- Year built
- 1931
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 56
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Pet-friendly
- Financing
- 35% minimum down payment (financing up to 65%)
- Flip tax
- Transfer fee applies on resale
450 West End Avenue is a late-pre-war Emery Roth cooperative that arrived at the very end of the boom — completed in 1931, as the apartment-house era was closing and the Depression was reshaping what could be built. Buildings of this final pre-war moment tend to be among the best of their generation: they incorporate everything the 1920s had taught New York's architects about luxury apartment design, executed just before construction stopped. At nineteen stories, 450 stands taller than most of its West End Avenue neighbors and carries the architectural ambition of Roth's mature practice.
The design sits at the hinge between two eras. Roth, who had defined Beaux-Arts apartment-house design across the West Side, was by 1931 absorbing the Art Deco vocabulary overtaking the city — and 450 reflects that transition, blending classical proportion with the cleaner geometric detailing of the new style. The building sits inside the Riverside–West End Historic District Extension I and is widely regarded as among the most prestigious addresses on the avenue.
The unit story is scarcity. Roughly 56 apartments across nineteen stories signals large, gracious layouts — a building of substantial family apartments, not a high-density corridor house. For buyers who want serious pre-war space, Roth pedigree, and West End Avenue's quieter, more residential character a block from Riverside Park, 450 is a benchmark address — and a notably flexible one for the corridor, with a roof deck, an in-unit washer/dryer policy, and a pet-friendly board.
Architecture and unit composition
The approximately 56 apartments span 19 stories in the large, elegant layouts for which the building is known — high ceilings, hardwood floors, formal room separations, and the original architectural detail of 1931-era luxury design. The low unit count against the building's height is the structural sign of generous footprints: 450 was built for family-scale living at the top of the West End Avenue market.
West End Avenue exposures carry the avenue's light and residential calm; higher floors on the upper end of the nineteen-story building pick up open city outlooks and, on the right lines, distant river-direction views. Renovation condition varies across the unit mix, from preserved original detail to fully modernized interiors — and the building's in-unit washer/dryer policy and central-air allowance make full modernizations practical.
Building operations
450 West End Avenue is a full-service pre-war cooperative with a 24-hour doorman, two attended elevators, a live-in superintendent, a common roof deck, a bike room, central laundry, and common storage. The cooperative is pet-friendly and permits in-unit washer/dryers. On the financial side, the board requires a 35% minimum down payment — financing up to 65% of the purchase price — and a transfer fee (flip tax) applies on resale. The conversion from rental to cooperative ownership dates to the late 1960s, placing 450 among the earlier West End Avenue conversions.
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
An active hazard: the building must keep a sidewalk shed up and make repairs now — expect construction, disruption, and a likely special assessment. We’d get you the repair scope and the building’s funding plan up front, so you go in knowing exactly what’s underway and what it’s likely to cost.
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
Sales context at 450 West End Avenue:
- Turnover is low given the roughly 56-unit scale and the large, long-held nature of the apartments — a typical year produces only a few closings.
- Pricing sits in the upper West End Avenue band: large classic layouts and combined apartments anchor the high end, with the building's prestige and Roth pedigree supporting premium per-square-foot reference points for the corridor. As a recent benchmark, a mid-floor classic line traded in the high-$2M range.
- The scarcity of inventory means individual trades carry significant weight in the building's pricing picture.
Apartment-level analysis depends on floor altitude, exposure, layout, and renovation condition. We provide current, building-specific comparable analysis on request.
What to know if you’re buying
This is a top-tier West End Avenue address. Roth pedigree, the 1931 late-pre-war vintage, and large gracious layouts place 450 among the corridor's most prestigious buildings.
The board is flexible by corridor standards. Pets are welcome, in-unit washer/dryers are permitted, and the roof deck is a genuine amenity — a combination not every West End co-op offers.
Know the financial terms going in. Plan for a 35% minimum down payment and budget the resale transfer fee into your hold math.
Inventory is scarce. With roughly 56 large, long-held apartments, acquisition is opportunistic; be prepared to act when the right line becomes available.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the Roth pedigree and the flexibility. Emery Roth authorship, the late-pre-war vintage, and 450's standing as a benchmark West End address are the headline assets; the roof deck, pet policy, and washer/dryer allowance broaden the buyer pool.
Price to layout and condition. Large apartments price on their specific configuration and renovation level; comp against the most comparable in-building and corridor trades.
Closing timelines are co-op standard — generally 6–10 weeks from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 450 West End Avenue, also evaluate:
- 470 West End Avenue — neighboring West End Avenue pre-war co-op
- 441 West End Avenue — nearby West End Avenue cooperative
- 400 West End Avenue — West End Avenue pre-war peer
- 535 West End Avenue — West End Avenue full-service peer
- 277 West End Avenue — West End Avenue pre-war co-op
The Roebling Team at 450 West End Avenue
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader park- and river-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because West End Avenue buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 450 West End Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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