5 East 44th Street
5 East 44th Street, New York, NY 10017
Midtown East
BBL 1012797501 · BIN 1035368
- 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
- 11.4%
- Recorded sales
- 47
- 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.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $9,014/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $33
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.
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
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 | — | 2,836 sf | $4,500,000 | $1,587/sf | -7.2% |
| Feb 28, 2017 | COM | 1 BA · 2,858 sf | $4,500,000 | $1,575/sf | off-mkt |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,374/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 11.4% 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.
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 neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Midtown East — read The Roebling Team Guide to Midtown East.
Considering a move at Number 5?
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 Number 5 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.