- Year built
- 1924
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 96
- Landmark
- Designated
The Florence at 545 West End Avenue is a 1925 pre-war cooperative on the corner of West End Avenue and West 86th Street, designed by George F. Pelham in the Renaissance Revival palazzo idiom that gave the avenue some of its most dignified facades. Pelham was among the era's most productive Upper West Side apartment-house architects, and his hand shows in the building's two-story rusticated stone base, its two-story entrance enframement with pilasters carrying a carved entablature, the terra-cotta sill courses with bas-relief swags, and the bracketed cornice crowned with anthemia. The named identity — "The Florence" — and the elaborate stone face give the building a recognizable presence on the avenue.
West End Avenue is the Upper West Side's quiet residential spine, running between Broadway's commercial energy and Riverside Drive's park frontage. The Florence's corner siting at West 86th Street — a wider, busier crosstown street with the 1 train a block away and crosstown buses at the door — gives the building strong light, dual exposures on the corner lines, and the convenience of one of the neighborhood's principal east-west axes. The address sits near the heart of the avenue's pre-war stretch, within easy reach of Riverside Park, the Broadway retail corridor, and Central Park to the east.
At roughly 96 apartments across 16 stories, The Florence is a mid-scale pre-war cooperative with full-service staffing — large enough to support a steady transaction cadence and a family-friendly amenity base, intimate enough to keep a defined character.
For buyers, The Florence offers genuine pre-war architecture, family-scale layouts, and a named West End Avenue address at pricing typically more accessible than the Central Park West and Park/Fifth Avenue pre-war tiers.
Architecture and unit composition
The roughly 96 apartments span the 16 stories in configurations from one- and two-bedrooms to larger family layouts, consistent with a 1925 pre-war building of this scale. Pre-war signatures of the era are typical here: high ceilings, entry foyers, separated formal living and dining rooms, and the room proportions that distinguish apartments of this vintage. Some apartments have been combined over the building's history to produce larger layouts.
The corner position at West 86th Street gives certain lines dual exposures and the additional light that the wider crosstown street provides.
Building operations
The Florence operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative with 24-hour doorman coverage, elevator service, a live-in superintendent, and handyman/porter staffing, supported by a children's playroom, a bike room, central laundry, and storage. The building converted to cooperative ownership in 1983. Because it sits within the Riverside Drive–West End Historic District Extension I, exterior alterations run through Landmarks Preservation Commission review.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $24,958/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $22
Facade safety — Local Law 11
An active hazard: the building must keep a sidewalk shed up and make repairs now — expect construction, disruption, and a likely special assessment. We’d get you the repair scope and the building’s funding plan up front, so you go in knowing exactly what’s underway and what it’s likely to cost.
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 The Florence:
- Turnover is steady given the ~96-unit scale — typically a handful of closings per year across the cooperative.
- Pricing spans the configuration range, with one- and two-bedrooms at the more accessible end and larger and combined family apartments at the upper end; per-square-foot pricing generally sits below the Central Park West and Park/Fifth pre-war tiers.
What to know if you’re buying
The Renaissance-revival architecture is a defining asset. The named building and Pelham's elaborate stone facade give it a recognizable, dignified identity on West End Avenue.
The corner-of-86th location adds light and convenience. A wider crosstown street, the 1 train a block away, and Riverside Park to the west distinguish the corner lines; confirm the exposure of any specific apartment.
The playroom and bike room support family life. A children's playroom is a meaningful draw for the family buyers West End Avenue attracts.
Pricing is accessible relative to the CPW and Park/Fifth tiers. Buyers who want pre-war scale and a named address often find West End Avenue's value proposition compelling.
Board approval follows full-service pre-war co-op norms. Strong financials and primary-residence intent are typically central.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the named building and Pelham's facade. "The Florence" and the Renaissance Revival architecture are the marketing core, alongside the corner light, the playroom, and the West End Avenue address.
Pricing requires apartment-level comparable analysis. Exposure, floor altitude, configuration, and renovation history all move value across a 96-unit building.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Generally 6–10 weeks from contract signing to closing, subject to board package and interview pacing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Florence, also evaluate:
- 565 West End Avenue — pre-war West End Avenue co-op nearby
- 525 West End Avenue — pre-war West End Avenue co-op
- 535 West End Avenue — pre-war West End Avenue co-op
The Roebling Team at The Florence
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper West Side, Central Park West, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building 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 The Florence, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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