exposure, and condition drive the variation, with the higher floors capturing the open-city views.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2026 | 26A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $640,000 | -1.5% | |
| Jul 9, 2025 | 20C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $590,000 | -1.7% | |
| May 29, 2025 | 30B | 1 BR · 1 BA · 650 sf | $625,000 | $962/sf | -3.8% |
| Mar 19, 2025 | 25D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $595,000 | -0.7% | |
| Oct 2, 2024 | 34C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $662,500 | -3.3% | |
| Jun 17, 2024 | 33B | 1 BR · 1 BA | $640,000 | -5.7% | |
| Jun 6, 2024 | 9C | 1 BR · 700 sf | $705,000 | $1,007/sf | -0.7% |
| Apr 18, 2024 | 17B | 1 BR · 1 BA | $680,000 | -2.2% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $962/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2025 | 7D | $575,000 |
| Oct 30, 2024 | 17D | $630,500 |
| Jun 23, 2022 | 25B | $677,500 |
| Mar 2, 2022 | 16D | $690,000 |
| Jan 4, 2022 | 34B | $699,000 |
| Jul 6, 2021 | 1A/2D | $1,530,000 |
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 1-01447-0019) 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 full-service cooperative — priced by room, board-approved. Expect the cooperative purchase framework: a board application, a financial review, and an interview. The building's policies are workable for the tier — 75% financing, a modest per-share flip tax, subletting after two years.
The tower height and amenities are the draw. The fitness center, the roof deck, and the high-floor city views distinguish The Fontaine from the neighborhood's lower, amenity-light cooperatives. Evaluate the specific apartment's floor and exposure.
Subletting is permitted after two years. For buyers who may want future flexibility, the two-year sublet rule is worth noting.
Confirm the board's current policies directly. Pet policy detail, sublet mechanics, financing thresholds, and the board's current posture should be confirmed against current materials during due diligence.
Model the maintenance and the underlying mortgage. As a cooperative, the monthly maintenance covers the building's operating costs, property taxes, and any underlying mortgage. Review the building's financials and reserve position.
What to know if you’re selling
Foreground the amenities and the views. The building's premium over amenity-light neighborhood co-ops derives from its fitness center, roof deck, and high-floor exposures. Lead marketing with the amenities and the specific apartment's floor and view.
Pricing requires apartment-level comparable analysis. Recent comparables on the specific line, room count, floor, and exposure should anchor the approach.
Board approvability shapes the buyer pool. Prepare buyers for the cooperative application, and price and position to attract financially qualified applicants who will clear the board.
Closing timelines run to the cooperative calendar. Plan for a board application and interview cycle in addition to standard closing timelines.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Fontaine, also evaluate:
- 515 East 72nd Street — nearby full-service tower on 72nd Street
- 420 East 72nd Street — nearby 72nd Street building
- 422 East 72nd Street — adjacent 72nd Street inventory
- 315 East 72nd Street — nearby 72nd Street cooperative
- 360 East 72nd Street — nearby 72nd Street building
- 520 East 72nd Street — nearby 72nd Street building
The Roebling Team at The Fontaine
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side, including Lenox Hill's cooperative inventory, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because cooperative buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, operational reality, transactional mechanics, and apartment-level pricing — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at The Fontaine, 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.
Corey Cohen · The Roebling Team at Compass 646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
Get the full picture on this building.
The full comp set, a private valuation of your line, or current and off-market availability — sent to you directly.