502 East 81st Street

The building is a contemporary boutique tower — a restrained masonry-and-glass composition at ten stories, scaled to sit comfortably on a residential corner rather than to dominate it. The design prioritizes light and private outdoor space, with terraces on select homes and a corner exposure that opens views over the low-rise blocks toward the river.

The residences are built around full-floor living. With roughly ten homes across the building, the layouts run to expansive four-bedroom plans, plus a penthouse, each entered through a private elevator landing for the privacy of a single-family floor. New construction here means contemporary ceiling heights, modern mechanical and air systems, high-specification kitchens and baths, and the efficient, light-filled proportions to assess against actual older Yorkville alternatives. On-site enclosed parking and ground-floor retail round out the program.

As a new condominium, 502 East 81st has no co-op board admission — a purchase runs through the condominium's application and right-of-first-refusal process rather than a co-op board package and interview. Financing, leasing, subletting, and pied-à-terre, trust, LLC, and investment ownership should be confirmed in the current declaration, bylaws and house rules. For a buyer who wants new construction, full-floor scale, and condominium ownership on the far East Side, that combination is the building's core case.

The residences are offered under a condominium filing with the New York State Attorney General; confirm that the offering plan has been accepted for filing and review its current amendments. Common-charge and tax projections, finish selections, and closing mechanics follow that plan; we help buyers read it, benchmark the pricing against the limited new-condo set nearby, and structure the deal.

This is a small new-development condominium; establish whether the specific unit is a sponsor sale or a resale before choosing the transaction assumptions. The defining advantages are flexibility and scale: a full-floor, four-bedroom home with private elevator-landing entry, contemporary systems, and the option of on-site parking. Buyers should weigh floor, exposure, and outdoor space, and review the offering plan's common-charge and tax projections alongside current bills and budgets; projections do not fix long-run carrying costs.

The small unit count does not establish current availability. Review active listings and recent transfers, and compare the actual floor and layout of each available home before setting an offer.

The condominium structure and new construction are the marketing core. Full-floor four-bedroom homes, private elevator landings, on-site parking, and contemporary systems distinguish a resale here from anything in Yorkville's older stock, and condominium ownership itself — no co-op board admission, with financing and ownership rules set by the governing documents — is a draw for the buyer this building attracts.

Benchmark a resale to the limited set of new and recent East Side condominiums rather than to the neighborhood's co-ops, and lead with what is scarce: new construction, full-floor scale, and parking on the far East Side. A resale runs through the condominium's application and right-of-first-refusal process rather than a co-op board; confirm the procedure and timing in the declaration and bylaws. Check current sponsor and resale listings before making a supply claim; a small total unit count does not establish resale availability or pricing strength.

If you're considering 502 East 81st Street, also evaluate these nearby Upper East Side and Yorkville buildings:

• 401 East 84th Street — Yorkville full-service building nearby
• 515 East 79th Street — East End cooperative a few blocks south
• 112 East 81st Street — East 81st Street co-op to the west
• 140 East 81st Street — established East 81st Street cooperative peer
• 163 East 81st Street — East 81st Street co-op on the corridor