The Kenilworth (151 Central Park West)
151 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023
- Year built
- 1908
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 38
- Floors
- 13
- Landmark
- Designated
- Subletting
- Restrictive; minimum holding period and per-sublet board approval
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $635K
- Recent range
- $519K – $5.1M
- Avg vs. ask
- -5.8%
- Recorded transfers
- 148
The Kenilworth is one of the earliest tier-one residential cooperatives on Central Park West — a French Second Empire composition completed in 1908 by Townsend, Steinle & Haskell, the same year as the broader pre-Beaux-Arts CPW residential boom was establishing the avenue as Manhattan's premier residential corridor. Its convex mansard roof, banded-column entrance, and carved limestone-and-red-brick facade have remained substantially unchanged since construction — making it one of the most architecturally intact pre-war buildings on the avenue.
Named for the 12th-century Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, the building was conceived by developers Saxe & Coon (operating as Lenox Realty Company) as "a 12-story high-class elevator apartment house" at a moment when Manhattan's apartment-house tradition was still establishing itself as an alternative to the row house. Ground was broken May 1906; the Kenilworth was completed in 1908 at a cost of approximately $1 million (roughly $27 million in 2016 terms). The Kenilworth's success — and the careful French-classical proportioning of its design — helped solidify CPW's identity as a corridor of significant residential buildings rather than a secondary alternative to Fifth Avenue.
Notable original residents and events. Early residents included George M. Cohan (the songwriter and Broadway legend) and his second wife Agnes Nolan; their daughter was born in the building in September 1910. Genealogist George Austin Morrison was also among the building's early residents. A 1920 Montreal touring-car accident killed members of the Gutman family. The building converted to a co-op that same year (1920) for $1.25 million. In 1936, Metropolitan Life foreclosed over unpaid taxes and mortgage debt. The Kenilworth's apartments feature three units per floor, each with windows on three sides — a particular Townsend, Steinle & Haskell design move described at the time as making "every apartment equal to a corner."
The Kenilworth converted to a cooperative in 1958 — among the very earliest Manhattan co-op conversions, alongside the Majestic (also 1958) and predating the Brentmore (1959), the Dakota (1961), and the Beresford (1962). Six and a half decades of self-governance have produced a mature, conservative institutional culture.
For buyers who want pre-war Beaux-Arts architecture, an intimate scale, and one of the most architecturally intact CPW landmarks, the Kenilworth occupies its own particular position in the canon — adjacent to (but architecturally distinct from) its Art Deco twin-tower neighbors.
Architecture and unit composition
The Kenilworth's 1908 plan distributed three apartments per floor — typical of pre-war Manhattan buildings of its era. The original layouts feature high ceilings, formal entry galleries, library-living combinations, and pre-war service-corridor kitchen arrangements (renovated to varying degrees apartment-to-apartment).
Pre-war signatures throughout: 11–13 foot ceilings in primary rooms, original parquet floors preserved in many apartments, formal entry galleries, library and dining configurations. The original French Second Empire interior detailing — moldings, paneling, architectural ornamentation — varies in preservation depending on each apartment's renovation history.
Park-facing apartments occupy the eastern flank with direct Central Park views from low to high floors. Corner Park-facing units (Park + West 75th Street exposure) command meaningful view premium.
Building operations
The Kenilworth operates as a full-service tier-one CPW co-op with the standard pre-war service signature: 24-hour doorman, attended elevator service, on-site superintendent, laundry, and private storage. The building's small unit count (38–40) produces the relational density characteristic of intimate pre-war co-ops.
The Kenilworth converted to cooperative ownership in 1958 — the earliest CPW conversion year we've documented (tied with the Majestic). The building has operated continuously as a self-managed co-op since.
The building participates in the NYC Cooperative & Condominium Property Tax Abatement Program for qualifying primary-residence shareholders. Board review is rigorous, with the smaller building scale producing a process that emphasizes both financial qualification and lifestyle fit.
Specific policy details (flip tax structure, financing cap, sublet fee) are not publicly published by the building; buyers should review the current proprietary lease and house rules during due diligence.
