- Year built
- 2009
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 20
- Floors
- 20
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Confirm specifics at offer stage
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium bylaws
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2009–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,374
- Listing discount
- 11.6%
- Recorded sales
- 38
- On record
- 2009–2026
5 East 44th Street — Number 5 — is a rare piece of design-name architecture in the heart of Midtown: a slender 20-story condominium tower designed by Alan Ritchie of the office of Philip Johnson, tucked mid-block between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Completed in 2009 on just a 28-foot-wide lot, the building is a deliberate exercise in verticality — off-white metal panels accented by a bold colored column on the façade — and inside, a boutique plan of largely full-floor residences that few Midtown addresses can match.
For the buyer who wants a design-forward, boutique condominium at one of Manhattan's most central addresses — steps from Grand Central, Bryant Park, the Fifth Avenue retail spine, and the Madison Avenue corridor — Number 5 is a clean proposition: deeded condominium ownership, architect-designed interiors, full-floor privacy, and a 20-residence scale in a building with genuine design pedigree.
Building operations
The condominium runs on a boutique full-service model: an attended lobby, central air and heat, and the privacy of a largely full-floor plan. The 20-residence scale keeps the building intimate while the attended lobby provides security and package coverage.
As a condominium, ownership is by deed rather than shares. Purchases avoid the share-loan structure and interview process of a cooperative; financing is a matter between buyer and lender; and pied-à-terre, investment, and subletting uses are permitted under the bylaws. Pet rules, any transfer fee, and specific sublet terms should be confirmed against the current bylaws at offer stage.
Recent sales
Condominium pricing is read on a per-square-foot basis, and 5 East 44th Street trades as a design-forward boutique Midtown condominium — full-floor layouts, architect-designed interiors, and the flexibility premium that deeded ownership commands. With only 20 residences, resale volume is thin: a small number of closings in an active year. Pricing is driven by floor, exposure, layout, ceiling height, and renovation condition rather than by any neighborhood average, and the Philip Johnson-office pedigree and full-floor privacy are part of the value story. When underwriting a purchase or a list price, capture the specific unit's square footage, floor, light, and finish level rather than leaning on a Midtown headline number.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2026 | 7 | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,419 sf | $1,950,000 | $1,374/sf | -18.1% |
| Dec 15, 2025 | 6A | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 876 sf | $1,100,000 | $1,256/sf | -7.9% |
| Jun 1, 2022 | 3A | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 876 sf | $1,038,000 | $1,185/sf | -1.1% |
| Feb 10, 2020 | 7 | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,416 sf | $1,450,000 | $1,024/sf | -26.6% |
| Feb 21, 2019 | 18 | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,277 sf | $1,580,000 | $1,237/sf | -12.2% |
| Jul 16, 2018 | 3B | 1 BR · 1 BA · 629 sf | $840,000 | $1,335/sf | -4.3% |
| Mar 1, 2017 | COM | 1 BA · 2,836 sf | $4,500,000 | $1,587/sf | -7.2% |
| Jun 30, 2016 | 2A | 1 BR · 876 sf | $999,999 | $1,142/sf | +0.2% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,374/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 11.6% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 2021 | 2B | $699,000 |
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 1-01279-7501) 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
This is a condominium, so the path is straightforward: no board interview, financing set by your lender, and a review of the building's financials, reserve, and bylaws during due diligence. Read the bylaws on pet rules, any transfer fee, and sublet terms, and confirm them at offer stage. As a 2009 new-construction tower, review the reserve and any capital-planning history on the building envelope, the elevator, and systems — contemporary construction carries its own diligence profile.
The reasons to buy are the design and the location: an architect-designed boutique tower with full-floor privacy, new-construction systems and finishes, deeded ownership with pied-à-terre and investment latitude, and one of the most central addresses in Manhattan.
What to know if you’re selling
The story is design pedigree and full-floor living at the center of Midtown. A Philip Johnson-office tower with full-floor residences, Bulthaup kitchens, and a distinctive façade is a specific, marketable proposition that sells to buyers who want architecture and privacy inside Midtown. Pricing is an apartment-specific exercise: square footage, floor, light, ceiling height, and condition drive the number. We position the architectural narrative, benchmark against the right tier of boutique Midtown condominiums, and market to the design-minded buyer who wants a central, full-floor home.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 5 East 44th Street, also look at these Midtown and Fifth Avenue boutique and full-service buildings:
- 400 Fifth Avenue — full-service Midtown condominium nearby
- 445 Fifth Avenue — Midtown condominium nearby
- 425 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue condominium tower nearby
- 520 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue condominium nearby
- 685 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue condominium nearby
- 100 East 53rd Street — design-forward Midtown East condominium
The Roebling Team at Number 5
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Midtown East and the broader Manhattan condominium and cooperative market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers of design-forward boutique condominiums deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture, the condominium structure, the staffing and amenity reality, and where pricing sits against the right comparable tier.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 5 East 44th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Midtown East — read The Roebling Team Guide to Midtown East.
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