555 West 59th Street (The Element)
555 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019
- Year built
- 2007
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 186
- Floors
- 33
- Landmark
- No
- Amenities
- 24-hour doorman and concierge, parking garage, a 60-foot indoor lap pool with a children's pool and whirlpool, fitness and well-being center, yoga and Pilates studio, basketball court, squash court, saunas and steam and spa, residents' lounge with billiards, children's playroom, approximately 12,000 square feet of landscaped outdoor space, a rooftop terrace, and bike and cold storage
- Pets
- Pet-friendly
- Flip tax
- None documented — verify against the by-laws at offer stage
Every recorded sale at this building, 2006–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,451
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 413
- On record
- 2006–2026
The Element is one of the earlier all-glass luxury condominiums to rise near Columbus Circle in the mid-2000s, and it remains one of the most heavily amenitized buildings of its size on the West Side's southern flank. Delivered in 2007–2008 at the seam between Lincoln Square and Riverside South, it offers a full blockfront of new-construction condominium product a short walk from Columbus Circle, the Time Warner (now Deutsche Bank) Center, Central Park's southwest corner, and the Hudson.
The building's thesis is amenity depth at a per-foot below the Central Park-front trophy market. For a 186-unit building to carry a 60-foot lap pool, a squash court, a basketball court, a full spa floor, and roughly 12,000 square feet of landscaped outdoor space is unusual — newer condominiums charge substantially more to approximate the package. Combined with condominium flexibility — pied-à-terre use, investor purchasers, live/work accommodation — The Element appeals to buyers who want resort-grade building services without the pricing of the Billionaires' Row corridor to the east.
Architecture and unit composition
SLCE's design is a clean glass curtain-wall tower approached through a landscaped circular driveway and porte-cochère — a gracious arrival sequence uncommon on a mid-block West Side site. The 186 residences run from one- through four-bedroom layouts, with garden townhomes at the base and duplex penthouses at the crown. Higher floors carry open city, river-direction, and partial park exposures. As with any 2000s luxury condominium, renovation quality and finish level vary line to line.
Building operations
The Element runs as a full-service, deeply amenitized condominium: 24-hour doorman and concierge, a parking garage, and a wellness stack that includes a 60-foot indoor lap pool with a children's pool and whirlpool, a fitness and well-being center, a yoga and Pilates studio, a basketball court, a squash court, saunas, steam, and spa, plus a residents' lounge with billiards, a children's playroom, roughly 12,000 square feet of landscaped outdoor space, and a rooftop terrace. Common charges reflect the amenity depth; the offering plan and current house rules are on file in The Roebling Research Library.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $137,104/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $61
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Sublet policy
- Subletting allowed; Corporate lease fee equal to 5% of common charges billed monthly for duration of lease
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
- Notable fees
- Working Capital Contribution equal to three months' maintenance (buyer); Move In/Out fees $500 each; refundable deposits $2,000; Background Report Fee $125/applicant
Recent sales
The Element trades in the middle-to-upper band of the Columbus Circle / Riverside South condominium market, with recent closings clustering in the mid-four-figures per square foot and penthouse inventory reaching well above the building average. The amenity depth supports pricing relative to less-amenitized peers of the same vintage, while the per-foot remains below the Central Park-front market a few blocks east. Apartment-level transaction history is maintained in The Roebling Research Library and shared with clients during diligence.
Recent closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 25E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,384 sf | $2,200,000 | $1,590/sf | -2.2% |
| Jun 30, 2026 | 28D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,384 sf | $2,250,000 | $1,626/sf | -4.3% |
| Sep 19, 2025 | 12E | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 800 sf | $1,090,000 | $1,363/sf | -12.8% |
| May 6, 2025 | PHA | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,441 sf | $4,500,000 | $1,844/sf | -9.1% |
| Mar 27, 2025 | 21F | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,273 sf | $1,970,000 | $1,548/sf | -4.8% |
| Mar 11, 2025 | 23A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 789 sf | $1,200,000 | $1,521/sf | -14.3% |
| Feb 24, 2025 | 19B | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,689 sf | $2,380,000 | $1,409/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 22, 2024 | 5G | 2 BR · 1 BA · 960 sf | $1,384,500 | $1,442/sf | -1.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,451/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 0.0% from the last ask.
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 1-01151-7503) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
Underwrite the amenity value honestly. A 60-foot pool, squash, basketball, and a full spa floor in a 186-unit building is a genuine differentiator. If you will use the package, the carrying costs buy more here than the monthly number suggests; if you will not, you are subsidizing neighbors who do.
Confirm the exposure line by line. The site sits between Lincoln Square and Riverside South; view quality and light vary substantially by floor and orientation.
Condo flexibility is real. Pied-à-terre, investment use, and live/work are accommodated under the declaration; subletting is permitted subject to the by-laws; closings run on a condominium timeline of roughly 30 to 45 days.
Model the full carry. Common charges plus property taxes plus utilities and insurance — the amenity depth makes the monthly number real; run it completely.
What to know if you’re selling
The amenity stack is the marketing story. Lead with the pool, spa, and sport-court program — it is deeper than most peers of the vintage and widens the buyer pool.
Position against Columbus Circle and Riverside South. Your comparable set is the surrounding 2000s luxury condominiums, not the Central Park-front trophy market.
High floors and outdoor space carry the premium. View, floor, and private terrace or garden drive the per-foot spread.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30 to 45 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
- 100 Riverside Boulevard (The Avery) — Extell; nearby Riverside South condominium
- 50 Riverside Boulevard (One Riverside Park) — Extell; nearby boulevard condominium
- 80 Riverside Boulevard (The Rushmore) — Extell; nearby boulevard condominium
- Waterline Square — the newest construction at the corridor's northern end
- One West End — the amenity-rich West End condominium to the north
The Roebling Team at The Element
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market — including the Columbus Circle and Riverside South corridors. We publish this building profile because condominium buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, operational reality, transactional mechanics, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 555 West 59th Street, 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 — comparable analysis at the apartment level, due diligence priorities, and the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
Get the full picture on this building.
The full comp set, a private valuation of your line, or current and off-market availability — sent to you directly.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A broker’s honest answer to three questions — what your apartment would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — for your apartment at The Element, in this market. Put together by a person, not an algorithm.