- Year built
- 1926
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 106
- Landmark
- Designated
90 Riverside Drive is a 1926 pre-war cooperative on the northeast corner of West 81st Street, occupying one of the most desirable positions on the Upper West Side's western edge: direct frontage on Riverside Drive and Riverside Park. Designed by Schwartz & Gross — among the most prolific and accomplished pre-war apartment-house firms in Manhattan — the red-brick building carries the classical detailing that distinguishes the Drive's best 1920s construction: a two-story limestone base, bandcourses and string courses, pedimented corner window surrounds, three-story surrounds beneath a dentil cornice, and quoins. It sits within the Riverside Drive–West 80th–81st Street Historic District.
The Riverside Drive setting is the building's defining asset. The Drive offers what almost no other Manhattan corridor can: a curving, low-density park frontage along the Hudson, with the open western light and river views pre-war buyers prized and that remain permanent today. 90 Riverside's three-wing plan, each wing served by its own passenger and service elevators, reflects the generous floor plates of 1926 luxury construction. The building converted to cooperative ownership in 1968, among the Drive's earlier conversions.
What distinguishes the building among its pre-war peers is the depth of its service and amenities relative to its size. For roughly 106 apartments, 90 Riverside carries two doormen, a concierge, and a live-in resident manager, plus a health club, a roof deck, a children's playroom with a half-court basketball area, a bike room with an air pump, and private storage. The board permits pets and allows pieds-à-terre. For buyers, it offers Schwartz & Gross pre-war architecture, park-and-river frontage, generous 1920s layouts, a genuine amenity package, and a flexible board — at pricing that reflects the Riverside Drive value relative to Central Park West.
Architecture and unit composition
The roughly 106 apartments span 16 stories across the building's three wings, each served by dedicated passenger and service elevators — a hallmark of well-planned 1920s luxury construction. The pre-war floor-plan vocabulary recurs throughout: long entry galleries, separate foyers, defined room divisions, high ceilings, decorative fireplaces in many lines, and the plaster and millwork detail of 1926 construction. Layouts run large — two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes are common, and the penthouses carry terraces facing the river and the side street.
River- and park-facing apartments on the western flank capture the Drive's signature Hudson views and open western light; eastern and side exposures carry stable Upper West Side residential views. Exact layouts, ceiling heights, and renovation status vary apartment to apartment and reward unit-by-unit review.
Building operations
90 Riverside Drive operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative. Staffing centers on two doormen, a concierge, and a live-in resident manager, with separate passenger and service elevators serving each wing. The amenity program is deep for a pre-war building of this size: a health club, a roof deck, a children's playroom with a half-court basketball area, a bike room with an air pump, and private storage. The board permits pets and allows pieds-à-terre. The roughly 106-unit scale produces the operating stability characteristic of well-run Riverside Drive cooperatives.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $38,486/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $30
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into for you.
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
Sales context at 90 Riverside Drive:
- Turnover is moderate given the ~106-unit scale — a building of this size typically supports a steady but not high annual transaction volume.
- Pricing reflects the Riverside Drive pre-war band: river- and park-facing apartments command the strongest premiums, with larger and higher-floor configurations trading well above the building's entry points.
- River exposure, floor altitude, layout, and renovation condition are the dominant drivers of apartment-level value.
For the live, address-specific transaction record tied to this building's tax lot, see the auto-generated sales feed for 90 Riverside Drive.
What to know if you’re buying
River and park frontage is the core asset. Direct Riverside Drive and Riverside Park exposure with permanent Hudson views is the central value proposition.
The amenity package is unusually deep for a pre-war. A health club, roof deck, playroom with a half-court, and bike room give the building a service profile most Drive co-ops lack.
The board is flexible. Pets are permitted and pieds-à-terre are allowed — meaningful latitude for many buyers.
The three-wing plan affects exposure. Confirm whether a given apartment faces the river or a side or rear exposure — it drives material pricing differences.
Layouts are generous. Long galleries, separate foyers, and decorative fireplaces recur; evaluate the specific line and floor.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with river frontage, the Schwartz & Gross pedigree, and the amenities. The Hudson views, the 1926 architecture, and the health-club-and-roof-deck package are the marketing anchors.
Highlight the flexible board. Pet and pied-à-terre flexibility widens the buyer pool against stricter Drive neighbors.
Price against Riverside Drive pre-war inventory. Comparable analysis should draw from the Drive's pre-war cooperatives, with adjustments for exposure and floor.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. 6–10 weeks from contract signing to closing, with board approval the gating step.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 90 Riverside Drive, also evaluate:
- 100 Riverside Drive — nearby pre-war Riverside Drive cooperative
- 110 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war peer
- 137 Riverside Drive — nearby Drive cooperative
- 140 Riverside Drive — pre-war Riverside Drive peer
- 173 Riverside Drive — Riverside Drive pre-war cooperative
The Roebling Team at 90 Riverside Drive
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because Riverside Drive buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board flexibility, the amenity program, and transactional mechanics at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 90 Riverside Drive, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Get the full picture on this building.
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