517 East 86th Street

The building's Georgian Revival design reflects the dignified, restrained mode of late-1930s pre-war construction — a clean brick elevation with classical detailing and the solid proportions of its era. At six stories with 35 apartments, it is a low-density, human-scaled building. The homes offer the practical pre-war layouts characteristic of 1939 construction, ranging from studios and one-bedrooms through larger family configurations, with the hardwood floors and sensible room flow that buyers in this market value. With roughly 1,370 square feet of building area per unit on paper, the building spans a useful mix of sizes.

517 East 86th runs as a cooperative with a part-time doorman and a live-in superintendent on site, supported by the practical amenities residents rely on — laundry and storage. It is a classic pre-war building rather than an amenity tower, valued for its quiet character and its location.

On board policy, the cooperative welcomes pets and permits pied-à-terre ownership — flexibility that broadens the building's appeal to part-time owners and dog-owning households alike. Purchases clear through the customary cooperative board application and interview, and buyers should plan for the standard documentation and reserves a co-op expects.

Recent sales

Recent transfers at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.

Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $750/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 1.9% 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 1-01583-0009). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. 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 case for buying here is value and quiet. You are buying a pre-war apartment in a low-density co-op, steps from Carl Schurz Park and the East River esplanade, with pricing to compare against dated matched sales on the avenue blocks — with the flexibility of pet and pied-à-terre acceptance. Factor in the standard board process and the carrying costs of a part-time-doorman building (compare actual unit bills with full-service alternatives nearby). Yorkville's improving transit, including the Second Avenue subway, supports the location's long-term trajectory.

Sellers should lead with the location and the flexibility: Carl Schurz Park and the river esplanade a short walk away, the Second Avenue subway nearby, and a pet- and pied-à-terre-friendly board that widens the buyer pool. Emphasize the value proposition — pre-war character at a Yorkville price — alongside the apartment's specific condition and light. Price against recent trades in comparable Yorkville pre-war co-ops, and present the home to show its pre-war proportions at their best.

If you're considering 517 East 86th Street, also look at these nearby Yorkville cooperatives:

• 510 East 86th Street — co-op across the street
• 520 East 86th Street — Yorkville cooperative nearby
• 525 East 86th Street — full-service East End building
• 530 East 86th Street — Yorkville co-op near the river
• 535 East 86th Street — cooperative nearby