- Year built
- 1912
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 128
- Floors
- 13
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Pet-friendly
525 West End Avenue is a 1912–1913 Schwartz & Gross commission at the northwest corner of West End Avenue and 85th Street — one of the dignified, full-block-scale Classical Revival apartment houses that gave the avenue its character in the years before the First World War. Schwartz & Gross designed more pre-war apartment buildings on the Upper West Side than nearly any other firm, and 525 is a clear example of their early house style: a heavy rusticated limestone base anchoring the corner, a long brown-brick body articulated by balustraded balconettes carried on scrolled brackets, and restrained classical ornament that reads as solid rather than showy.
The building sits inside the Riverside Drive–West End Historic District Extension I, which means its facade, areaway, and street wall are protected and its overall pre-war character is preserved by designation. The corner siting at 85th Street gives it dual frontage — the avenue elevation and a long 85th Street flank with a gated light court and service alley — and produces the cross-street and avenue exposures that pre-war buyers prize.
This is a building for buyers who want genuine pre-war West End Avenue architecture at a scale and price point more accessible than the marquee Riverside Drive co-ops a block west. The 128-apartment count places it among the larger pre-war houses on the avenue, which means a reasonably steady flow of inventory and a broad mix of layouts rather than a handful of trophy floors.
Architecture and unit composition
The apartments reflect the firm's early-1910s planning vocabulary: gracious entry foyers, well-proportioned living and dining rooms, hardwood floors, and the high ceilings characteristic of the best pre-war construction. With 128 units across 13 stories, the mix runs from efficient one- and two-bedrooms to larger classic-six and combined family layouts; floor altitude, line, and renovation history drive most of the value variation. Renovated lines have brought in modern kitchens and baths, and the building permits washer/dryers — a meaningful convenience in pre-war stock.
Avenue-facing apartments look west across West End Avenue; 85th Street–facing units carry cross-street exposures over a quiet residential block. Upper-floor apartments and corner lines, where the avenue and side-street exposures combine, are the most sought after. As with all pre-war buildings of this vintage, layouts and ceiling heights vary line to line, and original detail survives in varying states depending on prior renovation.
Building operations
525 West End Avenue operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative with a full-time doorman, a canopied attended lobby, elevator service, and an on-site superintendent, plus central laundry and private storage. The 128-unit scale supports a stable staffing model and the kind of building-wide capital planning appropriate to a structure of this age, including ongoing facade maintenance under the city's periodic inspection requirements. The building is pet-friendly, which broadens its appeal within the pre-war West End set.
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
The facade passed its last inspection with no required repairs — nothing to budget for here, and no facade assessment on the horizon for roughly five years.
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
Sales context at 525 West End Avenue:
- Turnover is moderate-to-active given the 128-unit scale — typically several closings per year across the building's mix of layouts.
- Pricing spans a wide range tied to apartment scale and condition: smaller one- and two-bedrooms at more accessible entry points, with larger classic and combined layouts commanding meaningful premiums.
- Line, floor, exposure, and renovation history drive most of the value variation.
Specific recent trades are not represented here; the building's transaction record is available through The Roebling Research Library and recorded public data.
What to know if you’re buying
Pre-war architecture with district protection. The Classical Revival facade and historic-district status are durable assets; they also mean exterior changes are regulated.
The corner siting is structural. Dual avenue-and-side-street frontage produces the exposures and light that drive value within the building.
The terms are relatively accommodating. Pets are welcome and washer/dryers are permitted in renovated lines — both points in the building's favor against stricter pre-war peers.
Renovation is constrained by pre-war systems and district rules. Budget for the realities of updating a 1913 building, and account for the board's alteration-approval process.
Underwrite the apartment, not just the building. With 128 varied units, line, floor, exposure, and renovation history matter more than building-wide averages.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with authorship and address. The Schwartz & Gross pedigree and the West End Avenue corner are concrete, marketable facts; the historic-district setting signals permanence.
Highlight the livability terms. Pet-friendly policy and permitted washer/dryers widen the buyer pool relative to stricter pre-war buildings.
Price at the apartment level. With 128 varied units, line, floor, exposure, and renovation history matter more than building-wide averages.
Closing timelines are co-op standard — generally 6–10 weeks from signed contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 525 West End Avenue, also evaluate:
- 470 West End Avenue — pre-war West End Avenue co-op nearby
- 535 West End Avenue — adjacent-block pre-war peer
- 400 West End Avenue — pre-war West End Avenue co-op
- 277 West End Avenue — pre-war West End Avenue co-op
- 320 Riverside Drive — nearby pre-war Riverside Drive co-op
The Roebling Team at 525 West End Avenue
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this profile because West End Avenue buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 525 West End Avenue, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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