- Year built
- 1939
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $910K
- Recent range
- $799K – $2.3M
- Listing discount
- 1.9%
- Recorded transfers
- 33
517 East 86th Street is a late-pre-war Georgian Revival cooperative deep in Yorkville, a short walk from Carl Schurz Park and the East River esplanade. Built in 1939 and held as a tenant-owned cooperative, it is a six-story building of 35 apartments — intimate, well-run, and priced to offer real value within the Upper East Side. For buyers who want a quiet, residential corner of Manhattan near the water and the park, without paying avenue-block pricing, it is a sensible and appealing address.
Yorkville has long been one of the Upper East Side's best values, and this stretch of East 86th near York and East End delivers exactly that: calm, residential, close to the park, and well served by transit including the Second Avenue subway a few blocks west.
Architecture and unit composition
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.
Building operations
517 East 86th runs as a well-maintained 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, owner-occupied pre-war building rather than an amenity tower, valued for its quiet character, its location, and its sensible carrying costs.
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.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into for you.
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 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.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2026 | 6D | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,715,000 | +0.9% | |
| Feb 12, 2025 | 2D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,150 sf | $910,000 | $791/sf | -1.6% |
| Sep 22, 2023 | 5A | 2 BR · 2 BA | $799,000 | -11.1% | |
| Jul 17, 2023 | 4DE | 4 BR · 3 BA | $2,347,827 | -5.9% | |
| Jun 29, 2023 | 6A | 2 BR · 2 BA | $960,000 | -1.9% | |
| Sep 21, 2022 | 3AB | 4 BR · 3 BA | $2,300,000 | -3.2% | |
| Jun 24, 2022 | 4C | 2 BR · 1 BA | $687,000 | -1.7% | |
| Jul 8, 2021 | 6C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $735,000 | -5.6% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $727/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 2.6% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2016 | 3AB | $2,795,000 |
| Jun 20, 2007 | 2E | $1,730,000 |
| Nov 23, 2004 | 6A | $799,000 |
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 1-01583-0009) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
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, at a price point well below 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 (lower than full-service towers nearby). Yorkville's improving transit, including the Second Avenue subway, supports the location's long-term trajectory.
What to know if you’re selling
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.
Comparable buildings
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 — pre-war cooperative nearby
The Roebling Team at 517 East 86th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Yorkville, the broader Upper East Side, and Manhattan's pre-war cooperative market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers in value-oriented, well-run co-ops like 517 East 86th deserve building-specific intelligence — the board rules, the amenities, and where pricing sits against the immediate comparison set.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 517 East 86th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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