Condominium · 1986
Fifth Avenue Tower
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Buildings·Fifth Avenue·Condominium

445 Fifth Avenue

445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016

CorridorFifth Avenue
At a glance
Year built
1986
Type
Condominium
Units
182
Floors
33
Landmark
No
Pets
Pet-friendly, per building documentation
Subletting
Permitted under the condominium framework
Pied-à-terre
Allowed
Financing
Up to 90% permitted (10% minimum down), per building documentation
The Data Room

Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026

Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.

Median $/sf
$1,514
Listing discount
2.4%
Recorded sales
110
On record
2003–2026

Fifth Avenue Tower is a 1986 mixed-use condominium by Emery Roth & Sons, holding the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 39th Street — one block south of Bryant Park and the main branch of the New York Public Library. Its residential condominium sits above a commercial and office base, and its bronze-toned glass curtain wall makes it one of the more recognizable late-modernist towers on the Fifth Avenue corridor south of the library. For buyers, the appeal is a straightforward one: a full-service condominium with condominium flexibility, at one of Midtown's most transit-rich and landmark-adjacent addresses.

The building's location is its strongest asset. Bryant Park — Midtown's most successful public green space — sits one block north; the New York Public Library flanks it; and the transit access is close to unmatched, with the B, D, F, M, and 7 at 42nd Street–Bryant Park, the 4, 5, 6, and 7 at Grand Central a short walk east, and the full Times Square complex to the west. Fifth Avenue shopping, the Theater District, Grand Central, and the Empire State Building are all within a few minutes' walk.

The condominium structure is the other half of the proposition. Where most of the prewar cooperatives on Lower Fifth Avenue impose board review, financing caps, and use restrictions, Fifth Avenue Tower offers the flexibility condominium buyers value: financing to 90%, permitted subletting, pied-à-terre and investment use, and welcoming rules for foreign buyers, LLCs, and trusts. For buyers who want a Fifth Avenue address without cooperative constraints, that flexibility is the differentiator.

Architecture and unit composition

Emery Roth & Sons designed Fifth Avenue Tower as a late-modernist mixed-use building — a 33-story tower clad in a bronze-toned glass curtain wall, rising above a lighter, arched retail-and-office base. The first several floors are commercial; the residential condominium is set back and stacked above, so that apartments begin well up the tower and capture open Midtown exposures. The curtain-wall aesthetic is of its mid-1980s moment: sleek, corporate-influenced, and a deliberate contrast to the limestone-and-brick prewar language elsewhere on the corridor.

The apartment mix runs from studios through larger configurations, with penthouse-level residences at the top of the stack — some upper apartments carry fireplaces and private terraces, and the highest units command open Fifth Avenue and Midtown views. Floor-to-ceiling glass and the tower's setback position give the residences light and exposure that the surrounding mid-rise streetscape preserves.

Apartment condition varies with individual ownership across the building's four decades, as is typical of a mature condominium; buyers should underwrite each unit on its own renovation state.

Building operations

Fifth Avenue Tower operates as a full-service condominium with a 24-hour doorman, a concierge desk, and a live-in resident manager. The amenity package is complete for a Midtown condominium of its class: a fitness center, a landscaped rooftop terrace and sundeck, a children's playroom, central laundry, and private storage and bike storage. There is no on-site garage and no pool.

As a condominium, the building offers the flexibility that distinguishes the ownership form: financing is permitted up to 90% (10% minimum down), subletting and pied-à-terre use are accommodated, and foreign buyers, LLCs, and trusts are permitted. Monthly carry is a function of common charges plus separately assessed real estate taxes; buyers should model both, along with any building assessments, during due diligence.

Recent sales

Recent closings 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.

