Essex House (160 Central Park South)
160 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
BBL 1010117501 · BIN 1023760
- Year built
- 1931
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 100
- Floors
- 44
- Pets
- Permitted under condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $3,567
- Listing discount
- 7.0%
- Recorded sales
- 259
- On record
- 2003–2026
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A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at Essex House 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.
The Essex House at 160 Central Park South is among the most architecturally and culturally consequential Art Deco buildings on Central Park South — a 1931 Frank Grad commission whose 44-story height, distinctive Art Deco massing, and iconic illuminated rooftop signage have made the building a defining feature of the Central Park South skyline for nearly a century. The building's mixed-use program — combining the continuing Essex House hotel (operated under JW Marriott management) with approximately 100 condominium residences — places Essex House in a particular category of Manhattan trophy inventory, alongside The Plaza (1 CPS / 768 Fifth), The Pierre (795 Fifth), The Sherry-Netherland (781 Fifth), and The Carlyle (35 East 76th) as one of the small number of Manhattan addresses that combine luxury residential ownership with active hotel operations within the same building.
The 1931 vintage places Essex House in the construction-cycle peak of the pre-Depression Manhattan luxury building boom — the same approximate vintage as 740 Park Avenue (Candela / Cross & Cross 1930), 778 Park (Candela 1931), 834 Fifth (Candela 1931), and Hampshire House (Caughey & Evans 1937, three blocks west on the same side of CPS). The Frank Grad commission represented a deliberately mixed-use approach to the Central Park South frontage that distinguished Essex House from the purely-residential Hampshire House and the longer hotel tradition of The Plaza (1907) further east.
The Art Deco architectural vocabulary at Essex House is distinct from the broader pre-war Manhattan classical-revival idiom. Where 740 Park, 998 Fifth, and the Candela / Carpenter / Cross & Cross tier-one inventory deploy classical proportioning and ornamental restraint, Essex House executes the Art Deco vocabulary at trophy scale — geometric ornamental detailing on the lower-story facade, the characteristic Art Deco massing of the upper stories, and the iconic illuminated rooftop signage that has anchored the building's cultural identity since the 1930s.
The mixed-use program produces particular operational characteristics. The residential condominium portion operates with its own dedicated entrance and 24-hour doorman, separate from the hotel's lobby flow. Residents have integrated access to the hotel's broader service infrastructure on an a la carte basis — spa, fitness center, restaurant programs, event spaces. The combination produces both advantages (hospitality-grade service depth) and complexities (hotel guest activity in shared spaces, ongoing management of the residential / hotel program boundary).
For buyers, Essex House represents a particular tier of Central Park South inventory: pre-war Art Deco architectural pedigree, mixed-use condominium / hotel program at the scale and quality of the broader Manhattan trophy-hotel-residence category, and direct Central Park frontage at the heart of Midtown. Pricing varies substantially by floor, exposure, configuration, and the specific apartment's renovation history.
Architecture and unit composition
The approximately 100 residential condominium residences span configurations from approximately 800 sf 1BRs to substantially larger 3–4 BR configurations and combined apartments distributed across the building's residential floors above the hotel program.
Park-facing apartments on the north flank command direct Central Park views — sight lines across Central Park to the Reservoir, the West Side beyond, and depending on floor altitude, longer view envelopes north to Harlem. The Park view is the building's signature amenity for buyers.
The Art Deco interior detail — where preserved through the early-2000s condominium conversion and subsequent renovations — is consistent with the 1931-era luxury hotel construction vocabulary. The conversion added modern building systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) while preserving the architectural surfaces and detail at the public floors and many apartments.
Building operations
Essex House operates as a luxury mixed-use condominium with full-time doorman (dedicated residential entrance), 24-hour concierge, valet parking, and integrated access to the continuing Essex House hotel's broader service infrastructure on an a la carte basis.
The mixed-use program produces both advantages and complexities. Advantages: hospitality-grade service infrastructure, dining within the building (with the South Gate restaurant program and successor iterations), event spaces, spa and fitness facilities. Complexities: hotel guest activity in shared circulation, ongoing renegotiation of the boundary between residential and hotel use across the building's modern operating period.
Common charges and property taxes are substantial. The mixed-use program produces particular financial structures that buyers should review carefully during due diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $220,276/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $102
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.
Recent sales
Essex House's modern DEED history (~390 records 2007–2026) reflects the building's hybrid condo-hotel structure at 160 Central Park South. Most trades are studio and one-bedroom apartments typical of the hotel-conversion inventory, and a smaller cohort of trophy trades anchors the building's upper-floor and combination apartments.
The record is bifurcated. Upper-floor trophy inventory has historically closed at wide discounts to asking, several apex-tier listings have ended without a public closing, and some of the largest recent trades were recorded transfers with no public listing. That pattern follows the building's structure: hotel-condo hybrids draw a narrower buyer pool than pure-residential trophies at comparable price points. Mid-tier one-bedroom inventory has traded closer to asking.
