- Year built
- 1961
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 136
- Floors
- 21
- Landmark
- No
- Amenities
- 24-hour doorman, live-in resident manager, fitness room, bike room, basement storage, central laundry
- Pets
- Permitted per listing records
- Financing
- 60 percent maximum per listing records
525 East 86th Street is a quietly well-positioned Yorkville co-op with an unusually distinguished paper trail. The conversion plan on file in The Roebling Research Library, dated March 25, 1969, makes this one of the earlier post-war conversions in the neighborhood — and the names behind it belong to New York real estate history. The sponsoring joint venture operated through the office of Wien, Lane, Klein & Malkin, and when the first amendment offered tenants a 10 percent insider discount with a sponsor buy-back guarantee, that guarantee was personally and jointly backed by Lawrence A. Wien and Harry B. Helmsley — the syndicators most famous for assembling the Empire State Building's ownership — along with Irving Schneider. The plan also records a detail conversion-era buyers rarely see: the building had no rent-controlled apartments at conversion, so the offering proceeded free of statutory rent-regulation complications.
The building itself is the corridor's reliable workhorse: a 21-story, 136-unit beige-brick tower of 1961, attributed in architectural records to Robert L. Bien, whose mid-century Upper East Side practice produced peers like 75 East End Avenue and 35 Sutton Place. The location is the structural argument — midblock between York and East End Avenues, half a block from Carl Schurz Park and the East River esplanade, beside the Queen Anne rowhouses of Henderson Place, with Gracie Mansion and Asphalt Green minutes away. The 86th Street address puts the Q train, crosstown buses, and the neighborhood's retail spine at the building's western end while the block itself stays residential and tree-lined.
For buyers, the operating posture matters as much as the address: listing records describe a cooperative with no underlying mortgage and no flip tax — a combination that, if confirmed in diligence, is genuinely uncommon and translates directly into lower carrying risk and cleaner exit math than the typical post-war peer.
Architecture and unit composition
The tower rises 21 stories in beige brick behind an angled stainless-steel marquee and a red-granite entrance surround — a crisp early-1960s full-service formula that architectural records credit to Robert L. Bien. The roughly 136 apartments run from studios through three-bedroom and combined lines, in post-war proportions: defined foyers, real dining areas, generous closets. Upper east- and north-facing units pick up river glimpses and open sky over the low Henderson Place and East End rooflines; the conversion-era documents record maids' rooms in the original program, a period detail of the building's 1961 ambitions. The garage base and central air distinguish it from walk-to-the-park peers of the same vintage.
Building operations
Full-service: 24-hour doorman, live-in resident manager, fitness room, bike room, basement storage, central laundry, and the on-site garage. In-unit washer/dryers appear in recent listing records, suggesting a permissive alteration posture — confirm current policy. Utilities and staffing run on institutional management, and the building's conversion documents are on file in The Roebling Research Library; current financial statements should be obtained through the managing agent during diligence, particularly to confirm the no-underlying-mortgage posture that listing records describe.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $27,018/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $17
Recent sales
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
Recent transfers at this building, sourced from NYC Department of Finance records. Apartment-level detail (line, condition, asking-price context) verified upon consultation request.
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 17, 2026 | 6A | $1,447,500 |
| Jan 16, 2025 | 4G | $730,000 |
| Jul 24, 2024 | 5F | $1,330,000 |
| Jul 18, 2024 | 5C | $1,225,000 |
| Jul 11, 2024 | 17GH | $1,940,000 |
| Jun 10, 2024 | 20E | $1,649,999 |
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 1-01583-0012) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
The financial posture is the headline — verify it. Listing records describe no underlying mortgage and no flip tax. If the financial statements confirm it, you are buying into one of the cleaner balance sheets in the corridor; your attorney should also confirm how the building funds capital work absent mortgage proceeds (assessments versus reserves).
60 percent financing is stricter than it looks. A 40 percent minimum down payment is the gating requirement; board package strength matters accordingly. Run the Co-op Board Qualification Calculator before offering.
The pied-à-terre and pet postures are corridor-liberal. Both are permitted per listing records — a meaningful widening of the buyer pool relative to East End Avenue's stricter pre-war boards. Confirm specifics, including sublet rules, with the managing agent.
Position and quiet are the product. Half a block to Carl Schurz Park, next to Henderson Place, on the residential end of 86th Street — but with the Q at Second Avenue close enough for a real commute. Walk the block at both ends of the day; the east-of-York calm is the value.
The garage is a daily-life asset. On-site parking in this corridor is scarce; confirm current availability, rates, and any shareholder preference with the managing agent.
What to know if you’re selling
Sell the balance sheet with the apartment. No flip tax and no underlying mortgage (per listing records) are arguments that survive attorney diligence and move deliberate co-op buyers. We document the financial posture from primary sources for serious buyers' counsel.
Anchor against the park-and-corridor peers. Your buyer is cross-shopping East End Avenue post-wars and the York/First Avenue full-service stock. The pitch is location parity at mid-tier pricing with cleaner exit math.
Condition spread is wide; price to it. Renovated lines with open exposures command real premiums here; estate units clear when the ask respects the renovation budget. Run the Renovation Cost Calculator against your strategy before listing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 525 East 86th Street, also evaluate:
- 200 East End Avenue — the corridor's full-blockfront post-war co-op opposite Carl Schurz Park; the prestige step-up three blocks north
- 515 East 79th Street (Asten House) — the 1982 purpose-built co-op seven blocks south; the balconied alternative
- 180 East 88th Street — Yorkville's boutique new-development condo benchmark
- 40 East End Avenue — boutique new-development condo on the avenue; the new-construction alternative
- 50 East 89th Street — large post-war full-service co-op alternative toward Park Avenue pricing
- 75 East End Avenue — fellow Robert L. Bien-attributed full-service co-op on the avenue
- 180 East End Avenue and 45 East End Avenue — the avenue's post-war co-op peers
- 170 East End Avenue — park-facing post-war condo; the condo alternative
The Roebling Team at 525 East 86th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass works Yorkville, the East End Avenue and Gracie Square corridor, and the broader Upper East Side as a core practice area. We publish this building profile because 525 East 86th Street buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — conversion documentation, policy framework, and corridor-level comparables — not generic neighborhood commentary.
If you're considering a transaction at 525 East 86th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.