531 East 88th Street
531–533 East 88th Street, between York and East End avenues, Upper East Side, Manhattan
BBL 1015850018 · BIN 1051348
- Year built
- 1905
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 25
- Floors
- 5
- Amenities
- Elevator, central laundry, private storage cages and mobile-access intercom
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Pied-à-terre
- Permitted
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not stated
- Washer/dryer
- Permitted with conditions
- Maximum financing
- 80% of the purchase price
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- Studio median, 2023–2025
- $360K
- 2 qualifying sales
- Recent range
- $355K – $825K
- Listing discount
- 2.7%
- Recorded transfers
- 33
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 531 East 88th Street 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.
531 East 88th Street is a five-story elevator cooperative with a wide spread of apartment sizes, from compact studios to two-bedroom homes around a thousand square feet. Selected apartments have private balconies and eastward outlooks toward Carl Schurz Park and the river. The building sits on the side street just west of East End Avenue.
Its 25-residence scale gives buyers elevator access within a relatively small cooperative. Central laundry and rentable storage cages provide shared facilities beyond the apartment. The surrounding location is tied to Carl Schurz Park, the East River promenade and the nearby ferry landing.
The property occupies approximately fifty feet of frontage. Its apartment variety is more important to the resale market than a single building-wide price comparison: a studio and a two-bedroom home here can differ substantially in area, bath count, exposure and outdoor space.
Architecture and unit composition
The building's five floors include both compact and substantially larger plans. Studios around four hundred and twenty-five to four hundred and sixty square feet appear in the sales history. Larger two-bedroom homes are recorded around nine hundred and fifty to a thousand square feet.
Some of the larger layouts divide the bedrooms from the main living and dining space, with a separate bedroom wing. An additional half bath appears in selected homes. South-facing rooms look toward East 88th Street, while east-facing windows can look across the rear of the block toward East End Avenue.
Private balconies are attached to some apartments. One recurring larger layout connects the living room to a balcony with an eastward outlook. Outdoor space is apartment-specific; it is not a common amenity available to every shareholder.
High ceilings, wood flooring and original moldings survive in the apartment inventory. Renovations include open kitchens with breakfast seating and updated windowed baths. Storage varies, with larger apartments offering multiple full-height closets and separate entry galleries.
Building operations
The cooperative has replaced its elevator and renovated common hallways, and the entry system permits mobile access. Central laundry serves the building, with private storage cages available for rent. The cost and availability of a cage are separate from the apartment purchase.
The elevator is a substantial shared asset in a five-story building with only 25 residences. Its maintenance and eventual replacement are collective expenses. The same applies to the façade and roof, while balconies can involve a combination of shared structural work and apartment-specific obligations.
The property is not landmark-designated. The existing built FAR of 5.13 exceeds the 4.0 residential allowance shown for its R8B zoning. That existing density reflects the building as established; it does not provide evidence of additional permitted floor area.
Policy framework
Pets and pied-à-terre ownership are permitted — confirm with the managing agent. Financing of up to 80% is permitted — confirm with the managing agent. The corresponding stated minimum down payment is 20%, with any additional liquidity requirements determined through the purchase application — confirm with the managing agent.
In-unit washer/dryer installation is permitted with approval — confirm with the managing agent. The central laundry room remains available to homes without a private machine.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of October 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
Purchase
4 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Credit ApplicationPer applicantRequired | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $20 (per applicant) | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Move in fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $250 | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move In/Out Deposit | Paid by Buyer | When Upon approval | Amount $1,500 | Refundable Refundable |
Sublet
5 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit ApplicationPer applicantRequired | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $20 (per applicant) | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Move-in Fee | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $250 | Refundable Not stated |
| Processing Fee | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $350 | Refundable Not stated |
| Monthly Sublet FeeRecurring | Paid by Subtenant | When Upon approval | Amount 10% of monthly maintenance | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move-in Deposit | Paid by Subtenant | When Upon approval | Amount $1500 (upon submission, send check to Synoptic) | Refundable Refundable |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the building's costs and purchase requirements.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Financing and purchase requirements
- Maximum financing
- 80% of the purchase priceSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Sublet and pied-à-terre policy
A condominium owner leasing a unit and a co-op shareholder subletting are different rules, and a building-wide rule is different from a restriction on one apartment. This is the building's rule; confirm it for the specific apartment.
- Subletting by shareholders
- Not verified
- Pied-à-terre ownership
- PermittedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the sublet and pied-à-terre rules for that apartment.
Pets and in-unit washer/dryer
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not statedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- In-unit washer/dryer
- Permitted with conditionsBoard approvalSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to confirm the pet and washer/dryer rules for that apartment.
Building staffing and amenities
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- Storage, laundry roomSource: 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
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $10,883/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $36
- Modeled exposure split equally across 25 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
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
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.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 2025 | 1C | 1 BA | $355,000 | -1.4% |
| Feb 25, 2025 | 3B | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $825,000 | -2.9% |
| Sep 29, 2023 | 4E | 1 BA | $365,000 | -2.7% |
| Mar 15, 2022 | 5C | 2 BR · 1 BA | $590,000 | -15.1% |
| Jul 29, 2021 | 2B | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $745,000 | -6.9% |
| Jun 29, 2021 | 4B | 2 BR · 1 BA | $795,000 | -9.1% |
| Jul 19, 2018 | 2C | 2 BR | $700,000 | -2.8% |
| Aug 7, 2015 | 5B | 2 BR | $670,000 | -5.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2015): a median $677/sf (floor-adjusted) across 2 sales. The building has traded as recently as 2025. Median listing discount 4.4% 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 1-01585-0018). 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.
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Buying here? Co-op closing costs typically run 2 to 3% of the price. See NYC co-op and condo closing costs, line by line.
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Comparable buildings
- 439 East 88th Street — A same-street prewar cooperative with a similar low-rise form and residential scale.
- 517 East 86th Street — A modestly larger late-prewar cooperative near the same park and East End Avenue setting.
- 444 East 87th Street — A larger five-story cooperative from a similar construction period.
- 407 East 91st Street — A prewar cooperative of comparable scale in northern Yorkville.
- 530 East 86th Street — A taller prewar cooperative for buyers comparing the small elevator building with East End Avenue's larger apartment houses.
More Upper East Side buildings
- Gracie Gardens, 525 East 89th Street — 1942 co-op
- 530 East 86th Street — 1928 co-op by Charles A. Platt
- The Edgewater (530 East 72nd Street) — 1962 co-op
- 531 Main Street (Rivercross) — 1975 co-op
- Henderson House (535 East 86th Street) — 1960 co-op
- The Promenade (535 East 75th Street / 530 East 76th Street) — 1987 condominium by Philip Birnbaum & Associates
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
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 531 East 88th Street?
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646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com