- Year built
- 1900
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 57
- Floors
- 12
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Permitted
- Subletting
- Permitted
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
The Dorilton is among the most architecturally exuberant residential buildings in the United States — a Beaux-Arts composition by Janes & Leo whose 1902 completion at Broadway and West 71st represents one of the high-water marks of pre-war Manhattan residential design. The building combines architectural ambition unmatched in its era with a forward-looking infrastructural program (electric motorcar charging, filtered water, separate tenant and servant elevators) that anticipated luxury-apartment expectations decades ahead.
Architectural significance. The Dorilton's façade is among the most photographed and most reproduced in architectural literature on Manhattan apartments. The 4th-floor balustrade statues of "The Seasons," the muscular titan figures supporting balconies, the 9th-floor connecting arch over the 71st Street courtyard, the sculpted cherubs, the colossal limestone columns surmounted by enormous globes — these elements together produce a building whose architectural character is genuinely singular. Montgomery Schuyler's 1902 line — that the building "yells 'Come and look at me'" — captures the deliberate visual ambition.
Notable early residents included Mrs. Hector H. Havemeyer (1903 socialite), Mrs. John Frank Dunham (society hostess), and Emil Wolff (the millionaire who left more than $2 million to charity at his 1918 death).
Preservation and conversion history. The Dorilton operated as luxury rental from 1902 until the 1984 cooperative conversion. Immediately following conversion, shareholders undertook a $1.5 million roof and façade restoration that included re-slating the mansard, reproducing missing dormers and decorative cresting, and stabilizing the building's exterior ornament. The 1984 conversion and the subsequent restoration positioned The Dorilton as one of the most architecturally maintained pre-war UWS cooperatives.
Architecture and unit composition
The Dorilton's exterior is unmatched in residential architecture of any era. The 12-story Beaux-Arts composition rises through stone, limestone, and brick to the elaborate mansard cap with dormers and decorative cresting. The 71st Street courtyard entrance — spanned by a 9th-floor connecting arch — is among the most architecturally distinguished apartment-house entrances in New York City.
The 57 apartments distribute across 12 stories with substantial floor-plate variety. Original apartment configurations included substantial multi-bedroom layouts with the era's signatures: French paneled rooms, formal entry galleries, library-living combinations, primary suites with substantial closet infrastructure. Apartment quality varies meaningfully across the building's 120-year history; renovation states reflect different periods of the building's operational life.
The infrastructural sophistication of the original 1902 design — separate elevators for tenants and servants, filtered water systems, electric motorcar charging facilities — has been substantially modernized but the architectural ambition of the original program persists.
Building operations
The Dorilton operates as a full-service pre-war cooperative under The Dorilton Corp. The 25% minimum down payment is materially more accessible than tier-one Park Avenue or CPW pre-war co-ops (where 50% down is typical). Pets, pied-à-terre, and sublets are all permitted under the building's rules — a meaningfully more flexible posture than typical tier-one trophy buildings.
Recent sales
Last 10 recorded transfers from the NYC Department of Finance. ACRIS records the legal transfer; apartment-level detail (square footage, beds/baths, line, condition) is not in the public feed.
| Recorded | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2026 | 8C | $4.75M |
| Oct 22, 2024 | E12C | $6.75M |
| Jul 17, 2024 | 4DE | $3.88M |
| Jan 22, 2024 | 2E | $2.42M |
| Jun 16, 2023 | 12BPH | $6.38M |
| Jun 6, 2023 | 7/8B | $4.99M |
| Jan 6, 2023 | 12C | $1.02M |
| Jul 14, 2022 | 9B | $4.10M |
| Apr 19, 2022 | 2C | $1.72M |
| Feb 9, 2021 | 11B | $3.25M |
Data source: NYC Department of Finance ACRIS · BBL 1-01143-0001. Recorded transactions reflect the legal transfer price; apartment-level facts (square footage, line, condition) are layered in by the Roebling Team when curated.
What to know if you’re buying
The architectural significance is genuinely singular. Janes & Leo's Beaux-Arts composition is unmatched in residential architecture. For buyers who value architectural distinction at the highest level, The Dorilton occupies a category nearly to itself.
The 25% minimum down payment is materially more accessible than tier-one Manhattan co-ops. Combined with the permissive pet, pied-à-terre, and sublet policies, the building's operational posture is among the most flexible in any landmark pre-war UWS cooperative.
The Broadway / 71st positioning is central UWS. Immediate transit access (the 72nd Street 1/2/3 hub one block north), substantial retail at the building's doorstep, and walking proximity to Lincoln Center, Riverside Park, and the broader UWS amenity base.
Apartment quality varies. The 120-year operational history and the 1984 conversion produced apartments of materially different renovation states. Apartment-level diligence is essential.
The Roebling Team at The Dorilton
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in trophy pre-war Manhattan residential buildings — including the Beaux-Arts UWS tradition that The Dorilton anchors. We publish this building profile because Dorilton buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence at the apartment level.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at The Dorilton, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.