- Year built
- 1959
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 192
- Floors
- 21
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pets allowed (cats and dogs both permitted, subject to board approval)
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
400 East 85th Street is a substantial 21-story, 192-unit post-war Yorkville cooperative that sits on the southeast corner of First Avenue at the heart of the contemporary East 85th-to-86th Street commercial corridor. The building was constructed between 1959 and 1962, operated as a rental for approximately two decades, and was converted to cooperative ownership in 1983. AKAM Living Services has managed the building through the contemporary era.
The building's structural identity within the broader Manhattan cooperative market is defined by its policy framework — one of the most permissive in the contemporary Upper East Side cooperative tier and the structural reason the building has functioned consistently as an accessible entry-point cooperative for first-time buyers, family-supported buyers, pied-à-terre buyers, and buyers whose financial profile sits outside the conventional trophy-cooperative qualification framework.
The specific policy framework merits explicit treatment because it is the building's structural value proposition. Most Upper East Side cooperatives require minimum down payments of 30 to 50 percent of purchase price; many require 1 to 3 percent flip taxes that materially reduce seller net proceeds; many restrict subletting, pied-à-terre use, gifting, co-purchasing, and guarantor structures. 400 East 85th Street operates at the most accessible end of each of these dimensions: 25 percent minimum down payment, no flip tax, pet-friendly, pied-à-terre permitted, subletting permitted, co-purchasing permitted, gifting permitted, guarantors permitted. The cumulative effect is a building that supports transaction structures that would be structurally precluded at most peer Upper East Side cooperatives.
The building's operational baseline is consistent with the broader post-war Yorkville full-service cooperative tier. The 24-hour doorman, the live-in superintendent and resident manager, the recently renovated fitness center, the on-site parking garage (which generates substantial commercial revenue that supports the cooperative's financial structure), the bike room, the resident storage, the central laundry, the residents' lounge, and the building's gas-and-electric-utilities-included maintenance structure together produce a full-service operational profile at the building's specific price point.
What the building lacks is the trophy amenity package of the next tier up. There is no swimming pool (peer Yorkville full-service buildings like The America at 300 East 85th and Yorkshire Towers at 305 East 86th carry indoor pools); no sundeck or roof deck (an explicit cost in CityRealty's positioning); no children's playroom; no concierge beyond doorman; and the building does not permit in-unit washer/dryers (a structural feature that some buyers find limiting and others view as cooperative-culture preserving). The trade-off is reflected in the materially more accessible price points: recent closings have run approximately $907 per square foot per CityRealty data, with one-bedroom apartments closing in the $600,000-$800,000 range and two-bedroom apartments in the $900,000-$1,100,000 range — pricing materially below comparable trophy cooperative inventory across the broader Upper East Side.
The building's contemporary positioning has been meaningfully reinforced by the Q train at 86th and Second — the Second Avenue Subway's Phase One opening on January 1, 2017 brought express transit access to the Yorkville corridor for the first time and structurally improved the commute economics of Yorkville residential. The Q train station is one block north of the building; the 4/5/6 trains at 86th and Lexington are approximately 0.4 miles west; Carl Schurz Park, the East River esplanade, and Gracie Mansion are approximately 2.5 blocks east.
For buyers, 400 East 85th Street represents a specific position in the Manhattan cooperative market: a post-war Yorkville full-service cooperative with one of the corridor's most accessible policy frameworks, a 25 percent down payment minimum and no flip tax that materially simplify the transaction structure, a permissive cooperative culture that supports pied-à-terre and family-supported buyer profiles, and pricing meaningfully below the trophy Upper East Side cooperative tier. The building is the wrong building for buyers prioritizing trophy pre-war architecture, the absolute trophy amenity package, or the most stringent cooperative-culture register; the building is the right building for the substantial buyer pool seeking a Yorkville full-service cooperative at accessible price points and with the policy framework to support flexible transaction structures.
Architecture and unit composition
The 192 cooperative apartments distribute across the building's 21 stories in configurations that include studios, one-bedroom one-bathroom apartments, two-bedroom two-bathroom apartments, and select combined-unit configurations (7KL, 15JK, 17FG) that produce 3-bedroom layouts at the larger scale. Apartment sizes run approximately 700 to 850 square feet for the typical one-bedroom inventory and 1,000 to 1,100 square feet for the typical two-bedroom inventory.
The building's interiors include traditional finishes; the lobby and common areas have been recently updated. Apartment-level finish quality varies meaningfully across the inventory — apartment-specific diligence is the right reference for any given line and floor.
The post-war Yorkville cooperative register places the building in the broader 1950s-1960s Upper East Side full-service cooperative tradition, alongside the comparable Yorkville inventory at 345 East 86th Street, 401 East 86th Street (Fairmont Manor), 444 East 86th Street, and the broader corridor.
Building operations
400 East 85th Street operates as a full-service cooperative under AKAM Living Services management. The 24-hour doorman, the live-in superintendent and resident manager, the dedicated maintenance staff, and the broader operational infrastructure produce a full-service baseline consistent with the post-war Yorkville cooperative tier. The on-site attached parking garage — accessible via the basement and operating both a resident garage and a commercial public garage — produces revenue that meaningfully supports the cooperative's financial structure.
