86 Prospect Park West

The 1973 designation report describes the row in detail. The rusticated first floors and the projecting stairwells are precast stone, and the same stone is used for lintels, quoins and bandcourses against dark red brick above. A deeply embossed sheet-metal architrave runs under a classical cornice on console brackets. LPC calls the style generally neo-Classical with some neo-Federal detail, and notes that the curved sides and rich detail of the central stairwells suggest a Beaux-Arts influence.

Inside, the two buildings are different products. HPD registers 9 apartments at No. 86 and 16 at No. 88. ACRIS labels the apartments in two series — an L and R series and a lettered A through D series — which fits two larger apartments a floor at No. 86 and four smaller ones a floor at No. 88. The L and R apartments have consistently traded well above the A–D apartments. Filings for two combinations at No. 88, in 2019 and 2020, would reduce the count there; confirm the work was completed.

Debt. The corporation's mortgages were with a cooperative bank from 1992; two 2002 loans were paid off and released in 2017, per ACRIS, and no mortgage has been recorded against the lot since. The compiled 2018 statements on file show the corporation instead carrying $100,000 of unsecured five-year loans from shareholders at 5 percent, due September 1, 2022. Ask the managing agent whether those loans have been repaid or extended, and whether the corporation has any other debt.

Financial statements. The 2017 and 2018 statements on file are compiled, meaning an accountant assembled them without auditing or reviewing them. They show a small operating budget, no special assessments in either year, and no reserve study. Ask for the latest statements and whether they are audited.

Capital work and the 2017 fire. Department of Buildings records show a boiler and gas-burner replacement in 2004, rear parapet repair in 2007, and an August 2017 filing for general construction, structural and plumbing work at No. 88 due to fire damage. The 2017 balance sheet carries restricted cash tied to an insurance recovery. Ask whether the repair work is signed off and whether any claim remains open.

Taxes. J-51 is a city program that reduces real estate taxes for qualifying renovation work. An abatement that began in 1981 on $10,800 of work ran through 1992, and a J-51 exemption that began in 1982 ran through the 1993 tax year. A third abatement, on about $14,000 of work starting in 2008, was used up in 2018/19. None is active. The co-op abatement continues for apartments that are a shareholder's primary residence.

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.

Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $1,773/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. Median listing discount 0.5% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.

Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 3-01083-0038). 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.

Confirm which building your apartment is in. The two buildings have separate stairs and different apartment layouts. City records have been inconsistent about which BIN belongs to which address, so make sure permits, violations and the certificate of occupancy you review are for the right one.

Ask about the debt. No bank mortgage has been recorded since 2017. That is low leverage, but the corporation borrowed from its own shareholders in 2017. Find out what is owed now and on what terms.

Plan on stairs and Landmarks. These are four-story walk-ups, and every exterior change needs an LPC permit and board approval.

Get the policy stack in writing. Financing limits, flip tax, subletting, pets and washer/dryers were not established in the material reviewed for this profile. Ask the managing agent for the house rules and purchase application before you bid.

Lead with the row and the view. A park-facing apartment in a landmarked 1908–09 row at the 4th Street corner is a specific product; say which building, which floor and which exposure in the first line.

Have the 2017 fire paperwork ready. A buyer's attorney will ask. Sign-offs and a closed insurance file help the deal move.

Price by building and line. The L and R apartments and the A–D apartments trade in different markets. Use comparable sales from the same series.

If you're considering 86 Prospect Park West, also evaluate:

• 125 Prospect Park West — Harry Moore's 1916 six-story elevator co-op at 8th Street; also inside the district
• 75 Prospect Park West — the six-story, 24-apartment co-op one block north at 3rd Street, outside the district
• 27 Prospect Park West — the 1928 fifteen-story co-op at Montgomery Place
• 40 Prospect Park West — the 1942 park-front co-op at Garfield Place
• 35 Prospect Park West — Emery Roth's 1929 co-op at Garfield Place
• 9 Prospect Park West — the 1929 park-front tower at President Street
• 300 8th Avenue — a 1920 elevator co-op of small apartments on the district line
• 140 8th Avenue — the 1936 Art Deco co-op at Carroll Street, inside the district