The Studio Building (889 Lexington Avenue)
889 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10065
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1014010020 · BIN 1042461
- Year built
- 1905
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 44
- Landmark
- Designated
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median
- $4.6M
- Recent range
- $545K – $5.8M
- Listing discount
- 8.6%
- Recorded transfers
- 42
The Studio Building at 889 Lexington Avenue — addressed on the side street as 131–135 East 66th Street — is one of the most architecturally significant early cooperatives on the Upper East Side. Constructed in 1905–1906 as a cooperative artists' studio building and designed by Charles A. Platt, it is a landmark of the form: an Italian Renaissance palazzo conceived to give artists double-height studios, generous north light, and gracious living quarters in a single building. Platt himself lived here from its opening until his death in 1933, and the building's history is woven into the cultural life of early-twentieth-century New York.
Two facts give the building its standing. First, it is among the genuinely early cooperatives in Manhattan — built as a co-op decades before the great conversion waves, when the cooperative idea was still novel. Second, its studio-building program produced apartments unlike anything in the surrounding pre-war inventory: dramatic double-height living rooms, distinctive light, and floor plans engineered around the needs of working artists rather than conventional family layouts. The result is a building of unusual character and a designated New York City landmark, marked in 2006 with a Landmarks Preservation plaque.
For buyers, The Studio Building offers a combination almost impossible to replicate: a Platt-designed landmark, the corner of Lexington and 66th in the heart of Lenox Hill, the rare double-height studio format, and the prestige of one of the city's pioneering cooperatives — three blocks from Central Park and Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, with the Lexington Avenue 6 train and the Q at 63rd Street both within easy reach.
Architecture and unit composition
Platt's limestone palazzo is a study in restraint and proportion — the elevations organized by a rhythmic grouping of windows, the two entrances marked by massive columns and broken pediments, the whole crowned by an elaborate projecting cornice. The composition reads as a unified classical block, befitting an architect equally celebrated for his landscape and country-house work; Christopher Gray once observed that the building, three blocks from Fifth Avenue, looks every bit as fine as anything on it.
The roughly 44 apartments reflect the building's studio heritage. The defining feature is the double-height living space found in many of the lines — soaring rooms with tall windows engineered for artists' light — paired with quieter sleeping and service quarters. These are among the most distinctive interiors on the Upper East Side, prized by buyers who want volume and character rather than a conventional pre-war layout. Configurations vary considerably across the building, and many apartments have been combined or reconfigured over more than a century.
Building operations
The Studio Building operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative, with a full-time attended entrance, elevator service, a live-in resident manager, private storage, bike storage, and a central laundry room.
The co-op's rules reward the long-term, owner-occupant buyer who is the building's traditional constituency: dogs are permitted, pied-à-terre ownership is allowed, and financing is permitted up to 50% of the purchase price. A 3% flip tax is paid by the purchaser at closing. As a designated landmark within a historic district, exterior alterations are subject to Landmarks Preservation Commission review, and the board reviews interior renovation scope with attention to the building's protected character and its distinctive double-height volumes.
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 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 →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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 17, 2026 | 1H | 1 BR · 1 BA | $545,000 | -21.0% | |
| Oct 3, 2025 | 2 | 4 BR · 2.5 BA · 3,500 sf | $3,825,000 | $1,093/sf | -6.5% |
| Sep 24, 2025 | 8 | 3 BR · 2.5 BA | $3,375,000 | -17.2% | |
| Jul 28, 2025 | 8 | 4 BR · 2.5 BA · 3,200 sf | $3,800,000 | $1,188/sf | -2.4% |
| Jan 30, 2024 | 10 | 4 BR · 3.5 BA | $4,100,000 | -10.8% | |
| Jun 26, 2023 | 6 | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $5,800,000 | +0.1% | |
| Jun 28, 2022 | 2 | 4 BR · 2.5 BA · 3,200 sf | $4,300,000 | $1,344/sf | -4.3% |
| Jun 23, 2022 | 2 | 4 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,500 sf | $5,250,000 | $1,500/sf | -8.7% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $1,141/sf across 2 sales. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 4.3% 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.
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 1-01401-0020) 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
The double-height studio format is the building's signature. These volumes are rare and highly sought; they trade on character and light rather than conventional room counts.
The rules favor a serious owner-occupant — with flexibility. Dogs are welcome and a pied-à-terre is permitted, but financing is capped at 50% and a 3% flip tax falls to the buyer at closing, so plan the cash position accordingly.
It is a designated landmark. Exterior protection is absolute, and interior renovation is reviewed with care — budget time for board and, where applicable, LPC sign-off.
Inventory is thin. With roughly 44 units and long ownership tenures, opportunities are infrequent; readiness to move when one appears matters.
What to know if you’re selling
The Platt authorship, landmark status, and studio heritage are exceptional marketing assets. Listing copy should foreground the architectural pedigree and the rarity of the double-height format.
Pricing requires bespoke, apartment-level analysis. Given the variation across the building, conventional per-square-foot averages mislead; comparable selection must weigh apartment type, volume, and light.
Position the rules as a feature. Dog-friendly and pied-à-terre-friendly policies broaden the buyer pool relative to stricter Lenox Hill co-ops — a genuine selling point worth stating plainly.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. Plan for roughly 6–10 weeks from contract signing to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Studio Building, also evaluate:
- 976 Lexington Avenue — nearby Upper East Side co-op
- 1004 Lexington Avenue — nearby pre-war Lexington Avenue building
- 773 Lexington Avenue — nearby Lexington Avenue building
- 111 East 67th Street — nearby Lenox Hill pre-war co-op
- 640 Park Avenue — nearby Lenox Hill pre-war peer
- 570 Park Avenue — nearby pre-war co-op at East 63rd
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 The Studio Building?
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 The Studio Building 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.