865 First Avenue (865 UN Plaza)
865 First Avenue, New York, NY 10017
BBL 1013417505 · BIN 1038920
- Year built
- 1927
- Type
- Condominium
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Cats and dogs permitted under the condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2007–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf (floor-adjusted)
- $999
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 123
- On record
- 2007–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 865 UN Plaza 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.
865 First Avenue is one of Midtown East's most quietly appealing prewar condominiums — a boutique red-brick building on the northwest corner of First Avenue and East 47th Street, standing directly across from the United Nations. Built in the late 1920s and designed by George & Edward Blum, a firm known across Manhattan for its ornamented prewar apartment houses, it carries the proportions, brickwork, and lobby character of its era. It converted from a rental to a condominium in 2007, and it has traded as a functioning resale condo ever since.
For a buyer, the appeal is straightforward: a prewar building with real condominium flexibility, full-time staffing, and a genuinely central Midtown East address, priced at the accessible end of the Manhattan condo market rather than the trophy end. It is a building for people who want the ease of a doorman condo and the location of the UN district without the carrying cost of a new-development tower.
Architecture and unit composition
The building is a confident prewar apartment house in red brick, its façade carrying the ornamented detailing that distinguishes George & Edward Blum's work. Rising 16 to 17 stories on the avenue, it reads as a solid, well-proportioned Midtown building rather than a landmark showpiece — its appeal is the quality of the prewar bones and the corner light its position affords.
The residences run from studios and one-bedrooms through two- and three-bedroom layouts, with penthouse homes at the top. The bulk of the inventory sits in the studio and one-bedroom range — the building's "C" line one-bedrooms turn over most often — while larger two- and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses are scarcer and command the top of the building's range. Upper-floor homes carry city and, from the right exposures, East River and UN outlooks. Some homes have been renovated with central air, in-unit laundry, or fireplaces; condition varies unit to unit, which is typical of a prewar conversion.
Building operations
865 First Avenue runs as a full-service boutique condominium — a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a live-in resident manager, central laundry, a bike room, a package room, and resident storage. It does not carry the resort amenity set of a new-development tower: there is no roof deck, gym, or pool, and parking is at nearby garages rather than in the building. What it offers instead is genuine full-time service and the steadiness of a well-run prewar building. As a condominium, purchases are not subject to the board approval process a co-op requires; the building's condominium declaration governs subletting, pied-à-terre use, and pets, and permits the flexibility condo buyers expect. Common charges and property taxes should be modeled at the unit level during diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $23,363/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $24
- Modeled exposure split equally across 81 units (the city tax-lot count). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →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.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Notable fees
- Working Capital Contribution & Administrative Fee each = one month common charge; Move-In/Out fee $150 + $1,500 refundable deposit each
Recent sales
Recent closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2026 | 6E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 879 sf | $880,000 | $1,001/sf | -1.7% |
| May 27, 2025 | 13C | 1 BR · 1 BA · 939 sf | $945,000 | $1,006/sf | off-mkt |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 9D | 2 BR · 1 BA · 942 sf | $940,000 | $998/sf | -3.6% |
| Jan 7, 2025 | 11D | 2 BR · 1 BA · 942 sf | $945,000 | $1,003/sf | -4.4% |
| Aug 15, 2024 | 11E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 879 sf | $899,000 | $1,023/sf | +0.0% |
| Apr 19, 2024 | 14D | 2 BR · 1 BA · 942 sf | $999,000 | $1,061/sf | +0.0% |
| Dec 21, 2023 | PHC | 1 BR · 2 BA · 1,300 sf | $2,235,000 | $1,719/sf | -10.6% |
| Aug 1, 2023 | 5C | 1 BR · 1 BA · 939 sf | $845,000 | $900/sf | -1.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $999/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 0.0% from the last ask.
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
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 1-01341-7505). 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
Closed rents at 865 UN Plaza, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 8 | $4,350 |
| 2 bedroom | 2 | $5,050 |
11 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease September 2026. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
At the recent median sale of $945K (4 sales since 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $34,392 to close, or 3.6% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $0
- Mortgage recording tax: $13,643
- Title insurance: $4,253
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $16,496
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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What to know if you’re buying
This is a condominium, so the process is fast and flexible. Expect a 30–45 day closing rather than a co-op board package and interview. Pied-à-terre use, investment ownership, and subletting are permitted under the declaration — a real advantage for buyers who want optionality or an international pied-à-terre near the UN.
Diligence is unit-level and condition-level. As a prewar conversion, homes vary in renovation quality — central air, in-unit laundry, and updated kitchens and baths are present in some units and not others. Review the specific home's condition, the building's financials, and any planned capital work.
Set amenity expectations correctly. This is a full-service boutique building, not a new-development tower — genuine 24-hour staffing and prewar character, but no roof deck, gym, or pool, and no in-building garage. Buyers who want those amenities should weigh a nearby new-development condo; buyers who value prewar bones, service, and location at accessible pricing find the trade worthwhile.
Location is the core of the case. The corner sits directly across from the United Nations, with the East Side transit network, Grand Central, and the Midtown employment core all within easy reach.
Run the carrying cost. Model common charges plus property taxes plus utilities at the unit level before you commit.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with location and prewar character. A full-service prewar condo across from the UN, with real doorman service and Blum-era bones, is a clean story — position it against Midtown East's condo stock and lean on the address.
Benchmark within the building first. With recurring turnover in the studio and one-bedroom lines, recent in-building sales are the first reference point; floor, light, exposure, and renovation status determine where a home lands.
Condition and light drive positioning. Renovated, high-floor, and river- or UN-facing homes anchor the top of the range; be prepared to distinguish your home from the rental inventory that also circulates in the building.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract to closing, with no board approval to clear.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 865 First Avenue, also evaluate nearby First Avenue and Midtown East options:
- 959 First Avenue — a Toll Brothers condominium
- 966 First Avenue — a full-service Sutton Place condominium
- 1076 First Avenue — Sutton-area First Avenue building
- 685 First Avenue — Richard Meier's black-glass tower near the UN, 148 condominium
- 100 First Avenue — the Der Scutt-designed condominium
More Midtown East buildings
- 845 Second Avenue — 2001 condominium
- 846 Second Avenue (Midtown East) — 1979 condominium by Philip Birnbaum & Associates
- 860 United Nations Plaza — 1966 co-op
- 870 United Nations Plaza — 1966 co-op
- 926 Second Avenue — condominium
- 935 Third Avenue — 1960 co-op by H.I. Feldman
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Midtown East — read The Roebling Team Guide to Midtown East.
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.
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