510 East 86th Street

510 East 86th Street is a representative post-war elevator building: a clean brick tower built for efficient layouts and light. Rising 21 stories, it holds 94 apartments across a mix that runs from studios and one-bedrooms to larger family layouts, with the upper floors capturing open city and East River exposures that are the building's most prized feature. The post-war vintage means lower ceilings than the pre-war stock but more rational, light-filled floor plans and a reliable elevator-building infrastructure — and a number of homes carry private terraces.

The amenity set is the dependable post-war package: central laundry, a bicycle room, and private resident storage, all run by a live-in superintendent and an around-the-clock door staff.

The building is a full-service cooperative staffed by a 24-hour doorman and a live-in superintendent. Financing is permitted up to 75% of the purchase price — generous by Upper East Side co-op standards and a meaningful advantage for buyers — and a 2% flip tax is paid at closing. The building is pet-friendly. Co-purchasing is not permitted, so the board expects the purchaser to qualify on their own; primary residence is the norm. As with most co-ops, purchases clear through a full board application and interview.

Recent sales

Recent transfers 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.

Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $863/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 4.8% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.

Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 1-01582-0046) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.

The financing is the headline advantage. At up to 75% financing, the building is friendlier to leveraged buyers than most Upper East Side co-ops, which often cap at 50–65%. Budget the 2% flip tax into your closing numbers. The building is pet-friendly. Note that co-purchasing is not permitted — a parent cannot co-sign on title, so the buyer must qualify independently, which matters for younger purchasers. Expect a full board package and interview. The value proposition is location and service: a full-time doorman co-op a block from Carl Schurz Park and the river, at a price point well below the avenues to the west.

Lead with location and the river. Proximity to Carl Schurz Park, the East River esplanade, and the calm of the East End blocks is the building's strongest marketing asset — and higher-floor homes with open or river exposures should be foregrounded. The 75% financing ceiling widens your buyer pool, a real selling advantage over more restrictive co-ops; surface it early. Price to the Yorkville post-war comparison set — the relevant benchmarks are the full-service post-war co-ops near East End Avenue, not pre-war product to the west. Prepare buyers for the board, including the no-co-purchasing rule, so a deal doesn't stall; we vet buyers for board-readiness before an accepted offer.

If you're considering 510 East 86th Street, also evaluate nearby Yorkville and East End cooperatives:

• 525 East 86th Street — full-service co-op steps away
• 535 East 86th Street — post-war co-op on the same block
• 425 East 86th Street — Yorkville cooperative to the west
• 345 East 86th Street — full-service East 86th Street co-op
• 446 East 86th Street — cooperative near East End Avenue

The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side, Yorkville and the East End blocks, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers in Yorkville post-war cooperatives deserve building-specific intelligence — financing posture, board policy, river-view premiums, and where values sit against the rest of the neighborhood.

If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 510 East 86th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right place to start.