The Belnord (225 West 86th Street)
225 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024
BBL 1012340101 · BIN 1033197
- Type
- Condominium
- Condominium residences
- 95
- Floors
- 13
- Landmark status
- Individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission records, updated February 2026
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not stated
Every recorded sale at this building, 2018–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf, 2026 to date
- $2,303
- 10 sales
- Listing discount
- 8.6%
- Recorded sales
- 133
- On record
- 2018–2026
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The Belnord at 225 West 86th Street is one of the most architecturally consequential surviving courtyard apartment buildings in New York City. Constructed in 1908–1909 by H. Hobart Weekes of the firm Hiss & Weekes — at an original cost of $1.8 million (approximately $64 million in 2025 dollars) — the full-block building was, at completion, characterized as the largest apartment building in the United States. The 22,000-square-foot interior courtyard, approximately 231 feet long by 94 to 98 feet wide, was reportedly the largest interior court in the world at the building's completion.
The Belnord's architectural lineage situates it among the consequential pre-war courtyard apartment buildings of New York: the Dakota (1 West 72nd Street, Henry Hardenbergh 1884), the Apthorp (390 West End Avenue, Clinton & Russell 1908), Graham Court (1923 Seventh Avenue, Clinton & Russell 1901), and the Belnord itself. Of these, the Belnord remains among the most architecturally distinct — the only one of the four with a courtyard at the full 22,000-square-foot scale, the only one designed by Hiss & Weekes, and the building whose Italian Renaissance Revival exterior produced one of the most coherent architectural compositions on the early-20th-century Upper West Side. The building was designated a New York City Individual Landmark on September 20, 1966, and was subsequently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building's twentieth-century rental tenancy produced a literary and cultural register among the deepest in Manhattan apartment history. Isaac Bashevis Singer — Nobel laureate in Literature (1978) — lived in the building and was famously known for jogging laps around the courtyard in a three-piece suit. Lee Strasberg, the founder of method acting, lived in the building during the 1950s; Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Marlon Brando visited him at the Belnord during that period. Zero Mostel lived in the building (and was famously struck by the 86th Street crosstown bus in January 1960 in front of the building). Walter Matthau and Art D'Lugoff (founder of the Village Gate jazz club) also lived in the building during the rental era.
The condominium conversion was sponsored by HFZ Capital Group (Ziel Feldman), which acquired the building from Extell Development in 2015 for $575 million. Robert A.M. Stern Architects led the conversion design, with the projected sellout approved by the New York Attorney General at approximately $1.35 billion. Sales launched in 2018; the conversion produced 95 condominium residences (2-bedroom through 5-bedroom configurations) while preserving the historic exterior, the courtyard, and a balance of remaining rent-stabilized rental units within the broader building envelope.
The building's contemporary cultural footprint extends beyond residential. The Belnord serves as the exterior for "The Arconia" in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building (the interior scenes are filmed on a soundstage); the exterior shots of The Arconia are immediately recognizable as the Belnord's West 86th Street facade and courtyard arches.
For buyers, The Belnord represents a particular position in the Upper West Side trophy market: 1908 Hiss & Weekes architectural pedigree, the structural distinction of the surviving courtyard, RAMSA conversion to contemporary luxury standards, the Upper West Side Broadway-corridor position, and the deep cultural register that the building's literary and theatrical history has produced.
Architecture and unit composition
The 95 condominium residences distribute across the building's 13 stories in configurations from 2-bedroom through 5-bedroom apartments. RAMSA's interior architectural vocabulary — calibrated to the building's pre-war fabric and to Stern's broader body of pre-war-influenced contemporary residential work — produces interiors that reference the original 1908 architectural detailing while delivering contemporary luxury finish specifications.
The 22,000-square-foot interior courtyard garden remains the building's defining outdoor amenity and its primary architectural identity feature.
Building operations
The Belnord operates as a full-service condominium under the managing agent. "The Belnord Club" — approximately 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities — includes two concierges, valet parking, cold storage, private dining room, fitness center, teen lounge with pool table, yoga room, children's playroom, laundry room, and the central courtyard garden. The amenity program is among the more substantial in the Upper West Side trophy historic-conversion tier.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of September 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
Purchase
8 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $750 | Refundable Not stated |
| Background Report FeeConditional · Per applicant | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $125 per applicant (additional $75 for criminal check if required by the Board) | Refundable Not stated |
| Move-In Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Working Capital Contribution Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount Amount equal to two (2) month's common charges | Refundable Not stated |
| Move-Out Fee | Paid by Seller | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move-In Deposit | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $1,500 | Refundable Refundable |
| Post Closing Document Deposit | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Move-Out Deposit | Paid by Seller | When With the application | Amount $1,500 | Refundable Refundable |
Rental or lease
6 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move Out Fee | Paid by Landlord | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Background Report FeeConditional · Per applicant | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $125 per applicant (additional $75 for criminal check if required by the Board) | Refundable Not stated |
| Move In Fee | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Processing Fee | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $700 | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move Out Deposit | Paid by Landlord | When With the application | Amount $1,500 | Refundable Refundable |
| Move In Deposit | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $1,500 | Refundable Refundable |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the building's costs and purchase requirements.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Pets and in-unit washer/dryer
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not statedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- In-unit washer/dryer
- Not verified
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to confirm the pet and washer/dryer rules for that apartment.
