580 Columbus Avenue (The Centra)
580 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side
BBL 1012197501 · BIN 1032320
- Year built
- 1985
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 108
- Floors
- 9
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pet-friendly
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,557
- Listing discount
- 1.9%
- Recorded sales
- 103
- On record
- 2003–2026
The Centra is one of the Upper West Side's substantial mid-1980s condominiums — a nine-story, 108-unit full-service building on the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and West 89th Street. It belongs to the generation of new residential development that reshaped Columbus Avenue in the 1980s, when the corridor transformed from a modest commercial spine into one of the neighborhood's most desirable residential streets. Where much of the surrounding Upper West Side is prewar cooperative inventory, The Centra offers what that inventory frequently cannot: true condominium flexibility, an in-house amenity package, and a scale large enough to support real operational depth.
For buyers weighing the Upper West Side, that combination is the point. Prewar cooperatives on Central Park West and West End Avenue carry pedigree, but they also carry board interviews, financing limits, and sublet restrictions. The Centra delivers the neighborhood's location and light without the cooperative's governance overhead — a condominium purchase that closes on condominium timelines, with a resident amenity program built into the building rather than assembled from the neighborhood around it.
Architecture and unit composition
David Roth's 1985 design is a postmodern masonry mid-rise organized around a landscaped interior courtyard — a configuration that gives many apartments quiet garden exposure in addition to street frontage. The nine-story massing keeps the building in scale with its Columbus Avenue context while the courtyard plan pulls light and air into the center of the block.
The 108 residences span a range from one-bedroom layouts to larger family configurations. Apartments benefit from the building's full-service infrastructure and, on the upper floors, from open western exposure toward the Hudson. The finish level is consistent with a well-maintained 1980s condominium; individual apartments vary with the renovation history of each line.
Building operations
The Centra operates as a full-service condominium with a 24-hour doorman and a live-in resident manager. The amenity program is unusually complete for a building of its era and scale: a fitness center with sauna, a children's playroom, a residents' lounge with a lending library, a furnished roof deck with Hudson River views, a landscaped courtyard garden, bike and private storage, and an on-site garage. The building is pet-friendly.
Common charges and property taxes are consistent with a full-service Upper West Side condominium of this size; buyers should model the full monthly carry — common charges, property taxes, and utilities — at the apartment level. As with any building of its vintage, review current financial statements, board minutes, and any reserve study during due diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $92,041/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $71
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
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
The Centra trades as a full-service Upper West Side condominium, and pricing is best read on a price-per-square-foot basis against the corridor's other doorman condominiums. Value at the building is driven by exposure — courtyard-facing versus avenue-facing, and floor height for the western Hudson sight lines — along with renovation condition and layout efficiency within each line. The condominium structure is itself a pricing input on the Upper West Side, where much competing inventory is cooperative and carries the associated board and financing friction. Apartment-level closing detail should be sourced from public records for full transactional context, and specific pricing should be validated against the most recent comparable sales at the time of offer.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2026 | 4L | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,190 sf | $1,665,000 | $1,399/sf | -3.5% |
| Jan 20, 2026 | 3F | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf | $1,900,000 | $1,583/sf | +0.0% |
| Jan 5, 2026 | 2B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf | $1,785,000 | $1,488/sf | +0.6% |
| Jan 3, 2025 | 2O | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf | $1,725,000 | $1,438/sf | -1.4% |
| Nov 26, 2024 | 6H | 1 BR · 1 BA · 636 sf | $699,000 | $1,099/sf | -6.7% |
| Sep 25, 2024 | 2C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf | $1,660,000 | $1,383/sf | -0.9% |
| Jun 27, 2024 | 2N | 3 BR · 1,278 sf | $1,900,000 | $1,487/sf | off-mkt |
| Aug 7, 2023 | 3A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,184 sf | $1,510,000 | $1,275/sf | -5.4% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,557/sf across 3 sales. Median listing discount 1.9% 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 1-01219-7501) 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
Condominium flexibility is the core value. Pied-à-terre use, subletting, and financing are governed by the condominium rather than a cooperative board — a material advantage over the corridor's prewar co-op inventory. Closings run on condominium timelines, typically 30 to 60 days.
Exposure drives price. The courtyard plan means some lines face the quiet interior garden and others face Columbus Avenue; upper floors capture Hudson River views to the west. Walk the specific line at multiple times of day.
The amenity package is real. For a 1980s building, the fitness center, playroom, lounge, roof deck, garage, and courtyard are a substantial in-house program. Confirm which amenities carry separate fees.
Model the full carry. Run common charges plus property taxes plus utilities at the apartment level before committing.
Verify board policy at offer stage. Pet, sublet, and pied-à-terre specifics should be confirmed against the current house rules.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the condominium advantage. In a corridor dominated by cooperatives, the building's condominium structure and full-service amenity program are the differentiators that widen the buyer pool — including investors and pied-à-terre purchasers a co-op would exclude.
Position the exposure honestly. Courtyard-facing quiet and avenue-facing light appeal to different buyers; matching the apartment to the right pool shortens the marketing timeline.
Pricing requires apartment-level context. Comparable sales at The Centra are meaningful but vary by line, floor, and condition.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30 to 60 days from contract to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 580 Columbus Avenue, also evaluate:
- 235 West End Avenue (The Gemstone) — Bing & Bing 1928; prewar condominium conversion nearby
- 203 West 90th Street (Manhattan Tower) — 1928/2002; boutique full-service condominium two blocks north
- 2250 Broadway (The Broadway) — 1992; full-service condominium behind a landmark theater façade
- 327 Central Park West (The Kenmare) — Nathan Korn 1929; prewar condominium on the park
- 400 Central Park West — nearby Central Park West condominium peer
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
Considering a move at The Centra?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Centra 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.