- Year built
- 1929
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 29
- Floors
- 17
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; in the Upper East Side Historic District
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission records, updated February 2026
- Subletting by shareholders
- Not permitted
- Maximum financing
- Financing not allowed; cash purchases only
- Flip tax
- Requires confirmation
- Sources differ. Confirm with building management.
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
- Flip tax
- Requires confirmation
- Subletting
- Not permitted — an owner-occupancy building.
Compiled by The Roebling Research Desk from the building’s offering plan, amendments, and related building documents (primary source dated 2026). Board policies can change by amendment — confirm at the offer stage.
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median, 2023–2025
- $10.8M
- 2 qualifying sales
- Recent range
- $8.4M – $14.9M
- Listing discount
- 12.4%
- Recorded transfers
- 30
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 720 Park Avenue 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.
720 Park Avenue is one of Rosario Candela's most architecturally and editorially substantive Park Avenue commissions — a 1929 commission credited with Cross & Cross, completed a year before Candela's 740 Park Avenue nearby. The two buildings anchor Candela's Park Avenue work, and 720 Park's quieter institutional posture (29 apartments versus 740's 33; somewhat less press visibility; comparable but distinct buyer cohort) gives it a particular position in the Gold Coast tier-one set: an address known to those who already know the building, sought specifically by buyers who value Candela's architectural premise and the privacy that follows from the building's smaller volume of public coverage.
The architectural execution is among the most refined in the Candela corpus. The ornate red-brick facade with limestone trim is restrained at street level but reveals progressive complexity at the upper floors, where setbacks produce private terraces enhanced by brick archways. Candela's interior architectural premise at 720 Park was unusual even for the firm: every one of the 29 apartments was designed to the original owner's specifications. There were never more than three apartments alike in the entire building. Candela later told his son Joseph that the commissions for customizing interiors at 720 Park alone were enough to pay his firm's entire overhead — a remark that captures both the scale of the original owners' wealth and the architectural ambition of the building.
The original resident cohort reflected that scale. Jesse Isidor Straus, president of R. H. Macy & Co., was among the first owners. Frederick H. Frazier, chairman of the General Baking Company. William E. Iselin, the banker who held Membership Card Number One in the New York Yacht Club. Middleton Shoolbread Burrill and his wife Emilie. The buyers were not assembled by chance; the building's offering was managed within a particular cohort of Gilded Age and early-20th-century institutional families whose connections to one another preceded the building.
The current and recent resident roster has continued the pattern. Carl Spielvogel — the advertising executive who chaired Bates Worldwide and served as U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia. Leonard Riggio — founder and chairman of Barnes & Noble, whose career reshaped American bookselling. Jamie Tisch, formerly married to Steve Tisch of the Tisch family (owners of the New York Giants and Loews Corporation). The pattern: business, cultural, and institutional leadership, often with multi-generational New York connection.
What structurally differentiates 720 Park from its 740 Park neighbor is its slightly smaller scale (29 vs. 33 apartments) and a quieter institutional posture; whether trust purchases are permitted should be confirmed from the building's governing documents and application instructions. 720 Park does not carry the cultural shadow of 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building-style press attention — and that has been a feature rather than a bug for many of its residents.
Architecture and unit composition
The 29 apartments span configurations from approximately 4,000 sf simplexes to substantial 7,500+ sf full-floor configurations and large duplexes. The Candela design premise — no more than three apartments alike — produced unusual apartment-by-apartment heterogeneity that has been preserved across the building's century. Each apartment carries its own architectural signature.
Pre-war Candela signatures throughout: 11–12 foot ceilings in primary rooms, formal entry galleries with grand proportions, library-living-room combinations, formal dining rooms, primary suites with substantial closet and dressing infrastructure, service wings characteristic of 1929-era luxury apartment design. Wood-burning fireplaces are common (multiple per apartment in many configurations).
Park Avenue-facing apartments on the eastern flank look across the avenue's planted median. The building's upper-floor setbacks produce private terraces with brick archways — a Candela / Cross & Cross detail that gives 720 Park's upper inventory among the most architecturally framed outdoor spaces in the Park Avenue corpus. Views depend on floor and exposure, and none is protected without a recorded instrument.
Building operations
720 Park operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative with full-time doorman, attended elevator, on-site superintendent, and private storage. Property management is handled by Residential Management (Account Executive Carole White; SVP / Director of Closings Donna Achaia).
The policy framework is rigorous: the building is documented as cash-only, with subletting not permitted. Trust purchases are reported as permitted, both at acquisition (purchase via trust) and post-acquisition (transfer to trust), contingent on Transfer Agent guidance and presumably board review of the underlying beneficial ownership. Confirm the current trust, ownership and occupancy requirements from the governing documents and application instructions.
The sources quote a 3% transfer charge with a broker-commission deduction, but their base and payer instructions are not reconciled. The contact text refers to gross sales price less commission, while the typed fee row names a buyer charge and purchase-price language. These descriptions do not establish a single current formula. Obtain written confirmation of the base, order of calculation and payer before relying on an estimate.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of September 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
- Terms
- Requires confirmationSources differ. Confirm with building management.
Purchase
5 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing FeeRequired | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $600 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Messenger Fees | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $65 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Managing Agent's Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $900 (Shareholder is an Individual) or $1000.00 (Shareholder is an Estate) | Refundable Non-refundable |
| New York State Stamp TaxPer share | Paid by Shareholder | When At closing | Amount $0.05 per share | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Fidelifacts Credit ReportConditional · Per applicant | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $871.00 per Applicant/Occupant, $1,633.13 if there are two (2) Applicants/Occupants | Refundable Non-refundable |
Ownership transfer
4 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $600 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Background Check FeePer applicant | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $100 per applicant/occupant | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Credit Report FeePer applicantRequired | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $75 per applicant/occupant | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Messenger Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $65 | Refundable Non-refundable |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the building's costs and purchase requirements.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Financing and purchase requirements
- Maximum financing
- Financing not allowed; cash purchases onlySource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Sublet and pied-à-terre policy
A condominium owner leasing a unit and a co-op shareholder subletting are different rules, and a building-wide rule is different from a restriction on one apartment. This is the building's rule; confirm it for the specific apartment.