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Common charges + taxes, per room
- $1,100 per room a monthMedian of 23 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges + taxes, per square foot
- $2.58 per square foot a monthMedian of 24 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges alone, per square foot
- $1.06 per square foot a monthMedian of 27 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
- Real estate taxes alone, per square foot
- $1.59 per square foot a monthMedian of 27 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
Common charges plus real estate taxes, combined into one monthly figure the way New York condominium listings show them. Add a mortgage payment for the monthly outlay. The split into common charges and taxes comes from the listings that also give the annual tax, a different sample, so the two lines need not add up exactly to the combined median; a tax abatement can hold taxes below the full amount until it expires. A summary of recorded sales and listings, not a current bill; charges change.
Building staffing and amenities
- Valet
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of Buildings elevator records
- Amenities noted
- Fitness room, residents' lounge, playroom, garden, garage, laundry room, cold storageSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $334,001/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $134
- Modeled exposure split equally across 207 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; condominium owners are typically charged by each unit's common-interest percentage.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 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. A filed Safe grade is not a guarantee of current condition: owners still maintain the facade and, where required, observe parapets each year. Future inspection timing (Local Law 49 of 2025 changed the cycle framework from October 1, 2026), repair and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs 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 data last refreshed October 2026.
Recent sales
Recent closings at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2026 | 617 | 6 BR · 5.5 BA · 4,498 sf | $12,250,000 | $2,723/sf | +0.0% |
| Sep 8, 2026 | 407 | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,492 sf | $3,500,000 | $2,346/sf | -12.4% |
| Jul 30, 2026 | 815A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 477 sf | $1,300,000 | $2,725/sf | — |
| Jul 9, 2026 | 1017 | 5 BR · 4.5 BA · 4,706 sf | $16,500,000 | $3,506/sf | — |
| Jun 8, 2026 | PHH | 1 BR · 1 BA · 970 sf | $1,760,000 | $1,814/sf | — |
| May 27, 2026 | 317 | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,220 sf | $5,650,000 | $2,545/sf | -2.2% |
| May 21, 2026 | PHQ | 1 BA · 464 sf | $900,000 | $1,940/sf | -36.2% |
| Feb 11, 2026 | 604 | 7 BR · 4.5 BA · 3,000 sf | $5,770,912 | $1,924/sf | -26.4% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $2,303/sf (recorded) across 10 sales. Median listing discount 8.6% 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 1-01234-0101; each condominium apartment is its own tax lot). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. 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.
Closed rents at The Belnord, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| 4 bedroom | 2 | $23,000 |
3 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease September 2025. Based on few leases. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
What would your apartment rent for?
The figures above are the building's closed leases. Enter your apartment and I'll send you what yours would rent for, from comparable leases at The Belnord and nearby.
At the recent median sale of $5.65M (17 sales in the past 24 months, since November 13, 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $270,012 to close, or 4.8% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $127,125
- Mortgage recording tax: $81,572
- Title insurance: $25,425
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $35,890
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
Keep up with The Belnord and its market
The Roebling Report, monthly: Manhattan sales data and analysis, including buildings like The Belnord.
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Notable residents
Rental-era / historic (verified): Isaac Bashevis Singer (Nobel laureate in Literature 1978), Lee Strasberg, Zero Mostel, Walter Matthau, Art D'Lugoff (Village Gate founder).
Cultural footprint: Building serves as the exterior for "The Arconia" in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building.
What to know if you’re buying
The architectural pedigree is structurally distinguishing. Hiss & Weekes 1908; one of New York City's defining courtyard apartment buildings; NYC Individual Landmark.
The 22,000-square-foot courtyard is the building's structural identity. The full-block courtyard, the West 86th Street arches, and the historic facade are protected by the landmark designation.
The RAMSA conversion is high-quality. Stern's architectural vocabulary at the Belnord is consistent with the firm's broader pre-war-influenced contemporary residential body of work.
The condominium ownership form is structural. Right-of-first-refusal mechanism; condominium financial flexibility.
Mixed-tenancy character. The building includes both condominium residences and a balance of remaining rent-stabilized rental units; the structural relationship between the two populations should be understood by purchasers.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing should emphasize the architectural pedigree and the courtyard identity. Hiss & Weekes 1908, the surviving courtyard, the RAMSA conversion, the literary register, and the Only Murders in the Building cultural footprint are the structural marketing arguments.
Pricing requires apartment-level comparable analysis. The variation between courtyard-facing units and street-facing units, between standard-floor configurations and the higher-floor units, produces meaningful pricing variation.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Belnord, also evaluate:
- The Apthorp (390 West End Avenue) — Clinton & Russell 1908; courtyard apartment peer
- The Dakota (1 West 72nd Street) — Hardenbergh 1884; pre-war courtyard cooperative peer
- The San Remo (145 Central Park West) — Roth 1930; Central Park West pre-war trophy peer
- The Beresford (211 Central Park West) — Roth 1929; Central Park West pre-war trophy peer
- 15 Central Park West — Stern 2008; uptown new-construction Stern peer
- 220 Central Park South — Stern 2018; uptown new-construction Stern peer
More Upper West Side buildings
- 220 West 93rd Street — 1926 condominium by Jacob M. Felson
- Towers on the Park, 220 Manhattan Avenue — 1989
- 223 West 80th Street — 2005 condominium
- The Bromley (225 West 83rd Street) — 1985 condominium by Costas Kondylis & Partners
- The Hudson (225 West 60th Street) — 2004 condominium by Gruzen Samton Steinglass
- 229 West 97th Street (The Powellton) — 1901 condop
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Upper West Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper West Side.
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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646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com