498 West End Avenue
498 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1012317502 · BIN 1032795
- Year built
- 1911
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 37
- Floors
- 14
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Not documented in public records — confirm the house rules
Every recorded sale at this building, 2016–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $2,394
- Listing discount
- -1.8%
- Recorded sales
- 25
- On record
- 2016–2026
The public record on this building is unusually easy to get wrong, and most of the shortcuts are wrong. PLUTO says 1912 and 34 units; the building is a 1911–12 Neville & Bagge apartment house that now holds 37 recorded condominium lots. PLUTO says fourteen stories; the Landmarks designation report says twelve. Neither source is lying — the building added floors, and the tax roll and the designation report are describing different moments in its life. Getting the sequence right is the beginning of underwriting anything here.
The sequence is this. Neville & Bagge — a volume Upper West Side practice that filed hundreds of permits between the 1890s and the First World War — designed a twelve-story Renaissance Revival apartment house at the corner of West End and 84th for Charles E. McManus, built 1911–12. It operated as a rental for a century. City records show it carrying roughly eighty dwelling units as recently as 2008 and forty-seven by 2010, the ordinary arithmetic of a large prewar building whose big apartments were cut down over decades.
Then the district changed around it. On June 26, 2012 the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Riverside–West End Historic District Extension I, and this lot went from unregulated to protected. The DOB record captures the moment precisely: filings on this building in 2008 and 2010 are flagged "not landmarked," and filings from 2013 forward are flagged landmarked. Everything the conversion did afterward had to pass through the Commission.
The conversion was filed in 2014 by 498 West End Avenue LLC with CetraRuddy as architect, and it was substantial: an Alteration Type 1 reducing the unit count, a rooftop addition, a gut renovation of the apartments, new windows, a rebuilt lobby brought to accessibility standards, a restored entrance marquee, a new sprinkler and fire alarm system, and a new emergency generator. The offering plan — a plan to convert to condominium ownership dated July 1, 2014 and accepted for filing by the Department of Law that day — offered thirty-six dwelling units. It was a non-eviction plan under Section 352-eeee of the General Business Law, and that fact has consequences that survive to the present day.
The plan was declared effective on September 17, 2015 on the strength of eight option agreements, or 22.22 percent of the offered units — none of them from tenants in occupancy. Under a non-eviction plan, tenants who do not buy are not required to leave, and the sponsor continued to hold and rent unsold apartments well after the first closing on June 23, 2016. As late as the fifteenth amendment in October 2017 the sponsor was still collecting rent on occupied units inside the condominium. That is not unusual and it is not a defect, but it explains why a building that reads as a finished 2016 condominium conversion has taken years to fully turn over, and why sponsor inventory and legacy tenancies are still worth asking about.
Architecture and the Landmarks question
The designation report describes what survives and what does not. Rusticated limestone runs from the first to the third stories, Ionic pilasters frame the entrance, cornices mark the fourth and eleventh stories, and the window enframements are ornate terra cotta with keystones, rising to arched extrados with ornate tympana at the twelfth story. The iron canopy and brackets over the entrance are original, as are the basement security grilles. The roofline cornice was removed long before designation, and windows had been replaced piecemeal — the report catalogs both as alterations.
The rooftop addition is the building's defining recent act, and it is a case study in how designation actually works. In 2014 the applicant erected a temporary scaffold on the roof for the express purpose of showing the outline of the proposed new structure for Landmarks review — a physical mock-up, filed with the Department of Buildings, so the Commission could judge visibility from the street. The Commission issued a Status Update Letter in June 2014 and a full Certificate of Appropriateness for the rooftop addition on November 6, 2014, followed by amendments in 2015. That is the two-story difference between the designated twelve and the current fourteen.
What this means for a buyer. Exterior work at this address requires an LPC permit before DOB will issue one. Anything that alters the appearance of a facade visible from a public thoroughfare — a new window type, a terrace enlargement, a through-wall louver on a visible elevation, a rooftop structure — requires a Certificate of Appropriateness, reviewed by the full Commission at a public hearing. Work that does not affect protected features is handled at staff level by Certificate of No Effect, and in-kind repair by Permit for Minor Work. The building's permit history shows exactly where the line falls: the rooftop addition took a Certificate of Appropriateness; window replacement, areaway alterations, door modifications and air-conditioning louvers took Certificates of No Effect and amendments, and through-wall HVAC was approved only on secondary, non-visible facades. That last point is worth internalizing before you plan a cooling upgrade in a specific residence.
