50 United Nations Plaza
50 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
Midtown East
BBL 1013397502 · BIN 1089803
- Year built
- 2015
- Type
- Condominium
Every recorded sale at this building, 2015–2025
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,654
- Listing discount
- 7.9%
- Recorded sales
- 129
- On record
- 2015–2025
50 United Nations Plaza is the first residential high-rise in the United States designed by Norman Foster's Foster + Partners — a distinction that, on its own, sets the building apart from almost everything in Midtown East. Developed by the Zeckendorf family in partnership with Global Holdings and completed in 2015 on a site the Zeckendorfs acquired for the project, it is a 44-story condominium of just 88 residences, conceived as a top-of-market trophy building directly across from the United Nations and the East River beyond.
The architecture is the argument. Foster wrapped the tower in a glass envelope animated by deep, faceted bay windows and unified by a delicate horizontal grid of stainless-steel tubing — a contemporary gesture that deliberately echoes the verticality and craft of New York's Art Deco towers. The result is a building that reads as both modern and rooted, engineered to deliver light, view, and a level of finish the surrounding pre-war and post-war stock cannot.
For buyers, the appeal is specific: a small, architect-pedigreed condominium — with the financing latitude, ownership flexibility, and resale liquidity a condominium provides — in a quiet, diplomatic pocket of Midtown with some of the most open East River and skyline views in the city.
Building operations
50 United Nations Plaza is a full-service condominium. A 24-hour doorman and concierge attend the lobby, and a resident manager oversees the building. The amenity program is among the deepest in the neighborhood: a 75-foot indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a spa with sauna and steam, a climate-controlled wine cellar, a conference room, private storage, and on-site parking.
As a condominium, the building offers what its co-op neighbors structurally cannot: flexible financing with no co-op-style cap, a straightforward right-of-first-refusal in place of a board admissions process, and customary pied-à-terre, trust, LLC, and investor ownership. Subletting is permitted under the condominium's rules, which makes the building well suited to international buyers, diplomats, and owners who maintain more than one residence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $124,946/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $332,188/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $118 – $315
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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 14, 2025 | 28B | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,004 sf | $5,600,000 | $1,864/sf | -5.9% |
| Oct 17, 2025 | PH41Sponsor Sale | 5 BR · 6.5 BA · 5,893 sf | $14,300,000 | $2,427/sf | off-mkt |
| Sep 9, 2025 | 27A | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,609 sf | $4,300,000 | $1,648/sf | -17.9% |
| Mar 25, 2025 | 31B | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,004 sf | $5,600,000 | $1,864/sf | -22.8% |
| Jul 23, 2024 | 21ASponsor Sale | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,609 sf | $4,044,000 | $1,550/sf | -15.7% |
| Jul 10, 2024 | 11B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,624 sf | $3,130,000 | $1,927/sf | -2.2% |
| Jul 1, 2024 | 32ASponsor Sale | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,609 sf | $4,391,725 | $1,683/sf | off-mkt |
| Jul 27, 2023 | 34ASponsor Sale | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,609 sf | $5,259,362 | $2,016/sf | off-mkt |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,654/sf across 3 sales. Median listing discount 7.9% 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 1-01339-7502) 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
This is trophy condominium inventory, and the case for it is flexibility plus design. Financing is flexible — no co-op financing cap applies. There is no board admissions process — purchases clear through a right-of-first-refusal. Pied-à-terre, trust, LLC, and investment purchases are customary, which makes the building a natural fit for international and second-home buyers. Pricing sits at the top of the Midtown East market, so the relevant comparison set is the newest luxury condominiums in the area and the broader trophy tier — not the surrounding co-ops. View and floor are the dominant value drivers; prioritize open East River exposure.
What to know if you’re selling
The Foster design and the scarcity are the marketing core. A Norman Foster building of just 88 homes is a genuine differentiator, and the architecture, the river views, and the deep amenity suite distinguish a resale here from anything in the surrounding stock. Benchmark to top-of-market new condominiums, not the pre-war neighbors — the building debuted at the high end of the Midtown East market and resales should be positioned accordingly. Closing mechanics are condominium-standard, clearing through a right-of-first-refusal on a predictable timeline, which appeals to the financing- and flexibility-minded buyer this building attracts. Open-view, high-floor homes are the prize and set the building's pricing ceiling.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 50 United Nations Plaza, also evaluate nearby Midtown East and East River luxury inventory:
- 845 United Nations Plaza — Trump World Tower condominium overlooking the UN
- 860 United Nations Plaza — established UN Plaza cooperative
- 870 United Nations Plaza — full-service UN Plaza cooperative
- 100 East 53rd Street — contemporary Midtown East condominium
- 685 First Avenue — modern East River condominium
- 301 Park Avenue — full-service Midtown address
Considering a move at 50 United Nations Plaza?
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 50 United Nations Plaza 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.