DateUnitApartmentPricePPSFvs. Ask
Apr 7, 202624F
1 BR · 1 BA · 670 sf
$980,000$1,463/sf-1.9%
Feb 6, 202632H
1 BR · 1 BA · 641 sf
$1,050,000$1,638/sfoff-mkt
Jul 7, 202528G
1 BR · 1 BA
$925,000+2.8%
Dec 30, 202415B
949 sf
$1,290,000$1,359/sfoff-mkt
Dec 17, 202417E
5 BR · 1 BA · 511 sf
$679,500$1,330/sfoff-mkt
Sep 20, 202425B
1 BR · 2 BA · 949 sf
$1,560,000$1,644/sfoff-mkt
Aug 28, 20239E
1 BA · 510 sf
$700,000$1,373/sf-9.7%
Mar 13, 202332A
1 BR · 1 BA · 700 sf
$1,150,000$1,643/sf+4.5%

Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,514/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 2.4% 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.

32H · 641 sf+96%
$535,000 ($835/sf) 2004$1,050,000 ($1,638/sf) 2026
25B · 949 sf+76%
$885,000 ($933/sf) 2006$927,000 ($924/sf) 2012$1,560,000 ($1,644/sf) 2024
15B · 949 sf+57%
$823,000 ($867/sf) 2009$1,290,000 ($1,359/sf) 2024
PHB · 2,700 sf+57%
$1,400,000 ($519/sf) 2003$2,200,000 ($815/sf) 2015
19D · 700 sf+43%
$675,000 2013$965,000 ($1,379/sf) 2022

Other recent transfers

DateUnitPrice
Nov 13, 201421D$801,000
Apr 24, 201319D$675,000
May 26, 200414D$525,000
View all 110 recorded sales, sortable

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 1-00869-7501) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.

What to know if you’re buying

Condominium flexibility is the core advantage. Financing to 90%, permitted subletting, pied-à-terre and investment use, and welcoming rules for foreign buyers, LLCs, and trusts — this is the flexibility that the prewar cooperatives on the corridor do not offer. For buyers who want a Fifth Avenue address without board constraints, the condominium form is the reason to be here.

The location is close to unmatched in Midtown. One block from Bryant Park and the New York Public Library, steps from the 42nd Street–Bryant Park subway complex and Grand Central, at the center of Fifth Avenue shopping and the Theater District. The transit and amenity density is a durable asset.

Model the full monthly carry. As a condominium, carry is common charges plus separately assessed taxes; run both, along with any current assessments, rather than a single maintenance figure.

Buy the floor and the view. The tower's setback stacking means exposure improves materially with height. Upper-floor apartments and the terrace lines carry the premium; price accordingly.

Underwrite the apartment on its own condition. Four decades of ownership mean renovation state varies widely. View the specific unit and price on its recent comparables.

What to know if you’re selling

Lead with location and flexibility. The Bryant Park address, the transit density, and the condominium's permissive framework — financing to 90%, subletting and pied-à-terre use, foreign-buyer and entity friendliness — are the concrete selling points that widen the buyer pool.

Price on square footage, floor, and outdoor space. With a heterogeneous apartment stock, per-square-foot comparables on the specific line and floor are the right basis. Terraces, fireplaces, and view exposure drive real premiums.

Position condition explicitly. In a mature condominium with wide renovation variation, a clean, move-in apartment stands out. Feature it.

Closing timelines are condominium-fast. Without cooperative board approval, condominium closings typically run 30–45 days from contract to closing, subject to any right of first refusal.

Comparable buildings

If you're considering Fifth Avenue Tower, also evaluate:

The Roebling Team at Fifth Avenue Tower

The Roebling Team at Compass works the Fifth Avenue and Midtown condominium market as part of our broader Manhattan practice — from the Fifth Avenue and Flatiron corridors to the Park-facing trophy buildings uptown. We publish this building profile because condominium buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — the operational reality, the transactional mechanics, and comparable analysis at the apartment level — not generic neighborhood commentary.

If you're considering a purchase or sale at Fifth Avenue Tower, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.

The neighborhood

For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Fifth Avenue — read The Roebling Team Guide to Fifth Avenue.

Considering a move at Fifth Avenue Tower?

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Corey Cohen, Principal · The Roebling Team at Compass
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com