965 Fifth Avenue
965 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10075
Lenox Hill, Upper East Side
BBL 1013920070 · BIN 1076290
- Year built
- 1941
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 53
- Floors
- 18
- Flip tax
- A flip tax applies; confirm the rate at the offer stage.
- Pied-à-terre
- Permitted.
Compiled by The Roebling Research Desk from the building’s offering plan, amendments, and related building documents (primary source dated 2026). Board policies can change by amendment — confirm at the offer stage.
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $2.7M
- Recent range
- $2.2M – $4M
- Listing discount
- 22.5%
- Recorded transfers
- 51
965 Fifth Avenue is among the more architecturally refined late-1930s / early-1940s Fifth Avenue elevations — built in 1941 by Benenson Realty to Irving Margon's design, replacing the Jacob H. Schiff mansion (1901, Freeman & Thain) at 965–967 Fifth. Schiff was the senior Kuhn, Loeb banker and the central Schiff / Warburg "Our Crowd" patriarch; his mansion was demolished in 1938.
For a prestige Fifth Avenue address, 965 stands out first for its flexible policy framework — pets are welcomed, pied-à-terre use is welcomed (uncommon on this stretch), and the 2% flip tax is moderate by avenue norms. The address also carries unusual historical site provenance: it replaced the Schiff mansion, among the most architecturally and culturally consequential Gilded Age residences on Fifth, whose full history is preserved in published architectural histories. On the present site, the Margon architectural composition answers with charming setbacks, attractive sidewalk landscaping, and a discreet handling of air-conditioning units — a genuine design problem in a period when AC was first being retrofitted into prestige residential.
Friends of the Upper East Side maintains a building dossier confirming LPC standing.
Architecture and unit composition
The site at 965–967 Fifth previously held the Jacob H. Schiff mansion (1901, Freeman & Thain). Schiff — the senior Kuhn, Loeb banker and "Our Crowd" patriarch — held a mansion that anchored the social architecture of the German-Jewish financial elite in late-19th-century New York. Architectural histories preserve the full Schiff mansion record. The mansion was demolished in 1938.
Irving Margon — a workmanlike but talented Depression-era apartment designer — produced one of the more refined late-1930s / early-1940s Fifth Avenue elevations on the Schiff site for Benenson Realty. The defining features are charming setbacks, attractive sidewalk landscaping, and discreet handling of air-conditioning units. Select residences carry wood-burning fireplaces.
The 1941 building reads as a confident transitional composition between the late-prewar Fifth Avenue idiom and the wartime / postwar reduced-ornament tradition. The Friends of the Upper East Side dossier confirms LPC standing.
The fifty-three apartments distribute across the building's eighteen-to-nineteen floors. The building converted to cooperative ownership in 1980.
Building operations
965 Fifth operates as a full-service Upper East Side cooperative:
- Full-time doorman
- Live-in resident manager
- Fitness center
- Bicycle room
- White-glove service
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $15,281/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $27
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair before the next inspection cycle. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials 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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of purchase price paid by buyer (exemption for current shareholder)
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
- Notable fees
- Max financing 35%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2026 | 2B | 3 BR · 3 BA | $2,200,000 | -11.8% | |
| Aug 12, 2025 | 11B | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,000 sf | $3,975,000 | $1,988/sf | -19.7% |
| Nov 21, 2023 | 8B | 2 BR · 3 BA · 1,815 sf | $2,700,000 | $1,488/sf | -30.8% |
| Jun 1, 2023 | 3B | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,100 sf | $3,700,000 | $1,762/sf | -25.3% |
| Dec 20, 2022 | 4A | 2 BR · 3 BA | $2,100,000 | -20.8% | |
| Sep 1, 2022 | 7B | 3 BR · 3 BA | $4,650,000 | -15.5% | |
| Oct 8, 2021 | 5A | 2 BR · 3 BA | $3,500,000 | +0.0% | |
| Sep 23, 2021 | 10A | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $3,500,000 | +0.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $1,988/sf across 1 sale. 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2003 | 1819A | $8,900,000 |
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 1-01392-0070) 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 flexible policy framework is structurally distinguishing. Welcomed pets, welcomed pied-à-terre, and 2% flip tax produce one of the more accommodating prestige Fifth Avenue cooperative buyer profiles.
The Schiff mansion site provenance is real historical context. The Jacob Schiff house was among the most consequential Gilded Age Fifth Avenue residences; the Margon 1941 building inherited the site identity.
The 2% buyer-paid flip tax is moderate. Factor into all carrying-cost and net-proceeds calculations — on a $5 million purchase, $100,000 of additional buyer cost.
The recent 8B closing at $2.7 million (November 2023) anchors the lower-floor pricing benchmark. Average sales price approximately $4.325 million benchmarks broader inventory.
Select residences carry wood-burning fireplaces. Verify at the apartment level during walkthrough.
The boutique 53-unit scale supports operational intimacy. Plan for white-glove board posture and substantial financial-package diligence.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard. Plan for 6 to 10 weeks from contract through board approval to closing.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing should emphasize the flexible policy framework — welcomed pets, welcomed pied-à-terre, 2% flip tax. All three are structural advantages versus peer Fifth Avenue cooperative inventory.
The Schiff mansion site provenance and the Margon late-prewar architectural credential support historical positioning. Reference where appropriate.
The boutique 53-unit scale and the Friends of the Upper East Side / LPC-protected exterior identity are real structural advantages. Position accordingly.
Pricing should reference the November 2023 8B closing at $2.7 million and the $4.325 million average. Apartment-line-specific comparables should anchor positioning.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 965 Fifth Avenue, also evaluate:
- 960 Fifth Avenue — Rosario Candela; immediate Fifth Avenue trophy peer
- 950 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue peer
- 975 Park Avenue — J.M. Felson 1929; nearby Park Avenue peer
- 990 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue peer
- 998 Fifth Avenue — McKim, Mead & White 1910; nearby Fifth Avenue peer
Sources: The Roebling Research Library (offering plans, house rules, financial statements, board minutes, internal transaction records); NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers; publicly recorded NYC building data.
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 965 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 965 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.