40 West 77th Street
40 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1011290050 · BIN 1028820
- Year built
- 1928
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 100
- Financing
- Up to 75% permitted
- Flip tax
- 10% of net profit (seller)
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $1M
- Recent range
- $792K – $5.2M
- Listing discount
- 3.4%
- Recorded transfers
- 90
40 West 77th Street sits on one of the Upper West Side's most singular blocks. The building faces the American Museum of Natural History and its grounds directly across the street, with the New-York Historical Society at the corner and Central Park a half-block east. That orientation gives the building something rare in the pre-war West Side inventory: a permanent, low-rise, institutionally protected outlook to the south and east that no future development can erode. The museum's open campus functions, in practice, as a second park frontage.
Completed in 1928 to the design of Jacob M. Felson, the building belongs to the late-1920s wave of West Side apartment construction that produced the avenue's mature pre-war character — generous masonry buildings with classical detailing, substantial room proportions, and the kind of beamed-ceiling, molding-and-hardwood interiors that define the era. At 16 stories and 100 apartments, it is a mid-to-large pre-war cooperative: large enough to support full-time staffing and a steady transaction cadence, intimate enough to retain a residential, owner-occupied character. The B/C trains stop a block and a half east at the 81st Street–Museum of Natural History station, with the 1 train on Broadway two blocks west.
For buyers, the appeal is the combination — pre-war architecture, a museum-and-park outlook, a full-service operation, and a board that is comparatively welcoming on the policy questions that constrain other pre-war co-ops. The building is pet-friendly and pied-à-terre friendly, permits washer/dryers and central air with approval, and allows financing up to 75%. For sellers, the museum-block address is one of the strongest location stories on the Upper West Side and should anchor any marketing program.
Architecture and unit composition
The building's 100 apartments span the range typical of a 1928 West Side cooperative — from one- and two-bedroom layouts through larger three- and four-bedroom configurations on the upper floors and at the corners. Pre-war signatures recur throughout: high ceilings, beamed and molded detail, hardwood floors, and the deep, well-proportioned rooms that the era's construction allowed. Washer/dryers and central air conditioning are permitted with board approval, so renovated lines can carry modern systems behind the period detail.
The most desirable apartments are the upper-floor and front-facing residences with open exposures over the museum grounds toward Central Park — the building's defining view. Apartments oriented to West 77th Street look across the museum's open block; higher floors capture park and skyline beyond.
The lobby has been restored in marble, consistent with the building's pre-war presentation, and the apartments retain period detail in varying states of preservation depending on individual renovation history.
Building operations
40 West 77th Street operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative: full-time doorman coverage, elevator service, a live-in superintendent, bicycle storage, and basement private storage (subject to availability). The 100-unit scale supports this staffing comfortably while keeping common charges in line with a mid-size pre-war operation.
The board is relatively accommodating on the policy questions that matter most to a broad buyer pool. The building is pet-friendly and pied-à-terre friendly, permits washer/dryers and central air conditioning with board approval, and allows financing up to 75%. A flip tax of 10% of net profit is paid by the seller at closing — a profit-based structure that scales with gains rather than a flat percentage of price, which buyers and sellers should model carefully into their resale math.
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 latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
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 | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2026 | 12D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $1,040,000 | -9.6% | |
| Feb 27, 2026 | 10D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $1,250,000 | +0.0% | |
| Oct 27, 2025 | 5D | 1 BR · 1 BA · 750 sf | $792,000 | $1,056/sf | -11.5% |
| Oct 21, 2025 | 7B | 4 BR · 3 BA | $5,150,000 | -6.4% | |
| Jun 11, 2025 | 3C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $896,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jun 9, 2025 | 9F | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,950,000 | +3.5% | |
| Apr 30, 2025 | 8D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $975,000 | +0.0% | |
| Mar 7, 2025 | 12D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $1,050,000 | -4.5% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $1,118/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 1.5% 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.
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 1-01129-0050) 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
The museum-and-park outlook is the asset. Front-facing upper-floor apartments command a premium for a reason — the view is permanent and institutionally protected.
The board is comparatively accommodating. Pets, pied-à-terre use, washer/dryers, and central air are all permitted (the latter two with approval), and financing runs to 75% — a flexible package for pre-war stock.
Model the profit-based flip tax. The 10%-of-net-profit transfer fee scales with your gain; factor it into your underwriting and resale math.
Pre-war condition varies apartment to apartment. Inspect the renovation history closely; period detail survives unevenly across 100 units.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the location. The museum block, the Historical Society corner, and the half-block walk to Central Park are among the strongest address stories on the Upper West Side.
The flexible policy broadens your buyer pool. Pet, pied-à-terre, and washer/dryer permissions, plus 75% financing, reach buyers that stricter pre-war co-ops turn away.
Price at the apartment level. With 100 mixed-configuration units, floor, exposure, view, and renovation quality drive value more than any building-wide average.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Plan for roughly 6–10 weeks from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 40 West 77th Street, also evaluate:
- 44 West 62nd Street — Horace Ginsbern's 1974 balconied co-op
- 6 West 77th Street — same museum-block stretch, pre-war peer
- 329 West 77th Street — pre-war West Side cooperative
- 15 West 81st Street — nearby museum-district pre-war co-op
- 170 West 76th Street — full-service West Side building nearby
- 239 Central Park West — pre-war CPW cooperative a short walk east
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
Considering a move at 40 West 77th Street?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 40 West 77th Street 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.