685 Second Avenue (The Hendrik House)
685 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
BBL 1009180025 · BIN 1020339
- Year built
- 1942
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 47
- Floors
- 6
- Pets
- Permitted (small dogs and cats)
- Subletting
- Liberal sublet policy
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2023
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf (floor-adjusted)
- $905
- Listing discount
- 1.5%
- Recorded sales
- 46
- On record
- 2003–2023
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Hendrik House 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.
The Hendrik House is a prewar cooperative on the corner of Second Avenue and East 37th Street in Murray Hill, addressed on both frontages (685 Second Avenue and 245 East 37th Street). Built in 1942, the six-story elevator building holds roughly 47 apartments and carries the prewar characteristics buyers seek in the neighborhood: high ceilings, hardwood floors, and classic detail, with renovated kitchens and baths in many units. Its corner siting gives many apartments good light and multiple exposures.
For buyers, the appeal is a well-located prewar co-op near Grand Central with two features that stand out: a genuinely liberal sublet policy — unusual for a co-op and valuable to owners who may want to rent — and a pet-friendly stance. The building is self-service and modestly scaled, which keeps carrying costs reasonable.
Architecture and unit composition
The Hendrik House is a prewar mid-rise elevator building of 1942, six stories tall, on the corner of Second Avenue and East 37th Street. Apartments feature high ceilings, hardwood floors, and prewar detail; many have renovated kitchens and baths. The corner location contributes light and exposures to many of the residences.
The cooperative holds approximately 47 residential units (public sources cite 47 to 49). As a co-op, values are best evaluated on a per-room and monthly-carry basis. The building's prewar character and liberal sublet policy support demand.
Building operations
685 Second Avenue operates as a self-service prewar cooperative with an elevator, a live-in superintendent, laundry facilities, bike storage, and an attended lobby. There is no doorman, no garage, no gym, and no roof deck — the building's appeal is prewar character, location, and its accommodating sublet policy rather than amenity depth. Standard co-op financing applies. Buyers should review the co-op's financials and any capital plans appropriate to a 1942 building.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $19,642/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $35
- Modeled exposure split equally across 47 units (the city tax-lot count). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair, with repairs due by the deadline stated in the filing. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
How to read this, and where it comes from
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. City record last verified September 2026.
Recent sales
The Hendrik House trades as a value-oriented prewar Murray Hill co-op, with the liberal sublet policy and pet-friendly rules broadening the buyer pool and appealing to owners who value flexibility. The Grand Central proximity and prewar character underpin steady demand across the building's studios through larger layouts.
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 | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2022 | 5D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $525,000 | +0.0% | |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 3F | 1 BR · 1 BA | $515,000 | -1.0% | |
| Feb 26, 2020 | 2A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $539,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jul 19, 2018 | 5C | $340,000 | -2.6% | ||
| May 11, 2018 | 2BC | 4 BR · 1,500 sf | $1,420,000 | $947/sf | -5.0% |
| Sep 15, 2017 | 1A | 1 BR · 550 sf | $390,000 | $709/sf | +11.4% |
| Feb 17, 2016 | 3E | 1 BR · 893 sf | $705,000 | $789/sf | +1.4% |
| Jan 8, 2016 | 3D | 1 BR · 1 BA · 800 sf | $600,000 | $750/sf | +0.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2018): a median $905/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2023. Median listing discount 1.5% 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 1-00918-0025). 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; square footage on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
Closed rents at The Hendrik House, last 36 months
3 closed sublet leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease August 2026. Based on few leases. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
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.
Keep up with The Hendrik House and its market
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What to know if you’re buying
The sublet policy is a real advantage. The building's liberal sublet stance is unusual for a co-op and valuable if you may want to rent your unit — verify the current terms at offer stage.
Pet-friendly. Small dogs and cats are permitted.
Prewar character at a Murray Hill price. High ceilings, hardwood floors, and renovated kitchens and baths in many units.
Standard co-op financing. Plan for a board package and interview.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the sublet flexibility. The liberal sublet policy is a genuine differentiator for a co-op — foreground it.
Corner light and prewar detail sell. Emphasize exposures, ceiling height, and any recent renovation.
Location supports demand. Grand Central proximity is a durable draw.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 685 Second Avenue, also evaluate:
- 157 East 32nd Street (L'Isola) — full-service Murray Hill condo
- 208 East 28th Street — flexible prewar Kips Bay co-op
- 150 East 27th Street (Gotham House) — 1960 co-op with parking, low carry
- 240 East 46th Street — postwar Turtle Bay condo
More Murray Hill buildings
- 301 East 40th Street (The Hamilton) — 1963 co-op by Philip Birnbaum & Associates
- 312 East 42nd Street (Woodstock Tower) — 1929 co-op
- 35 East 38th Street (Murray Hill) — 1961 condominium by Sylvan Bien
- One United Nations Park, 685 First Avenue — 2018 condominium
- The Charleston, 225 East 34th Street — 2007 condominium
- The Morgan, 34–38 East 35th Street — condominium
The neighborhood
For the full neighborhood — its buildings, character, and market — read The Roebling Team Guide to Murray Hill.
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.
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