- Year built
- 1931
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark
- No
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- Studio median
- $850K
- Recent range
- $545K – $1.7M
- Listing discount
- 12.1%
- Recorded transfers
- 67
7 West 96th Street is an Art Deco cooperative one short block off Central Park West, designed by Thomas W. Lamb and completed at the turn of the 1930s. Lamb is best known as one of the great movie-palace and theater architects of his era, which gives the building an unusual provenance — and shows in its sense of drama. The lobby is a genuine Art Deco set piece, complete with an original fireplace, and the exterior carries the period's vocabulary in restrained masonry: a beige-brick shaft over a granite base, with crisp banding, projecting piers, and a pair of subtle bay projections that add depth and texture.
The building was converted to a cooperative in 1970. At 18 stories and 80 apartments, it is a substantial full-service co-op that supports real staffing and amenities, including a roof deck with open views over Central Park. Its position just west of the landmark First Church of Christ, Scientist on Central Park West places it firmly in the park's orbit while pricing more accessibly than the avenue's frontline buildings.
For buyers, the draw is a distinctive Art Deco apartment with pre-war-quality detail, full-service operation, a park-view roof deck, and a location a stone's throw from Central Park.
Architecture and unit composition
Lamb's exterior is Art Deco done with discipline — the masonry banding, the vertical emphasis of the piers, and the bay projections give the building movement without ornament for its own sake. The dramatic lobby, with its original fireplace, is the architectural highlight and a clear expression of Lamb's theatrical sensibility.
Inside, the apartments carry distinguished period detail: high, beamed ceilings, decorative moldings, and hardwood floors. The layouts run predominantly to one- to three-bedroom homes, the practical mix for a building of this size and era, with the upper floors and the roof deck capturing Central Park and skyline views. The combination of deco character and pre-war construction quality is the building's signature.
Building operations
7 West 96th operates as a full-service cooperative with a 24-hour doorman and a live-in superintendent. The amenity set is well matched to the building: a roof deck with panoramic Central Park and skyline views, a central laundry room, basement storage, and bicycle storage are available to shareholders.
On house rules, the cooperative is pet-friendly and permits the installation of in-unit washer/dryers with board approval. Financing is capped at 75% of the purchase price — a relatively accommodating ceiling for a pre-war co-op, which broadens the building's buyer pool. The board reviews purchases with standard co-op diligence and favors primary residency; expect a complete board package and interview.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2025 | PHA | 4 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,000 sf | $4,675,000 | $1,558/sf | -6.4% |
| Feb 21, 2025 | 14C | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,500 sf | $1,675,000 | $1,117/sf | +3.1% |
| Aug 14, 2024 | 11C | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,540,000 | -21.0% | |
| Sep 12, 2023 | 14B | 1 BR · 1 BA | $545,000 | -12.1% | |
| Oct 31, 2022 | 6B | 1 BR · 1 BA | $610,000 | -2.4% | |
| Aug 24, 2021 | 3E | 1 BR | $760,000 | -5.0% | |
| Jul 6, 2021 | 15A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,150,000 | -4.4% | |
| Jul 16, 2020 | 2C | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,575,000 | -12.3% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $894/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 5.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 8, 2025 | 17A | $850,000 |
| Oct 29, 2025 | 18/19 | $4,675,000 |
| Jul 2, 2024 | 10C | $770,000 |
| Jan 3, 2020 | 2F | $590,000 |
| Dec 22, 2017 | 14D | $2,525,000 |
| Dec 22, 2017 | 12D | $2,525,000 |
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 1-01832-0025) 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
Buying here means buying an Art Deco apartment with real character at a price below the frontline Central Park West co-ops — and the 75% financing cap makes the building more accessible than many pre-war peers. Expect a standard board package and interview and a board focused on financial soundness and primary residency.
The location is the quiet advantage: one short block to Central Park and its 96th Street entrance, close to the B and C trains at 96th Street and the 1/2/3 at Broadway, with the restaurants and markets of the Upper West Side nearby. The park-view roof deck is a genuine amenity. We help buyers weigh floor, light, and condition against price, read the building's financials, and prepare a board package that clears.
What to know if you’re selling
The selling story is distinctive: a Thomas Lamb Art Deco building with a showpiece lobby, a park-view roof deck, and a financing-friendly board — a combination that stands out in the near-park market. Presenting an apartment's deco detail, light, and condition to the right buyer is the path to a strong result.
The accommodating financing cap broadens the qualified buyer pool, which works in a seller's favor, and park-adjacent inventory with this much character is in steady demand. Pricing should be anchored to recent near-Central Park West trades and to the apartment's floor, exposures, and condition. We market these homes to the board-ready audience the cooperative requires.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 7 West 96th Street, also evaluate nearby pre-war and Art Deco Upper West Side cooperatives:
- 12 West 96th Street — pre-war cooperative on the same block
- 41 West 96th Street — full-service West 96th Street co-op
- 50 West 96th Street — pre-war West 96th Street cooperative peer
- 35 West 90th Street — pre-war co-op near Central Park to the south
- 275 West 96th Street — full-service Upper West Side cooperative
The Roebling Team at 7 West 96th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper West Side, Central Park West, and the broader park-adjacent cooperative market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers of Art Deco and pre-war apartments deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, amenities, board posture, house rules, and where a given apartment sits in its comparable set.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 7 West 96th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right first step.
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.