Recent sales
The Kenilworth's public record reflects what working brokers know about the building: turnover is thin enough that two- and three-year gaps between recorded arms-length closings are routine, with much of the inventory trading off-market through curated channels. The lone clean recent data point is 12W — a 3BR/3BA, 2,600-sqft high-floor Park-facing residence — which closed January 2023 essentially at the $5.095M ask after a short marketing arc. For buyers benchmarking the building, this should be read as the marker for prime W-line Park-facing inventory in clean condition; weaker configurations or floors would expect a 10–15% discount, and any active pipeline (in-contract inventory not yet recorded in ACRIS) is best discussed during consultation rather than inferred from the public record.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2026 | 2F | 1 BR · 1 BA · 650 sf | $599,000 | $922/sf | off-mkt |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 10F | 1 BR · 1 BA · 670 sf | $617,000 | $921/sf | off-mkt |
| May 8, 2025 | 3A | 4 BR · 4 BA · 2,390 sf | $2,800,000 | $1,172/sf | off-mkt |
| Apr 11, 2024 | 8AB | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,750 sf | $1,620,000 | $926/sf | off-mkt |
| Feb 6, 2023 | 12W | 7 BR · 3 BA · 2,600 sf · Central Park Closed Jan 30, 2023 at $5,094,998 — essentially at the $5.095M ask. Higher-floor 12W along the Park-facing W line. The Kenilworth's quiet turnover means this is one of very few arms-length closings in the public ACRIS record for the 2022-2026 window — most sales here close off-market. | $5,094,998 | $1,960/sf | -0.0% |
| Oct 13, 2022 | 12F | 1 BR · 1 BA · 625 sf | $610,000 | $976/sf | off-mkt |
| Feb 9, 2022 | 6N | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,450 sf Closed Jan 27, 2022 (recorded Jan 28) at $5.35M — 1.83% under the $5.45M asking. 6N — 3BR/3BA at 2,450 sqft = ~$2,184/sqft. Near full-ask close on the N-line. | $5,350,000 | $2,184/sf | -1.8% |
| Jun 21, 2021 | 2C | 3 BR · 3 BA Closed Jun 10, 2021 (recorded Jun 16) at $5.3M — 3.55% under the $5.495M asking. 2C — 3BR/3BA. Lower-floor C-line. | $5,300,000 | -3.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $749/sf across 1 sale. Sales close on average -5.8% below 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 5, 2025 | 23F | $710,000 |
| Aug 21, 2025 | 5D | $650,000 |
| Aug 13, 2025 | 7F | $660,000 |
| Jul 8, 2025 | 10D | $635,000 |
| May 23, 2025 | 4D | $609,000 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | 15EF | $518,793 |
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 1-01128-0029) 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
Board approval is rigorous, with intimate institutional culture. The building's small unit count produces a board review process that emphasizes both financial qualification and lifestyle fit. Strong personal references are advantageous.
Pied-à-terre approval is uncommon. The board generally prefers primary-residence buyers.
Renovation is constrained by historic district status and the building's age. The 1908 vintage means substantial original detail to preserve; renovation respecting the building's French Second Empire character is the expected path. Buyers should engage architects familiar with pre-war landmark alteration approvals.
The building has the longest continuous co-op operating history on CPW. Sixty-eight years (1958–present) as a self-governed cooperative produces a mature institutional culture and well-established board processes — useful for buyers who value stability and predictability.
View permanence is excellent. Central Park at the eastern flank; West 75th is a residential street with stable building heights.
What to know if you’re selling
Pricing requires apartment-specific judgment. Smaller inventory and apartment-to-apartment variation mean comparable-sales analysis benefits from broker familiarity with the building.
Buyer pool is narrow but committed. The Kenilworth appeals to buyers who specifically want pre-war Beaux-Arts architecture and intimate building scale. The pool is not large but is typically well-matched.
Mansion tax effects matter. Apartments routinely transact above $2M and not infrequently above $5M.
Closing timelines are co-op standard. 4–8 weeks from contract signing to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Kenilworth, also evaluate:
- The Prasada (50 CPW) — 1907 Beaux-Arts co-op, similar era and intimate scale
- The Langham (135 CPW) — 1907 Beaux-Arts co-op
- The Brentmore (88 CPW) — 1910 pre-war co-op, smallest CPW
- The Dakota (1 W 72nd) — adjacent CPW co-op, oldest tier-one
- The Beresford (211 CPW) — Roth three-tower landmark, larger institutional culture
The Roebling Team at The Kenilworth
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper West Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan market. We publish this building profile because CPW buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board culture, transactional mechanics, and the realities of pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at The Kenilworth, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring the full context this page provides plus the transactional specifics your situation requires — financial structuring, board approvability, comparable analysis at the apartment level, and the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.