40 West 55th Street
40 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019
BBL 1012707501 · BIN 1034808
- Year built
- 1925
- Type
- Condominium
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2006–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf, 2026 to date
- $1,457
- floor-adjusted, 2 sales
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 70
- On record
- 2006–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 40W55 would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.
40 West 55th Street — marketed as 40W55 — is a pre-war condominium with an unusual provenance: a 1925 building designed by Rosario Candela, the architect whose name is synonymous with the most coveted apartment houses on Park and Fifth Avenues, converted to residential condominium use in 1985. Set on a prime Midtown mid-block between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, the ten-story, 35-residence building offers the rare pairing of a Candela pedigree with the ownership flexibility of a condominium.
The appeal is specific. Most Candela buildings are cooperatives, and most Midtown condominiums are post-war or new construction; 40W55 sits at the intersection — pre-war bones and a marquee architect, delivered in condominium form. The residences carry classic pre-war character — high ceilings, hardwood floors, and, distinctively, wood-burning fireplaces — while the building offers the full-service comfort of a 24-hour doorman and the latitude that condominium ownership provides.
For a buyer who wants pre-war atmosphere and a recognized architectural name without a co-op board, 40W55 is an unusual find in the heart of Midtown, steps from Fifth Avenue shopping, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, and Central Park.
Building operations
40W55 operates as a full-service condominium with a 24-hour doorman, a bike room, and central laundry, with the wood-burning fireplaces a maintained feature of the residences. As a condominium, the building offers fee-simple ownership without a co-op board gauntlet: purchases clear through a right-of-first-refusal rather than a board interview, financing is not subject to co-op-style caps, and pied-à-terre use, subletting, and ownership through trusts or entities are customary. The amenities and shared systems are maintained through the common charges, scaled efficiently to the building's 35 households.
Architecture and residences
The building was designed by Rosario Candela in 1925, originally for office use, and converted to residences in the mid-1980s — a transformation that gave the apartments their distinctive proportions. The masonry exterior and proportioned window lines reflect Candela's pre-war vocabulary, while the conversion produced full-floor and large-format layouts uncommon in Midtown condominiums of the era.
The 35 residences are characterized by classic pre-war detail: high ceilings, hardwood floors, and wood-burning fireplaces in many homes — a genuine rarity in Manhattan and a signature of the building. Many apartments are two-bedroom, two-bath configurations, with renovations across the building bringing updated kitchens and baths to a number of homes while preserving the period character that the Candela design and the conversion produced.
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Common charges + taxes, per room
- $600 per room a monthMedian of 8 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges + taxes, per square foot
- $2.19 per square foot a monthMedian of 7 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges alone, per square foot
- $1.12 per square foot a monthMedian of 12 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
- Real estate taxes alone, per square foot
- $1.08 per square foot a monthMedian of 12 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
Common charges plus real estate taxes, combined into one monthly figure the way New York condominium listings show them. Add a mortgage payment for the monthly outlay. The split into common charges and taxes comes from the listings that also give the annual tax, a different sample, so the two lines need not add up exactly to the combined median; a tax abatement can hold taxes below the full amount until it expires. A summary of recorded sales and listings, not a current bill; charges change.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Full-time doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Attended lobby
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of Buildings elevator records
- Amenities noted
- Bike storage, laundry roomSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $19,098/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $45
- Modeled exposure split equally across 35 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; condominium owners are typically charged by each unit's common-interest percentage.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the inspector (QEWI) identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair, with repairs due by the deadline stated in the filing. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
Recent sales
Recent closings at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2026 | 4B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,354 sf | $1,999,999 | $1,477/sf | -7.0% |
| Mar 18, 2026 | 4D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,070 sf | $1,399,000 | $1,307/sf | +0.0% |
| Mar 5, 2025 | 6D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,070 sf | $1,360,000 | $1,271/sf | -1.1% |
| Dec 9, 2024 | 1E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,070 sf | $1,090,000 | $1,019/sf | -8.8% |
| Jul 10, 2024 | 5D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,070 sf | $1,200,000 | $1,121/sf | -4.0% |
| May 17, 2024 | 4D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,070 sf | $1,140,000 | $1,065/sf | -3.0% |
| May 13, 2024 | 2B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,354 sf | $2,020,000 | $1,492/sf | -8.0% |
| Oct 24, 2023 | 7C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,070 sf | $1,350,000 | $1,262/sf | -9.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $1,457/sf (floor-adjusted) across 2 sales. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. Median listing discount 0.0% from the last ask.
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
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 1-01270-7501; each condominium apartment is its own tax lot). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. 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.
Closed rents at 40W55, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| 2 bedroom | 3 | $6,300 |
3 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease March 2026. Based on few leases. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
What would your apartment rent for?
The figures above are the building's closed leases. Enter your apartment and I'll send you what yours would rent for, from comparable leases at 40W55 and nearby.
At the recent median sale of $1.38M (4 sales in the past 24 months, since October 31, 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $59,609 to close, or 4.3% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $13,795
- Mortgage recording tax: $19,917
- Title insurance: $6,208
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $19,689
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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What to know if you’re buying
The buying case is pedigree plus structure. You are buying a Rosario Candela-designed building — a recognized architectural name — in condominium form, with the financing flexibility, light closing process, and resale and rental latitude that fee-simple ownership provides. The pre-war character, the wood-burning fireplaces, and the 24-hour doorman, all in the center of Midtown, are the lifestyle draw.
Diligence runs along condominium lines: review the reserve fund and capital-project history, the condition of the pre-war façade and building systems given the 1925 construction and 1980s conversion, and the specifics of any unit's fireplace, light, and renovation state. Floor and exposure drive value here, and a working wood-burning fireplace is a meaningful premium feature worth confirming on a unit-by-unit basis.
What to know if you’re selling
Sellers lead with the building's distinctive story: a Rosario Candela-designed pre-war building delivered as a condominium, with wood-burning fireplaces and a 24-hour doorman, in the heart of Midtown steps from Fifth Avenue and Central Park. The combination of a marquee architect and condominium flexibility is unusual and resonates strongly with buyers who want pre-war character without a co-op board.
Benchmark pricing to the pre-war and boutique Midtown condominium set, adjusting for floor, light, renovation level, and fireplace. Presentation should foreground the Candela provenance and the pre-war detail — points that distinguish a home here and help a well-prepared listing stand out given how little comparable inventory the 35-unit building produces.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 40W55, these nearby Midtown buildings make a useful comparison set:
- 17 West 54th Street — pre-war Midtown building nearby
- 25 West 54th Street — Midtown cooperative a block south
- 20 West 53rd Street — full-service Midtown building
- 33 West 56th Street — Midtown building nearby; compare its architecture and construction history separately
- 112 West 56th Street — Midtown building for comparison
- 146 West 57th Street — Midtown building for scale comparison
More Central Midtown buildings
- 135W52, 135 West 52nd Street — 1985 condominium
- 20 West 53rd Street — 2015 condominium by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
- 35 West 54th Street — co-op
- 45 West 54th Street — 1948 co-op
- 8–16 West 45th Street — condominium
- Museum Tower, 15 West 53rd Street — 1985 condominium by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
The neighborhood
For the full neighborhood — its buildings, character, and market — read The Roebling Team Guide to Central Midtown.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
Considering a move at 40W55?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com