- Subletting by shareholders
- Not permittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of September 2026
- Pied-à-terre ownership
- Not verified
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the sublet and pied-à-terre rules for that apartment.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Full-time doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Live-in superintendent
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- StorageSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $138,723/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $385
- Modeled exposure split equally across 30 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed 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 inspector (QEWI) 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 — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed September 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- Requires confirmation
- Sublet policy
- Not allowed
Recent sales
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 13, 2026 | 10A | 4 BR · 5.5 BA | $14,900,000 | -12.4% | |
| Oct 14, 2025 | PH13A | 3 BR · 4.5 BA | $13,250,000 | -11.7% | |
| Mar 20, 2023 | 3A | 3 BR · 4 BA | $8,450,000 | -12.4% | |
| Aug 19, 2022 | 12A | 3 BR · 5.5 BA | $10,700,000 | -37.1% | |
| Jan 7, 2022 | 9 | 6 BR · 7 BA · 6,000 sf | $15,600,000 | $2,600/sf | -21.8% |
| Jun 2, 2017 | 2 | 6 BR · 7,000 sf | $19,250,000 | $2,750/sf | -14.4% |
| Jul 9, 2013 | 16A | 3 BR | $24,000,000 | -4.0% | |
| Jun 13, 2013 | 9A | 5 BR | $23,000,000 | -23.3% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2022): a median $2,600/sf (recorded) across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 12.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2003 | 13 | $19,000,000 |
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 1-01385-0032). 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.
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What to know if you’re buying
Financing is not permitted. 720 Park requires 100% cash purchases. The building's structural screen alongside 740 Park, 778 Park, 820 Fifth, 834 Fifth, 998 Fifth, 1020 Fifth, and the rest of the tier-one cash-only Gold Coast inventory.
Trust purchases are permitted. Distinct from 778 Park (trusts explicitly prohibited) and 820 Fifth (no trust purchases) and 1020 Fifth (no trust ownership), 720 Park permits both purchase via a trust and post-acquisition transfer to a trust. This is meaningful flexibility for buyers seeking estate-planning or privacy structures — confirm specifics with property management and Transfer Agent during contract review.
Confirm the transfer-fee formula before modeling it. A commission deduction from the price base is different from a deduction from the resulting fee. The quoted terms do not resolve that distinction or the current payer, so a numerical example would select an unverified interpretation.
Subletting is not allowed. An apartment here cannot be held as a rental; confirm the building's current occupancy and pied-à-terre requirements from its proprietary lease and application instructions.
Diplomat purchases are not permitted. Buyers operating under diplomatic status should look at condominium inventory or other co-ops with more accommodating diplomatic posture.
Board approval requires a full review. Purchases are cash only; confirm the building's current liquidity, ownership, occupancy and reference requirements from its proprietary lease and application instructions.
Renovation is constrained by historic district status and pre-war character. The board reviews scope and quality with attention to preservation of original Candela detailing. Modern overhauls that erase pre-war detail are not approved.
Views depend on the line. Views vary by floor, position and exposure; 70th Street is a substantial cross-street, but no view is protected without a recorded instrument.
What to know if you’re selling
Plan the marketing deliberately. Turnover in a 29-unit building can be limited; review recorded sales, and discuss public and private marketing options, including the building's expectations on discretion, with your broker.
Pricing requires apartment-level context. The building's no-two-apartments-alike Candela premise produces meaningful within-building variation. Comparable analysis at the apartment-configuration level is critical — full-floor vs. simplex vs. duplex pricing diverges substantially, and the apartment's specific Candela architectural signature affects pricing.
Obtain the current transfer-fee instructions. Include the fee in a seller proceeds model only after confirming its payer, base and treatment of broker commission; do not infer an indirect benefit from the unreconciled quoted terms.
Closing estimate and package preparation. Expect 6–10 weeks from contract signing to closing, with substantial board package work and the rigorous interview that 720 Park's institutional culture requires.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 720 Park Avenue, also evaluate:
- 740 Park Avenue — Candela 1929–30; the apex of Gold Coast pre-war prestige
- 778 Park Avenue — Candela 1931; 18 full-floor apartments; trusts not allowed
- 770 Park Avenue — Candela 1929; tier-one Park Avenue Candela
- 820 Fifth Avenue — Starrett & Van Vleck 1916; 13 apartments; cash-only; trusts not permitted
- 834 Fifth Avenue — Candela 1931; 24 apartments; trusts permitted case-by-case
- 998 Fifth Avenue — McKim, Mead & White 1912; cash-only
- 1040 Fifth Avenue — Candela 1930; trusts permitted with Transfer Agent guidance
More Park Avenue buildings
- 700 Park Avenue — 1959 co-op by Paul Resnick
- 710 Park Avenue — 1948 co-op by Sylvan Bien
- 715 Park Avenue — 1948 condominium by Emery Roth & Sons
- 730 Park Avenue — 1929 co-op by Lafayette A. Goldstone
- 733 Park Avenue — 1971 co-op
- 740 Park Avenue — 1929 co-op by Rosario Candela
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Park Avenue — read The Roebling Team Guide to Park Avenue.
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.
Considering a move at 720 Park Avenue?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com