- Year built
- 1917
- 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.
- 3BR median
- $2.5M
- Recent range
- $2.2M – $2.5M
- Listing discount
- 10.2%
- Recorded transfers
- 21
70 East 77th Street is a quintessential Lenox Hill pre-war cooperative — a nine-story, red-brick apartment house set mid-block between Madison and Park Avenues, the address that defines the heart of the Upper East Side. Built in 1917, it belongs to the first wave of the neighborhood's purpose-built apartment houses, and it has the hallmarks the era is prized for: large, gracious layouts, real architectural detail, and the kind of quiet, between-avenues siting that buyers on these blocks specifically seek.
The exterior is more refined than its modest height suggests: a two-story terracotta entrance surround, stringcourses, lunettes above the windows, and a scalloped cornice give the building a finely worked face. With only 30 residences across nine floors, it is genuinely boutique — large apartments, few neighbors, and the settled, owner-occupied character that comes with a small shareholder base. The roughly 2,150-square-foot-per-unit average reflects substantial homes rather than carved-up plans.
For buyers, the case is the classic Upper East Side one: an intimate, full-service pre-war cooperative with wood-burning fireplaces and pre-war scale, on a prime Madison-to-Park block within walking distance of Central Park, the museums, and the neighborhood's best retail.
Architecture and unit composition
The building reads as a well-detailed example of the 1917 Lenox Hill type: a red-brick mid-block apartment house with a two-story-high terracotta entrance surround, stringcourses banding the façade, lunettes above the upper windows, and a scalloped cornice crowning the composition. It is restrained but considered — the work of an era that expressed quality through proportion and crafted detail rather than ornament for its own sake.
Inside, the 30 residences carry pre-war scale: high ceilings, well-proportioned rooms, and the gracious entry-and-gallery planning of the period. A standout feature is the presence of wood-burning fireplaces in apartments — an increasingly rare amenity in Manhattan and a genuine draw for buyers of pre-war homes. The mid-block siting between Madison and Park means light from the street and quiet interiors away from avenue traffic. Layouts skew to family-scaled two-, three-, and four-bedroom configurations consistent with the building's large per-unit average.
Building operations
70 East 77th Street operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative scaled to its size: a full-time doorman, a bicycle room, and basement storage. For a 30-unit building, that staffing model delivers attentive service and security without the carrying costs of a large amenity plant — exactly the lean, well-run profile that long-term Upper East Side owners prefer.
On house rules, the cooperative's terms are established: a 3% flip tax applies on sale, and the building permits financing up to 65% of the purchase price. The wood-burning fireplaces are a defining in-unit amenity. These are the concrete facts that shape both underwriting and resale here, and they sit comfortably within the norms of a prime Lenox Hill co-op.
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
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 →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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2025 | 3C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,200 sf | $2,500,000 | $1,136/sf | -15.3% |
| Jul 18, 2025 | 6/7B | 4 BR · 6.5 BA · 4,100 sf | $7,200,000 | $1,756/sf | -12.7% |
| May 25, 2023 | 7A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,175,000 | -3.3% | |
| Jul 13, 2022 | 2A | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,150 sf | $3,100,000 | $1,442/sf | -11.3% |
| May 4, 2022 | 8A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,785,000 | -7.2% | |
| Mar 8, 2022 | 4B | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,750,000 | -14.1% | |
| Jan 14, 2022 | 6C | 4 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,650,000 | -10.2% | |
| May 8, 2019 | 3A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,700,000 | -22.9% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,756/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 10.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2025 | 6B/7B | $7,200,000 |
| Apr 10, 2015 | PHC | $1,215,000 |
| Oct 2, 2013 | 8A | $3,450,000 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | 2A | $2,750,000 |
| Oct 10, 2007 | 2A | $2,750,000 |
| Aug 17, 2005 | 6C | $2,700,000 |
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 1-01391-0045) 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
This is a cooperative, so plan on a full board package, financial disclosure, and an interview. Two terms shape your numbers from the outset: the 3% flip tax at sale and the 65% financing cap, which means you should be prepared to put down at least 35%. Underwrite accordingly.
Beyond the financials, this is a buy-for-the-apartment building: pre-war scale, a wood-burning fireplace, and a quiet mid-block setting matter more than amenity breadth. The location is among the most desirable on the East Side — between Madison and Park, a short walk to Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum and Museum Mile, the Lexington Avenue and Second Avenue subways, and the Madison Avenue retail corridor. For a buyer who wants an intimate, full-service pre-war home in the center of Lenox Hill, this is precisely that.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the pre-war substance and the fireplace. Large, well-detailed apartments with working wood-burning fireplaces, in a boutique full-service co-op on a prime Madison-to-Park block, are exactly what the East Side pre-war buyer pursues — and a well-renovated home that preserves its original character commands a premium.
Price against the building's true peer set: the boutique pre-war cooperatives on the Madison-to-Park blocks of Lenox Hill, not the large amenity towers. Be ready to position the 3% flip tax and 65% financing terms candidly; serious buyers expect both and underwrite around them. The board process is standard for a small full-service co-op, and a strong, owner-occupant-minded buyer with the requisite down payment moves through it efficiently.
Comparable buildings
If you're evaluating 70 East 77th Street, also look at these pre-war Upper East Side cooperatives nearby:
- 175 East 77th Street — pre-war Lenox Hill co-op on the same street
- 201 East 77th Street — pre-war cooperative a few blocks east
- 255 East 77th Street — full-service Lenox Hill co-op
- 1004 Lexington Avenue — pre-war Lenox Hill cooperative
- 1091 Lexington Avenue — pre-war Upper East Side co-op
The Roebling Team at 70 East 77th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Upper East Side, Lenox Hill, and the Madison-and-Park pre-war cooperative market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers in boutique pre-war co-ops deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture, the fireplace inventory, the flip tax and financing terms, and where pricing actually sits within the corridor.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 70 East 77th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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