55 Central Park West
55 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023
- Year built
- 1929
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 102
- Floors
- 19
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Cats and small dogs typically permitted; confirm specifics
- Subletting
- Restrictive; minimum holding period and per-sublet board approval
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $1.9M
- Recent range
- $1.3M – $3.7M
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded transfers
- 81
55 Central Park West occupies a specific cultural niche on CPW: it is the building most casually known to non-New-Yorkers as "the Ghostbusters building" — its distinctive stepped roof and corner massing served as the principal exterior backdrop for the 1984 film. Beyond that pop-cultural fame, the building is a substantial pre-war cooperative completed in 1929 by Schwartz & Gross, a firm responsible for several other significant CPW and UES residential buildings of the same era.
The building's architectural character is Art Deco with restrained ornamentation — vertical brick and limestone composition, stepped massing at the upper floors, no twin-tower silhouette but a distinctive crowned corner. Its proximity to Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, and the southern edge of Central Park puts it in a similar daily-life ecosystem as the Century and Majestic, while its more modest height and unit count produce a quieter institutional culture.
For buyers who want a substantial pre-war CPW co-op with cultural visibility, southern CPW positioning, and the architectural seriousness of Schwartz & Gross's work, 55 CPW occupies its own position in the canon — adjacent to, but distinct from, the Art Deco twin-tower landmarks.
Architecture and unit composition
Apartments range from one-bedrooms (700–1,000 sf) to substantial three- and four-bedroom configurations (2,200–4,500 sf), with the higher-floor and corner units commanding view premium. The 19-story height (no extending towers) means the highest floors are at altitudes the Art Deco twin-tower buildings exceed, but for buyers who don't need the very highest CPW altitudes, the building's pricing-to-quality balance is favorable.
Pre-war signatures throughout: 10–12 foot ceilings, formal entry galleries, library-living combinations, kitchens that have been renovated multiple times. Original architectural detail has been preserved in many apartments.
Park-facing apartments occupy the eastern flank — direct Central Park views from low to high floors, with the corner units (Park + 65th or 66th cross-street exposure) commanding meaningful premium.
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
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into for you.
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
Recent transfers at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. Apartment-level facts are independently verified before publishing; sale prices reflect the recorded transfer amount at the NYC Department of Finance.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 2025 | 3G | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,535 sf Closed Nov 19, 2025 (recorded Nov 21) at $1.9M — 0.26% OVER the $1.895M asking. 3G — 2BR. Premium-to-ask close. Same #3G previously traded at $1.8M (Jun 2022) and $2.5M (Sep 2015, +8.70% premium) — multi-cycle pricing. | $1,900,000 | $1,238/sf | +0.3% |
| Aug 1, 2025 | 5A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,335 sf Closed Jul 24, 2025 (recorded Jul 30) at $2.25M — full-ask, 0% off. 5A — 2BR. Clean full-ask close. Same #5A previously $2.3M (Aug 2017) — modest nominal decline. | $2,250,000 | $1,685/sf | +0.0% |
| Jun 20, 2025 | 3F | 3 BR · 3 BA Closed Jun 4, 2025 (recorded Jun 18) at $3.7M — 7.38% under the $3.995M asking. 3F — 3BR. | $3,700,000 | -7.4% | |
| Feb 7, 2024 | 12B | 1 BR · 1 BA · private outdoor Closed Feb 3, 2024 (recorded Feb 7) at $1.295M — full-ask, 0% off. 12B — 1BR. Clean full-ask close on smaller inventory. | $1,295,000 | +0.0% | |
| Oct 20, 2023 | 9C/9D | 4 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,300 sf Closed Oct 12, 2023 (recorded Oct 17) at $7.9M — 5.39% under the $8.35M asking. 9C/9D combined — 4BR at 3,300 sqft = ~$2,394/sqft. Substantial combination trade. | $7,900,000 | $2,394/sf | -5.4% |
| Oct 26, 2023 | 9A | 2 BR · 2.5 BA Closed Oct 27, 2023 (recorded Oct 25) at $1.6M — 5.60% under the $1.695M asking. 9A — 2BR/2.5BA. | $1,600,000 | -5.6% | |
| Jun 23, 2022 | 3G | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,535 sf | $1,800,000 | $1,173/sf | -14.3% |
| Jun 10, 2022 | 6G | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,536 sf Closed Jun 7, 2022 (recorded Jun 2) at $2.2M — full-ask, 0% off. 6G — 2BR at 1,536 sqft = ~$1,432/sqft. Clean full-ask close. | $2,200,000 | $1,432/sf | +0.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,739/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 4.0% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2024 | 12F | $3,870,300 |
| Dec 4, 2023 | 5C | $1,600,000 |
| Jan 3, 2022 | 12G | $1,545,000 |
| Dec 2, 2021 | 4B | $1,495,000 |
| Dec 9, 2021 | 14B | $945,000 |
| Sep 1, 2017 | 5A | $2,300,000 |
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 1-01118-0036) 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; square footage on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
Board approval is rigorous. 55 CPW's board reviews carefully but with somewhat less institutional formality than the most stringent tier-one boards. Strong financial profiles and primary-residence intent are advantageous.
Pied-à-terre approval is uncommon. The board generally prefers primary-residence buyers.
Renovation is constrained by historic district status and pre-war detail. Renovation that respects the building's architectural character is the expected path.
Position relative to amenity is similar to the Century and Majestic. Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, Time Warner Center, and the southern Park entrance are all within a few blocks. For buyers who use this corridor heavily, the location is a strong fit.
View permanence is excellent. Central Park at the eastern flank, residential streets surrounding.
What to know if you’re selling
Pricing is competitive within southern CPW pre-war inventory. Apartments compete primarily with the Century, Majestic, and (for non-CPW alternatives) buildings on West End Avenue and the immediate side streets. Marketing benefits from the building's cultural visibility and architectural quality.
Buyer pool spans domestic primary-residence and limited international. Foreign buyer participation is constrained by board realities.
Mansion tax effects matter. Apartments commonly transact above $2M and not infrequently above $5M for Park-facing units. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. 4–8 weeks from contract signing to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 55 Central Park West, also evaluate:
- The Century (25 CPW) — Art Deco twin-tower, immediately south
- The Majestic (115 CPW) — Art Deco twin-tower, several blocks north
- The Prasada (50 CPW) — pre-war co-op nearby (small unit count)
- 15 Central Park West — newer condo alternative, different price tier
- [101 Central Park West (The Brentmore)](/buildings/101-central-park-west) — pre-war co-op, mid-CPW
The Roebling Team at 55 CPW
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because CPW buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and the realities of pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 55 Central Park West, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring the full context this page provides plus the transactional specifics your situation requires — financial structuring, board approvability, comparable analysis at the apartment level, and the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.