53 West 53rd Street (MoMA Tower)
53 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
BBL 1012697502 · BIN 1090777
- Year built
- 2019
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 145
- Floors
- 77
- Pets
- Permitted under condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Generally allowed in condominiums; not confirmed for this building
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2020–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf, 2026 to date
- $2,313
- floor-adjusted, 10 sales
- Listing discount
- 11.0%
- Recorded sales
- 117
- On record
- 2020–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 53W53 would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.
53W53 — the MoMA Tower — is Jean Nouvel's 1,050-foot condominium adjoining the Museum of Modern Art and the Billionaires' Row corridor. Its concrete diagrid is the primary structural system: the north and south facades slope inward toward five spire crowns of different heights. Nouvel's international portfolio includes the Louvre Abu Dhabi (2017), the Quai Branly Museum in Paris (2006), the National Museum of Qatar (2019), and the Philharmonie de Paris.
Hines developed 53W53 in partnership with MoMA as part of the museum's expansion. MoMA occupies floors 2, 4, and 5, including the Daylit Gallery on floor 2 and the Studio on floors 4 and 5. The residential entrance is separate from the museum's public circulation.
The project was announced in 2007 as Tower Verre at 1,250 feet. Following neighborhood protests, the design was shortened by 200 feet in 2009. Construction ran from 2014 through 2020; sponsor sales began in 2015 and continued through the COVID-era market. Review the dated sponsor and resale transactions separately when assessing pricing.
Architecture and unit composition
The 145 condominium residences span configurations from 1BR to 4–5 BR, distributed across the residential floors of the 77-story tower above the MoMA-integrated lower floors. Most apartments occupy a full or substantial portion of their floor given the relatively small footprint produced by the inward-sloping diagrid structure.
Thierry Despont designed the interiors with custom millwork, kitchens and primary bathrooms. The diagrid remains visible within many apartments; inspect how the structural members affect the rooms and window openings in the specific residence.
View altitude is exceptional — upper-floor apartments can have open sight lines across Central Park (looking north), the Hudson, the East River, downtown, and Brooklyn, depending on position and exposure. The five-spire crown creates particularly distinctive view envelopes for the topmost apartments. No view is protected without a recorded instrument, even with the surrounding Billionaires' Row corridor substantially built out.
Building operations
53W53 operates as a luxury condominium with full-time doorman, 24-hour concierge, valet parking, and the broader amenity package. The amenity program is concentrated on floors 46–47 (the residents' lounge and private dining room) and across multiple amenity floors housing the 17,000 sf Wellness Center with the 65-foot swimming pool, fitness center, sauna and steam rooms, golf simulator, and squash court.
Common charges and property taxes are substantial. A 3,500 sf 3BR carries common charges in the $7,000–$11,000/month range plus property taxes that can run $5,000–$10,000/month. Total monthly carry on substantial apartments ranges $15,000–$25,000.
The 2020 completion date places 53W53 at the more recent end of the Billionaires' Row supertall corpus. Recent completion does not establish current condition; the supertall-category risk profile applies, and buyers should review current building engineering reports and reserve studies during due diligence.
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Common charges + taxes, per room
- $2,391 per room a monthMedian of 26 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges + taxes, per square foot
- $4.45 per square foot a monthMedian of 33 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges alone, per square foot
- $2.43 per square foot a monthMedian of 27 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
- Real estate taxes alone, per square foot
- $2.05 per square foot a monthMedian of 27 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
Common charges plus real estate taxes, combined into one monthly figure the way New York condominium listings show them. Add a mortgage payment for the monthly outlay. The split into common charges and taxes comes from the listings that also give the annual tax, a different sample, so the two lines need not add up exactly to the combined median; a tax abatement can hold taxes below the full amount until it expires. A summary of recorded sales and listings, not a current bill; charges change.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Full-time doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Concierge
- YesSource: recent listing records
- Valet
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of Buildings elevator records
- Amenities noted
- Fitness room, pool, spa, residents' lounge, garageSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $130,946/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $756,053/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $68 – $391
- Modeled exposure split equally across 161 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; condominium owners are typically charged by each unit's common-interest percentage.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Recent sales
53W53 is in mid-correction. High-floor resales that closed in early 2026 landed well below their asking prices, and the 2025 resales show the same picture. That is the operative negotiating reality at 53W53 today.
