445 Fifth Avenue
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Midtown South
BBL 1008697501 · BIN 1017603
- 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
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
- $1,489
- Listing discount
- 1.7%
- Recorded sales
- 127
- 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.
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 filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair before the next inspection cycle. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Sublet policy
- Allowed
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
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.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | 24F | 1 BR · 1 BA · 670 sf | $980,000 | $1,463/sf | -1.9% |
| Feb 6, 2026 | 32H | 1 BR · 1 BA · 641 sf | $1,050,000 | $1,638/sf | off-mkt |
| Dec 30, 2024 | 15B | 949 sf | $1,290,000 | $1,359/sf | off-mkt |
| Dec 17, 2024 | 17E | 1 BA · 511 sf | $679,500 | $1,330/sf | off-mkt |
| Sep 20, 2024 | 25B | 1 BR · 2 BA · 949 sf | $1,560,000 | $1,644/sf | off-mkt |
| Aug 28, 2023 | 9E | 1 BA · 510 sf | $700,000 | $1,373/sf | -9.7% |
| Mar 13, 2023 | 32A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 700 sf | $1,150,000 | $1,643/sf | +4.5% |
| Mar 1, 2023 | 30D | 1 BR · 1 BA · 700 sf | $875,000 | $1,250/sf | -7.9% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,489/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 1.7% 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 1-00869-7501) 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:
- 425 Fifth Avenue — nearby Fifth Avenue condominium tower
- 400 Fifth Avenue — nearby Fifth Avenue mixed-use condominium
- 520 Fifth Avenue — nearby Fifth Avenue condominium
- 321 Fifth Avenue — nearby Fifth Avenue building
- 372 Fifth Avenue — nearby Fifth Avenue cooperative
- 16 West 40th Street — nearby Bryant Park condominium
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?
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 Fifth Avenue Tower 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.