Recent closings at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2026 | 2703 | 2 BR · 1,281 sf Closed Feb 26, 2026 at $6.5M (recorded transfer; no public listing on record). 27-03 upper-floor 2BR-tier configuration. | $6,500,000 | $5,074/sf | -17.7% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 1018 | 2 BR · 3 BA · 1,554 sf Closed Jan 13, 2026 (recorded Jan 22) at $3.2M. 10-18 — 2BR at 1,554 sqft = ~$2,059/sqft. Originally listed at $3.399M (May 2025 NLA then Jan 2026 SE can't-find-record at $3.399M); the ACRIS recording reflects the actual transfer at $3.2M (~6% below the last asking). | $3,200,000 | $2,059/sf | -5.9% |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 2118 | 1 BR · 1 BA · 485 sf | $2,500,000 | $5,155/sf | off-mkt |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 1115 | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf Closed Nov 1, 2025 (recorded Nov 4) at $2.475M — 4.62% under the $2.595M asking. 11-15 — 2BR at 1,200 sqft = ~$2,063/sqft. | $2,475,000 | $2,063/sf | -4.6% |
| Aug 11, 2025 | 1001 | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,260 sf · private outdoor Closed Jul 30, 2025 at $4.35M (recorded transfer; no public listing on record at this closing). 10-01 — 3BR at 2,260 sqft = ~$1,925/sqft. Substantial off-market trade in Essex House's 3BR tier. | $4,350,000 | $1,925/sf | -37.8% |
| Mar 3, 2025 | 3503/05 | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,038 sf | $3,695,000 | $3,560/sf | off-mkt |
| Jan 23, 2025 | 4001 | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,250 sf | $11,375,000 | $3,500/sf | -24.2% |
| Sep 6, 2024 | 1029 | 1 BR · 2 BA · 800 sf | $840,000 | $1,050/sf | -1.1% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $3,567/sf across 2 sales. Median listing discount 7.0% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2013 | 2001 | $3,142,500 |
| Nov 29, 2012 | 705 | $3,550,000 |
| Dec 9, 2009 | 456 | $600,000 |
| Jan 24, 2005 | 3901 | $1,490,000 |
| Oct 6, 2004 | 3901 | $1,390,000 |
| Jul 4, 2004 | 2307 | $990,000 |
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 1-01011-7501) 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
At the recent median sale of $3.69M (10 sales since 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $154,251 to close, or 4.2% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $55,425
- Mortgage recording tax: $53,347
- Title insurance: $16,628
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $28,852
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
Understand the mixed-use program. Buyers acquire a condominium residence in an actively-functioning luxury hotel. Hotel guest activity in shared spaces is part of the daily-life signature. Buyers who want strict residential privacy may prefer purpose-built Central Park South cooperatives (Hampshire House, 200 CPS, 240 CPS); buyers who value hotel service integration find Essex House uniquely positioned.
The Art Deco architectural credential is real. The 1931 Frank Grad design and the iconic rooftop signage are among the most recognizable features of the Central Park South skyline.
Condo flexibility is real. 30–45 day closings; foreign buyers welcome; pied-à-terre and investment use permitted under the declaration; subletting allowed. Confirm any specific restrictions during the contract review process.
Park views are the structural amenity. North-facing apartments command direct Central Park sight lines. Floor altitude and exposure drive significant pricing differentiation.
Mansion tax cliff effects apply at higher price points. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Hotel service access is a la carte. Residents can use Essex House hotel services but pay separately. Model anticipated service use into the carrying budget.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing requires architectural literacy. The Frank Grad Art Deco pedigree, the rooftop signage as a cultural symbol, and the mixed-use program should all feature in listing copy.
Pricing requires apartment-level context. The 100-residence scale and varying configurations produce meaningful pricing variation by floor, exposure, and configuration.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract signing to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering Essex House, also evaluate:
- The Plaza (1 CPS / 768 Fifth) — Hardenbergh 1907; mixed-use trophy hotel-condominium
- Hampshire House (150 CPS) — Caughey & Evans 1937; pre-war Central Park South peer
- The Pierre (795 Fifth) — Schultze & Weaver 1930; cooperative hotel-residence
- The Sherry-Netherland (781 Fifth) — Schultze & Weaver 1927; cooperative hotel-residence
- 240 Central Park South — Mayer & Whittlesey 1940; modernist landmark cooperative
- 220 Central Park South — Robert A.M. Stern 2018; modern luxury condominium
More Central Park South buildings
- Metropolitan Tower (146 West 57th Street) — 1984 condominium by SLCE Architects
- Hampshire House (150 Central Park South) — 1931 co-op by Caughey & Evans
- 152 West 58th Street — 1916 co-op by Robert T. Lyons
- 162 West 56th Street (Carnegie Plaza) — 1925 condominium
- 171 West 57th Street — 1922 condominium by Warren & Wetmore
- 200 Central Park South — 1963 co-op by Wechsler & Schimenti
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Central Park South — read The Roebling Team Guide to Central Park South.
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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