The trophy PH inventory has not cleared. Penthouse-tier listings, including the half-floor PH74 and PH75 inventory, have either failed to find a buyer at advertised pricing or transacted well below ask. The supertall PH ceiling at 53W53 is being tested and rejected by the market.
The 2020 sponsor wave — roughly 25 closings in January–February 2020 just before the COVID lockdown — was the building's foundational pricing event. Many of those original contracts were signed in 2017–2019 at offering-plan numbers; the actual closings landed below those original asks even in 2020, indicating sponsor pricing strategy was already softening before the broader correction set in.
What this means for transactions today:
- Buyers: The ask-to-close negotiating room at 53W53 is wide, and it is structural, not anomalous.
- Sellers: Pricing matters enormously. Listings posted at original sponsor numbers do not transact. Set entry pricing against current comparable sales.
- Both sides should expect: meaningful days-on-market for high-floor inventory, off-market and pre-listing activity for the most consequential trades, and ongoing price discovery in the PH-tier inventory.
Unit-level transaction history is maintained in The Roebling Research Library and shared with clients during diligence.
Recent closings 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.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2026 | 20C | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,428 sf | $2,500,000 | $1,751/sf | -2.0% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 21D | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,610 sf | $5,350,000 | $2,050/sf | -5.3% |
| May 18, 2026 | 40C | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,396 sf | $5,850,000 | $2,442/sf | -25.0% |
| May 8, 2026 | 14E | 1 BA · 494 sf | $1,005,000 | $2,034/sf | -32.1% |
| May 8, 2026 | 14ESponsor Sale | 1 BA | $6,680,000 | — | |
| May 8, 2026 | 34C | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,506 sf | $5,675,000 | $2,265/sf | -12.7% |
| Mar 23, 2026 | 49A | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,765 sf | $12,800,000 | $3,400/sf | -16.6% |
| Feb 9, 2026 | 19A | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,370 sf | $5,153,125 | $2,174/sf | -27.3% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $2,313/sf (floor-adjusted) across 10 sales. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. Median listing discount 11.0% 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.
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 1-01269-7502; each condominium apartment is its own tax lot). 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
Closed rents at 53W53, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 8 | $10,250 |
10 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease September 2026. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
What would your apartment rent for?
The figures above are the building's closed leases. Enter your apartment and I'll send you what yours would rent for, from comparable leases at 53W53 and nearby.
At the recent median sale of $5.42M (29 sales in the past 24 months, since November 12, 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $259,878 to close, or 4.8% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $122,063
- Mortgage recording tax: $78,323
- Title insurance: $24,412
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $35,080
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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What to know if you’re buying
Use dated secondary-market transactions. Compare the specific apartment with closed resales, distinguishing sponsor reference prices from completed transactions.
Condominium terms need confirming. As a condominium, there is no co-op board admission; confirm closing timing, foreign ownership, pied-à-terre, investment use and subletting in the current declaration, bylaws and house rules.
Mansion tax cliff effects routinely apply. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Model the full monthly cost. Obtain the apartment’s current common charges and property-tax bill, plus any assessments, before comparing it with other supertalls.
What to know if you’re selling
Pricing requires apartment-level context. View altitude, exposure, spire-crown proximity (for upper-floor inventory), and configuration all drive substantial pricing variation.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 53W53, also evaluate:
- One57 (157 West 57th) — de Portzamparc 2014 Billionaires' Row supertall
- 432 Park Avenue — Viñoly 2015 supertall; documented defect history
- 220 Central Park South — Stern 2018 classical limestone supertall
- Central Park Tower — Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill 2020; tallest residential in the world
- 111 West 57th (Steinway Tower) — SHoP 2021; thinnest skyscraper in the world
- 520 Park Avenue — Stern 2018; pre-war-styled Park Avenue trophy condo
- 15 Central Park West — Stern 2008 pre-war-styled condo on CPW
More Billionaires' Row buildings
- 111 West 57th Street (Steinway Tower) — 2021 condominium by SHoP Architects
- Parc Beaufort (140 West 57th Street) — condominium
- One57 (157 West 57th Street) — 2010 condominium by Christian de Portzamparc
- Central Park Tower (217 West 57th Street) — 2020 condominium by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
- 220 Central Park South — 2018 condominium by Robert A.M. Stern Architects
- 432 Park Avenue — 2011 condominium by Rafael Viñoly
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Billionaires' Row — read The Roebling Team Guide to Billionaires' Row.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
Considering a move at 53W53?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com