425 East 86th Street
425 East 86th Street, New York, NY 10028
- Year built
- 1929
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 96
- Floors
- 16
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Permitted, subject to the building's pet policy acknowledgment per management-sourced records
- Financing
- 75 percent maximum per listing records
425 East 86th Street is genuine pre-war Yorkville — a 1929 Sugarman & Berger building that opened as a residential hotel, rode out the century as a rental, and converted to cooperative ownership through a 1979 non-eviction plan that is on file in The Roebling Research Library. The architecture announces itself quietly but legibly: a three-story limestone base, decorative iron entrance doors, a balustrade course at the fourth floor, and limestone detailing that returns at the crown. Inside, the apartments deliver the pre-war program — beamed ceilings, moldings, hardwood floors — and the A and B lines carry wood-burning fireplaces, an amenity Yorkville's post-war stock cannot offer at any price.
The building's most distinctive feature is operational: a 24-hour elevator operator still runs the cars. Attended elevator service has become rare outside the Gold Coast co-ops, and it shapes the building's character — every arrival is seen, every resident is known, and the lobby is staffed around the clock without a formal doorman line on the payroll. Paired with a live-in resident manager, it gives a 96-unit building the service texture of a much smaller house.
The policy framework is old-school Yorkville co-op: no sublets, no pieds-à-terre, 75 percent financing permitted, a 2 percent transfer fee, and pets with board acknowledgment. This is a building for primary residents, and its ownership base reflects that. Buyers should also walk in clear-eyed about governance history: shareholder-board litigation — including a books-and-records dispute covered by Habitat Magazine in 2017 and a later, publicly filed fight over penthouse terrace work — and a 2019 facade violation notice are part of the recent record. None of it changes the real estate; all of it belongs in attorney diligence, and we put the documents in front of counsel early.
The location case is the 86th Street corridor itself: the Q at Second Avenue and the 4/5/6 at Lexington anchor the crosstown spine, the M86 runs the block, Carl Schurz Park and the East River esplanade are a short walk east, and the East 90th Street ferry landing covers the commute options that didn't exist when the building converted.
Architecture and unit composition
Sugarman & Berger — a firm whose reputation was built on interiors and on hotel work, including the original One Fifth Avenue collaboration — organized the building as a 16-story mid-block slab with a 100-foot frontage, brick above a limestone base, with the consistent fenestration that gives pre-war streets their rhythm. The residential-hotel origins read in the layout mix: the offering plan conveyed 96 apartments plus four maids' rooms, skewing toward efficient one- and two-bedroom plans, with combinations (B/C and similar) creating the building's larger spreads over the decades since conversion. The A and B lines hold the wood-burning fireplaces; upper floors at the 15th and 16th stories carry the limestone-trimmed crown and the building's best light; and the penthouse level has terrace exposure that has figured prominently in the building's press history. Protruding through-wall and window air-conditioners remain the cooling reality, as in most unrenovated pre-war stock — central systems are unit-by-unit renovation projects.
Building operations
The staffing model is the signature: 24-hour attended elevator and lobby rather than a separate doorman line, a live-in resident manager, central laundry, bike room, and common storage. There is no garage, gym, or roof deck — buyers comparing monthly carry against amenity-stacked neighbors should note what is and is not being paid for. The 1979 offering plan is on file in The Roebling Research Library; current financial statements, the alteration policy, and the present status of the facade program and any related assessments should be obtained from the managing agent and reviewed with counsel during diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $6,351/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $6
Recent sales
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
Recent transfers at this building, sourced from NYC Department of Finance records. Apartment-level detail (line, condition, asking-price context) verified upon consultation request.
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2025 | 8A | $940,000 |
| Mar 12, 2025 | 11DE | $2,125,000 |
| Jan 9, 2025 | 16F | $1,100,000 |
| Nov 5, 2024 | 2F | $845,000 |
| Oct 16, 2024 | 8B | $575,000 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | MR10 | $2,290,000 |
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 1-01566-0010) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
This is a primary-residence building by design. No sublets and no pieds-à-terre per listing records — the policy stack filters the buyer pool to people who will actually live here, which is exactly what keeps the house stable and the elevator operator employed. If you need flexibility, look at the corridor's condops and condos instead.
The financing posture is generous for a pre-war co-op. 75 percent financing permitted gives leveraged primary buyers more room than the corridor's 50–65 percent boards. Run the Co-op Board Qualification Calculator and the Co-op Affordability Calculator before offering.
Do real governance diligence. The 2017 books-and-records litigation, the penthouse terrace dispute, and the 2019 facade violation are public-record facts. Your attorney should review the board minutes, current financials, the facade program status, and any open assessments — and ask the questions those filings suggest. We brief counsel from the documents on file and the public record.
Underwrite the facade cycle. A 1929 limestone-and-brick building faces recurring Local Law 11 work; the 2019 violation notice makes the current cycle's status a first-order question for the managing agent, not a footnote.
Buy the line, not the building average. Fireplace lines (A and B), upper-floor light, and combination spreads carry premiums; lower mid-block units are the value entries. Same-line history is the pricing anchor — ask us for it.
What to know if you’re selling
Sell the scarcities: pre-war bones, fireplaces, and the attended elevator. Yorkville is thick with post-war inventory and thin on 1929 limestone bases, beamed ceilings, and wood-burning fireplaces. The service model is a genuine differentiator — market it as the boutique-staffing experience it is.
Get ahead of the governance questions. Buyers' attorneys will find the litigation history and the facade record; sellers who present current financials, the facade program status, and assessment posture up front keep deals on schedule. We assemble that package before listing.
Price to condition honestly. The spread between renovated and original units in buildings of this vintage is wide, and the no-sublet policy removes the investor floor under estate-condition pricing. Run the Renovation Cost Calculator against your asking strategy and price to the realistic buyer.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 425 East 86th Street, also evaluate:
- 320 East 86th Street — 1925 pre-war condop a block west; the flexible-rules pre-war alternative
- 400 East 85th Street — 1962 post-war co-op one block south; the post-war value comparison
- 180 East 88th Street — pre-war-envelope condominium; the no-board alternative at a higher price point
- 200 East End Avenue — post-war full-service co-op opposite Carl Schurz Park; the park-front step-up
- 530 East 86th Street — pre-war co-op closer to East End Avenue; the closest like-for-like in vintage and tier
- Henderson House (535 East 86th Street) — the white-glove pre-war co-op across from Henderson Place; the prestige step-up
- 120 East End Avenue — the corridor's stately pre-war on the park; the trophy-tier comparison
- The Kent (200 East 95th Street) — new-development condo; the new-construction alternative
The Roebling Team at 425 East 86th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass works Yorkville and the Upper East Side as a core practice area. We publish this building profile because 425 East 86th Street buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — conversion documentation, governance history, policy framework, and corridor-level comparables — not generic neighborhood commentary.
If you're considering a transaction at 425 East 86th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.