Unit composition
The recorded subdivision runs lots 1401 through 1437. The stack, per Department of Finance records, mixes large corner homes with smaller secondary layouts: the A line and the corner homes at the 9th, 11th and 12th floors run roughly 2,900 to 4,200 square feet, the B and C lines commonly 1,200 to 2,100, and several D-line homes under 900. Unit 1C is the commercial condominium unit at roughly 1,587 square feet, and the penthouse created in the rooftop addition is carried at roughly 3,600.
Two documented combinations have already reduced the physical count: apartments 12A, 12B and 12D were renovated as a single home under a 2017 filing, and apartments 5A and 5D were combined under a 2019 filing. Any analysis built on a fixed unit count — including automated valuation output — should be checked against the current tax roll rather than against PLUTO.
Building operations and capital posture
A full-service prewar condominium: attended lobby with 24-hour doorman coverage, a live-in resident manager, fitness room, children's playroom, central laundry, bicycle storage, and deeded private storage that conveys with ownership. The amenity program is modest by new-development standards and appropriate to a building of this size and vintage; the live-in resident manager is the operationally significant item.
Facade. Under Local Law 11 the building filed Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program in Cycle 7 (2013), which is consistent with the pre-conversion condition of the envelope, and Safe in Cycle 8 (2019). The Cycle 9 filings — initial in February 2024, subsequent in December 2024, amended in September 2025 — all report Safe. That is a good result, and it reflects the restoration work done during the conversion.
Reserves. The offering plan established a capital reserve fund on the statutory formula: three percent of the actual sales price of units sold, with supplemental contributions at the same rate on sponsor sales within five years of the first closing, measured against an aggregate offering price of roughly $146 million. By the fifteenth amendment in October 2017 the reserve stood above $575,000 and the working capital fund was modest. Those are early-life figures from a document nearly a decade old; ask the managing agent for the current reserve balance, the most recent audited statements, and the current-year budget.
Certificate of occupancy. DOB records for the conversion job show a long series of temporary certificates of occupancy — the first issued September 28, 2017 and the last on file issued February 8, 2021 — with the proposed dwelling-unit count stepping from 47 to 38 to 40 and settling at 36. The offering plan amendments identify obtaining the permanent certificate of occupancy as an outstanding sponsor obligation. Confirm with the managing agent whether a final certificate has since been issued; a building operating on an expired temporary certificate can complicate financing with some lenders.
Policy framework
Ownership form: Condominium. Purchases close through a board right of first refusal rather than a cooperative approval, which produces a faster and more predictable timetable — 30 to 45 days is typical.
Plan type: Non-eviction conversion under GBL §352-eeee. Non-purchasing tenants retained occupancy rights. Ask whether any legacy tenancies remain and whether any units are still sponsor-held.
Pied-à-terre, subletting, LLC, trust and foreign ownership: All permitted under the standard condominium framework. Minimum lease terms should be confirmed with the managing agent.
Pets: Not documented in public records. Confirm the house rules before contract.
Working capital contribution: One month's common charges at closing per the offering plan. Confirm the current figure.
Flip tax: Not documented in public records. Confirm any resale capital contribution before pricing a sale.
Real estate taxes: No exemption of any kind appears on the unit lots in the current assessment roll. Underwrite full unabated taxes against the current bill.
Exterior alterations: Landmarks jurisdiction applies. See the Landmarks section above.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $7,822/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $19
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
Recent sales
498 West End Avenue trades as a converted prewar condominium on the West End Avenue corridor, and that is a specific and comparatively small category. The corridor's inventory is overwhelmingly cooperative; a full-service prewar condominium with modern systems, a doorman, a resident manager and no board interview is the scarce thing, and it prices accordingly relative to co-ops of similar vintage on the same avenue. Pricing is expressed in dollars per square foot, and the spread within the building is wide because the layout mix is wide — corner homes of 3,000 to 4,200 square feet and secondary-line homes under 1,300 do not belong in the same per-foot conversation.