The recently renovated fitness center, the bike room, the resident storage (both with waitlists), and the recently updated central laundry round out the operational baseline.
A meaningful structural feature: gas and electric utilities are included in maintenance (the cooperative bulk-purchases utilities at a reduced rate). This is an unusual structural feature in the Manhattan cooperative tier and produces a materially different carrying-cost calculation than peer buildings that bill utilities separately. Buyers running True Monthly Carrying Cost analysis should note that the building's maintenance reflects this utilities pass-through.
Recent sales
| Unit | Configuration | Closing Date | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14A | 1BR/1BA, 770 sf | May 29, 2026 | $687,500 | Per Corcoran sales history |
| 15A | 1BR/1BA | March 16, 2026 | $785,000 | Per Corcoran |
| 15F | 2BR/2BA, 1,006 sf | March 2, 2026 | $1,050,000 | $1,044/sf |
| 18F | 1BR/1BA | April 8, 2025 | $715,000 | — |
| 16E | 2BR/1BA | February 24, 2025 | $895,000 | — |
| 14F | — | December 18, 2024 | $790,000 | $897/sf |
| 4A | — | September 13, 2024 | $615,000 | — |
| 15JK | 3BR/3BA (combined) | May 2, 2024 | $1,675,000 | Combined unit |
Current active and contract-signed inventory (May 2026):
- PHC (penthouse, 2BR/2BA, terrace): contract signed at $1,645,000
- 4L (2BR/2BA, 1,094 sf): active at $1,325,000 ($1,211/sf)
- 9C (1BR/1BA, 750 sf): contract signed at $739,000 ($985/sf)
- 4G (1BR/1BA, 700 sf): contract signed at $650,000 ($929/sf)
- 1A (1BR/1BA, 700 sf): active at $590,000 ($843/sf)
Building averages:
- Recent closed sales: approximately $907 per square foot (CityRealty data, last 31 closings)
- Current active inventory: approximately $992 per square foot, $989,800 average asking price (Compass aggregation)
The building's transaction velocity through the 2022-2024 rate-shock period has been comparatively stable — likely a function of the accessible 25 percent down structure, the absence of a flip tax, the permitted pied-à-terre use, and the Q-train-at-86th transit improvement that has reinforced Yorkville pricing relative to non-Q-train-served corridors.
What to know if you’re buying
The accessible policy framework is the building's structural value proposition. 25 percent down, no flip tax, pets, pied-à-terre, subletting, co-purchasing, gifting, and guarantors all permitted — together produce a transaction-structuring environment among the most permissive in the broader Upper East Side cooperative tier.
The full-service operational baseline is real. 24-hour doorman, live-in superintendent, recently renovated fitness center, on-site parking, bike room, storage, central laundry, residents' lounge.
The trophy amenity package is absent. No pool, no sundeck, no children's playroom, no concierge beyond doorman; in-unit washer/dryer not permitted. Buyers prioritizing these features should look at peer Yorkville inventory at higher price points (The America at 300 East 85th, Yorkshire Towers, etc.).
The utilities-included maintenance structure is meaningful. Gas and electric included; True Monthly Carrying Cost calculations should reflect this.
Q-train access has structurally improved the corridor. January 1, 2017 opening of the Second Avenue Subway at 86th Street put express transit one block north of the building.
Confirm operational specifics directly during due diligence. Sublet duration limits, post-closing liquidity requirements, the lobby/facade renovation history, and the building's most recent financials should be confirmed against AKAM management documents and the cooperative's offering plan during due diligence.
What to know if you’re selling
The absence of a flip tax is a structural net-proceeds advantage. Most peer cooperatives carry 1-3 percent flip taxes; 400 East 85th does not.
The permissive policy framework supports the buyer pool. The building's accessibility produces an active resale market — 192 units, regular turnover, predictable comparable analysis.
Pricing should reference recent comparable closings on the specific apartment line. The building's apartment-line variation (A, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L lines plus combined-unit configurations) produces meaningful variation in pricing per square foot.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard. Plan for 60-90 days from contract through board approval to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 400 East 85th Street, also evaluate:
- Fairmont Manor (401 East 86th Street / 1652 First Avenue) — the most directly comparable peer (one block north; 19 stories, 221 units; similar post-war full-service cooperative profile)
- 345 East 86th Street — 21 floors, 108 units, post-war doorman cooperative
- 444 East 86th Street — 38 floors, 314 units; larger-scale post-war high-rise cooperative with gym and garage
- The Mayflower (245 East 87th Street / 1681 Second Avenue) — Yorkville peer
- 1725 York Avenue (East River Tower) — Yorkville peer
- The America (300 East 85th Street) — 40 floors, 200 units; condominium peer with pool and full amenity set (trade-up comparison)
- Yorkshire Towers (305 East 86th Street) — larger post-war Yorkville complex with full amenity set
- 80 East End Avenue — East End Avenue full-service cooperative (more upscale East End address; trade-up comparison)
The Roebling Team at 400 East 85th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass has worked extensively in the post-war Yorkville cooperative market and across the broader Upper East Side cooperative and condominium tier. We publish this building profile because 400 East 85th Street buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — policy framework, financial structure, comparable analysis, and the transaction-structuring implications of the building's specific cooperative form — not generic Yorkville commentary.
[A transaction case study at 400 East 85th Street will be linked here.]