817 Fifth Avenue
817 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10065
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1013777501 · BIN 1040922
- Year built
- 1925
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 16
- Floors
- 14
- Pets
- Subject to board approval and house rules
- Subletting
- Restricted under cooperative rules; board approval required
Every recorded sale at this building, 2005–2023
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $3,180
- Listing discount
- 10.7%
- Recorded sales
- 6
- On record
- 2005–2023
817 Fifth Avenue is one of the most exclusive full-floor cooperatives on Fifth Avenue — a 1925 Italian Renaissance building by George B. Post & Sons, standing at the corner of East 63rd Street and facing Central Park. It is a building of only 16 residences across its fourteen floors, and the overwhelming majority are full-floor homes, with a maisonette triplex holding its own private entrance. That rarity — a small number of grand, single-floor apartments in a limestone-based palazzo directly on the Park — is precisely what defines the top tier of the Fifth Avenue co-op belt.
The pedigree is real. George B. Post & Sons — successors to the firm behind the New York Stock Exchange and the original Wisconsin State Capitol — designed the building in the neo–Italian Renaissance idiom, with a rusticated limestone base, refined bandcourses, a canopied side-street entrance, and a commanding cornice. The building rose in 1925 on the site of Gilded Age mansions, replacing townhouses that had included a Charles T. Barney residence, and it was converted to cooperative ownership in 1974. Over the decades its apartments have drawn a discreet roster of prominent owners.
The building is for a specific buyer: one who wants a full-floor Central Park home in a white-glove Fifth Avenue cooperative, and who is prepared for the financial scrutiny and primary-residence expectations that come with a building at this level.
Architecture and unit composition
George B. Post & Sons composed 817 Fifth Avenue as a neo–Italian Renaissance palazzo: a four-story rusticated limestone base grounds the façade, bandcourses articulate the shaft, and a substantial cornice crowns the building. The entrance is set on the side street beneath a canopy, in the manner of the finest Fifth Avenue houses, preserving the Park-facing frontage for the residences themselves.
The unit composition is the story. With only 16 residences over fourteen floors, nearly every home is a full floor, laid out with the grand entertaining scale — gallery, corner living rooms, formal dining, and generous private quarters — that Fifth Avenue's best prewar buildings were built to deliver. The maisonette triplex has its own private entrance. Ceiling heights, room proportions, and Central Park frontage are the differentiators here; these are among the largest and most consequential apartments in any building of this size on the avenue.
Building operations
817 Fifth Avenue operates as a white-glove full-service cooperative appropriate to its stature: an attended lobby, doorman and elevator staff, and the discreet, high-touch service that defines the Fifth Avenue co-op belt. With so few residences, the building runs quietly and privately. As with any premier cooperative, financial requirements are stringent — substantial post-closing liquidity, conservative financing limits (often all-cash or near it), and a rigorous board interview are the norm. Buyers should model maintenance, any assessments, and the full carry, and review the building's financials and capital history during due diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $24,861/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $129
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Sublet policy
- Allowed; no lease under 2 years, none over 3 years without board approval
- Pied-à-terre
- Not Allowed
- Notable fees
- Application Processing Fee $700 (broker) / $750 (no broker); Closing Doc Prep Fee $500 (seller)
Recent sales
As a cooperative, 817 Fifth Avenue prices on a price-per-room basis rather than strictly per square foot, with floor, Central Park frontage, layout, ceiling height, and condition driving value. Turnover is exceptionally light — full-floor Fifth Avenue apartments in a 16-unit building trade rarely, and each sale is an event. Apartment-level context matters far more than any building average, and the George B. Post & Sons pedigree, the full-floor plans, and the Park views support pricing at the top of the market for residences that present well. Buyers should expect a demanding board process to accompany any purchase.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2023 | 9 | 3,450 sf | $12,000,000 | $3,478/sf | off-mkt |
| Jan 12, 2023 | 5 | 5 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,800 sf | $10,950,000 | $2,882/sf | -12.4% |
| Oct 16, 2020 | 5 | 4 BR · 4 BA · 3,800 sf | $9,999,000 | $2,631/sf | -28.3% |
| Apr 13, 2015 | MAIS12 | 5 BR · 5 BA · 5,500 sf | $18,000,000 | $3,273/sf | -9.1% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2023) cleared a median $3,180/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 10.7% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
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 1-01377-7501) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What to know if you’re buying
These are full-floor Park homes. With 16 residences over fourteen floors, nearly every apartment is a full floor facing Central Park — the defining feature and the source of value.
The board process is serious. Expect stringent financial requirements, substantial post-closing liquidity, conservative or all-cash financing expectations, and a rigorous interview.
Cooperative rules govern flexibility. Pied-à-terre use and subletting are generally restricted; primary-residence expectations typically apply. Confirm specifics with the board.
Pricing is per-room, not per-foot. Value tracks floor, Park frontage, room count, ceiling height, and condition rather than a simple square-foot figure.
Mansion tax thresholds apply. At this building's pricing, the higher mansion-tax cliffs are firmly in play. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Variable board financial policy — confirm at offer stage. Financing limits, liquidity thresholds, and sublet policy should be confirmed in writing before you commit.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the full-floor plan and the Park. The full-floor layouts, the Central Park frontage, and the George B. Post & Sons pedigree are the story; marketing should foreground them.
Qualify buyers early. In a building with this board, financial readiness and primary-residence intent should be established before an accepted offer to protect timelines.
Pricing requires apartment-level comps. With so few residences and rare turnover, floor, Park exposure, layout, and condition all move the number.
Comparable buildings
817 Fifth belongs to the pre-war cohort of full-floor cooperatives that defines the avenue along the park — blue-chip architects, exacting boards, apartments measured by the floor. If it's on your list, these belong there too:
- 820 Fifth Avenue — Starrett & Van Vleck, 1916. One of the earliest full-floor apartment houses on the avenue, and among its most rarefied addresses.
- 834 Fifth Avenue — Rosario Candela, 1931. Candela's Fifth Avenue masterwork, long counted among the most prestigious cooperative addresses in the city.
- 825 Fifth Avenue — J.E.R. Carpenter, 1926, by the architect most responsible for the form of the modern Fifth Avenue apartment house.
- 845 Fifth Avenue — another Carpenter building, 1920 — the same planning discipline from a slightly earlier hand.
- 875 Fifth Avenue — Emery Roth, 1941. The cohort's later entry, trading a measure of pre-war ornament for Roth's assured massing at the park's edge.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Fifth Avenue — read The Roebling Team Guide to Fifth 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.
Considering a move at 817 Fifth Avenue?
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 817 Fifth 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.