Because the conversion delivered every apartment new inside a 1912 shell, condition variance across the building is low, which makes same-building comparables unusually reliable here — subject to checking whether a given home is an original unit or a combination. Index any market read to the last complete year. Unit-level transaction history is maintained in The Roebling Research Library and shared with clients during diligence.
Recent closings at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2026 | 9A | 5 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,784 sf | $8,995,000 | $2,377/sf | +0.0% |
| Dec 15, 2022 | 4B | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,136 sf | $3,800,000 | $1,779/sf | -10.6% |
| Mar 7, 2022 | 6A | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,347 sf | $7,750,000 | $2,316/sf | -5.4% |
| Feb 23, 2022 | PH | 5 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,646 sf | $12,897,176 | $3,537/sf | -13.7% |
| Sep 23, 2021 | 12A | 5 BR · 5.5 BA · 4,120 sf | $9,675,000 | $2,348/sf | -17.7% |
| May 7, 2021 | 8A | 3 BR · 2 BA · 2,093 sf | $3,870,000 | $1,849/sf | -3.1% |
| Jun 26, 2019 | 11B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,254 sf | $2,252,878 | $1,797/sf | +2.6% |
| Oct 10, 2018 | 10B | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,136 sf | $4,625,000 | $2,165/sf | -3.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $2,394/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount -1.8% over ask.
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 1-01231-7502) 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
Ignore the PLUTO unit count. City data reports 34 residential units and 35 total. The recorded subdivision created 37 unit lots — 36 residential plus one commercial. Confirm against the current tax roll.
Confirm the certificate of occupancy. Temporary certificates ran from 2017 to at least February 2021 and the permanent certificate was an outstanding sponsor obligation in the plan. Get the current status in writing.
Ask about legacy tenancies and sponsor units. This was a non-eviction conversion declared effective without a single tenant purchase. That history is worth understanding before you assume a fully owner-occupied building.
Know the Landmarks line before you renovate. Interiors are generally a staff-level review. Windows, louvers on visible elevations and anything on the roof are not. Through-wall HVAC has been approved here only on non-visible secondary facades.
Check whether your unit is a combination. At least two combinations have been filed. A combined home may carry more than one tax lot, more than one common-interest allocation, and a floor plan that no longer matches the recorded declaration.
The facade record is good — verify it stays that way. Cycle 9 filings all report Safe. Ask for the report and the engineer's recommended maintenance scope anyway.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with tenure, not with finishes. The condominium form is the differentiator on this stretch of West End Avenue, where nearly everything else is a cooperative with a board interview, a financing cap and a sublet policy. That argument reaches buyers no co-op can reach.
Pair the prewar shell with the modern systems. A 1912 Neville & Bagge envelope with a 2016 gut renovation, new sprinklers, a new alarm system and a clean facade cycle is a specific and defensible position. Document it.
Price by line, not by building. The spread between the corner homes and the secondary lines is large. A building-average per-foot figure will misprice both ends.
Get the reserve and budget in hand early. The most recent audited statements and the current budget answer the questions buyers' attorneys ask, and answering them first shortens diligence.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 498 West End Avenue, also evaluate:
- 500 West End Avenue — the San Jose, Schwartz & Gross for the Paterno Construction Company, 1914–15; directly across West 84th Street and the closest physical peer
- 505 West End Avenue — prewar West End Avenue building on the opposite corner
- 511 West End Avenue — prewar West End Avenue cooperative one block north
- 522 West End Avenue — prewar West End Avenue building; the cooperative alternative at similar scale
- 525 West End Avenue — West End Avenue prewar building with comparable apartment sizes
- 480 West End Avenue — prewar building immediately south on the corridor
- 470 West End Avenue — West End Avenue prewar cooperative; different tenure, similar era
- 535 West End Avenue — new-construction condominium on the corridor; the modern alternative with a different cost structure
- 545 West End Avenue — West End Avenue building north of 86th Street
- 200 Amsterdam Avenue — the large-scale Upper West Side condominium tower; the opposite end of the product spectrum
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across West End Avenue — read The Roebling Team Guide to West End Avenue.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent.
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