980 Fifth Avenue
980 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10075
Upper East Side
BBL 1014910001 · BIN 1046426
- Year built
- 1966
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 45
- Floors
- 26
- Flip tax
- 2.5%
- Financing
- Up to 50% financeable (50% minimum down).
- Subletting
- Permitted with Board approval.
- Pets
- Permitted, subject to Board approval.
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, 2004–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 3BR median
- $5.3M
- Recent range
- $4.4M – $14.8M
- Listing discount
- 7.3%
- Recorded transfers
- 39
980 Fifth Avenue is the building that stood, structurally and culturally, at the seam of the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission's creation. The 1966 building replaced Isaac Vail Brokaw's 1887 chateau-like mansion — the demolition of which (alongside the demolition of the original Penn Station) was a galvanizing event in the creation of the LPC. The New York Times editorial "Rape of the Brokaw Mansion" mobilized public opinion against the postwar mansion-to-tower conversions on Fifth Avenue.
Despite the controversy of its origin, the building itself is now recognized as one of the better postwar apartment towers — Architectural records describe it "one of the city's better postwar apartment towers." The most consequential of its distinctions is the all-cash policy: no financing is permitted, placing 980 among the most restrictive financial-entry profiles on the corridor. Set against that exclusivity is a substantial postwar amenity infrastructure — a circular driveway with porte-cochère, a large landscaped outdoor plaza (registered as a privately-owned public space with APOPS), a Robert A.M. Stern Architects-renovated lobby, an on-site garage with discounted shareholder rates, and a newly completed rooftop observatory deck with Central Park and skyline views. The roster has its own anchor in the Pier Luigi Loro Piana resident anchor — the Italian Loro Piana billionaire, who purchased an $11.3 million three-bedroom in 2014.
Architecture and unit composition
The site previously held Isaac Vail Brokaw's 1887 chateau — the demolition of which became one of the galvanizing events in the creation of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. and Friends of the Upper East Side document the LPC-history significance. The Brokaw demolition, alongside the demolition of the original Penn Station, mobilized public opinion to demand a landmarks-preservation regime; the LPC was created in 1965, the year before 980 Fifth opened.
The 1966 building was designed by Paul Resnick and H.F. Green for the Campagna Construction Corporation. Despite its origin in one of the most controversial demolitions in NYC architectural history, the building itself is now recognized — per public records — as "one of the city's better postwar apartment towers." The slightly projecting limestone window bays give the tower verticality. Large picture windows have slender limestone reveals. The entrance features a circular driveway with a porte-cochère and large landscaped outdoor plaza (registered with APOPS as a privately-owned public space).
Robert A.M. Stern Architects completed a lobby renovation, lifting the public spaces to a level commensurate with the apartment quality.
The forty-five apartments distribute across the building's twenty-six floors. The postwar configuration — with the larger floor plates and Robert A.M. Stern-renovated lobby — supports trophy positioning despite the postwar vintage.
Building operations
980 Fifth operates as a full-service Carnegie Hill cooperative:
- 24-hour doorman and concierge
- Live-in resident manager
- On-site garage (with discounted rates for shareholders) — a structurally meaningful amenity for a Fifth Avenue cooperative
- Newly completed rooftop observatory deck with Central Park and skyline views
- Porte-cochère drop-off
- Privately-owned public space (APOPS-registered) landscaped plaza
The amenity layer is comprehensive — the porte-cochère, on-site garage with shareholder discount, and rooftop observatory deck combine to produce one of the more substantial postwar Fifth Avenue cooperative operational profiles.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $140,258/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $262,102/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $260 – $485
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
- 2.5% of gross sale price
- Sublet policy
- Allowed only under extenuating circumstances, subject to board approval
- Notable fees
- Max financing 50%; Closing Admin Fee $850; App Processing $700
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 2026 | 24 | 4 BR · 7 BA | $14,800,000 | -8.6% | |
| Dec 3, 2025 | 11B | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,590 sf | $5,250,000 | $2,027/sf | +0.0% |
| Jul 31, 2025 | 6A | 3 BR · 4 BA | $5,175,000 | -5.9% | |
| Apr 29, 2025 | 8B | 4 BR · 3.5 BA | $4,250,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jun 27, 2024 | 8A | 3 BR · 4.5 BA | $6,000,000 | -13.0% | |
| Feb 7, 2024 | 5A | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $4,375,000 | -26.8% | |
| Apr 24, 2023 | 17A | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $8,000,000 | -5.8% | |
| Jul 15, 2021 | 10A | 3 BR · 3.5 BA | $6,900,000 | -8.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $2,027/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 6.0% 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 1-01491-0001) 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 all-cash policy is the building's most structurally distinguishing operational fact. No financing is permitted; plan accordingly.
The Brokaw mansion / LPC-origin historical context is real institutional positioning. The building's identity is structurally tied to the creation of the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965.
The amenity infrastructure is comprehensive for a postwar Fifth Avenue cooperative. Porte-cochère, on-site garage with shareholder discount, Robert A.M. Stern-renovated lobby, rooftop observatory deck.
The pied-à-terre permission is structurally advantageous. Plan flexible use cases accordingly.
The Loro Piana / European-industrialist resident overlay supports premium positioning.
The 2.5% flip tax is moderate. Verify buyer/seller burden allocation at offer stage.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard but the all-cash requirement structurally shortens the diligence cycle. No mortgage commitment / appraisal process applies.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing should emphasize the all-cash board policy as a buyer-pool curating feature. The structure ensures qualified-buyer engagement.
The Robert A.M. Stern lobby renovation and the rooftop observatory deck are recent capital improvements that support premium positioning. Reference in materials.
The Loro Piana resident overlay and the broader European-industrialist resident profile are real institutional context. Position accordingly.
The Brokaw mansion / LPC-origin historical context is the building's most-cited architectural-history feature. Use selectively in long-form positioning materials.
Pricing should reference the $11.3 million 2014 Loro Piana closing as a high-end reference and recent public records unit-level data for current benchmarks. Apartment-line-specific comparables should anchor positioning.
Closing timelines are cooperative-standard.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 980 Fifth Avenue, also evaluate:
- 990 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue peer
- 998 Fifth Avenue — McKim, Mead & White 1910; immediate Fifth Avenue peer
- 1000 Fifth Avenue — Fifth Avenue / Metropolitan Museum peer
- 1001 Fifth Avenue — Philip Johnson / John Burgee 1979; immediate Fifth Avenue postwar peer
- 1010 Fifth Avenue — 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 980 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 980 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.