17 West 54th Street·Residence 9C

About the apartment

Residence 9C is a 975-square-foot one-bedroom on the ninth floor of the Rockefeller Apartments, facing south over the Museum of Modern Art's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. A proper entry gallery opens to a broad living and dining room. The building's curved bay window frames the dining area and draws southern light into the room throughout the day; a decorative fireplace and herringbone hardwood floors anchor the living space. A prior renovation by Mojo Stumer added custom built-ins, pocket doors, and concealed storage.

The windowed galley kitchen sits just off the living room, with a walk-in pantry, dark stone countertops, Sub-Zero refrigeration, gas cooking, and a breakfast bar for two. A dressing hall lined with three oversized closets leads to the bedroom, which shares the southern exposure. The bath is finished in black-and-white checkerboard tile, with a stone-topped vanity and a glass-enclosed soaking tub and shower. Newer windows and through-wall heating and air-conditioning, plus a dedicated service entry.

About the building

The Rockefeller Apartments is an individual New York City landmark, designated in 1984. Built in 1935–37 and designed by Wallace K. Harrison and J. André Fouilhoux in the International Style, it was commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Nelson Rockefeller. Its two buildings, at 17 West 54th Street and 24 West 55th Street, were conceived around light, air, and a landscaped private interior garden. The cooperative has 133 residential apartments across both buildings.

Services include a 24-hour doorman, a live-in resident manager, a 24-hour laundry room, a package room, and private storage rooms (waitlist when full). The courtyard garden, shared by both buildings, is the building's signature amenity and uncommon in Midtown.

Read the Rockefeller Apartments building research for the full editorial dossier.

Capital program

The board approved a capital improvement program in July 2026. It covers a renovated lobby with central concierge desks and air conditioning, a new basement fitness room, a new centralized laundry room, entrance canopy restoration, freight elevator automation, security upgrades, steam pump repairs, sidewalk and curb repairs, and terrace railing and parapet repairs. It follows the window, terrace door, and façade restoration completed by 2022 and the hallway renovation completed by 2023, neither of which required an assessment.

The program is funded by an assessment billed monthly through August 2028: $1,687 a month for 9C.

The location

The building is mid-block between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, across the street from MoMA. Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, and Central Park are within walking distance, and multiple subway lines serve the area. The blocks around West 53rd through 57th Streets sit at the edge of the Billionaires' Row corridor.

Recent comparable sales

One-bedroom closings at the Rockefeller Apartments over the past twelve months:

At $795,000 and 975 square feet, 9C is $815 per square foot, between the two June closings that recorded square footage. Source: recorded sales and listing records compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass.

Diligence highlights

• Maintenance: $3,952 per month.
• Financing: up to 75% of the purchase price.
• Co-purchasing: permitted; purchases for students are not.
• Pied-à-terre purchases: permitted with board approval.
• Pets: permitted with written board approval.
• Subletting: board approval, after two years' residence; once, for one year. A one-year extension needs board approval.
• Flip tax: 2% of the gross sale price, paid by the seller.
• Washer/dryer: permitted in the unit with building engineer review, an alteration application, and board approval, per building management.
• Building: 1935–37 landmark cooperative; 133 residential apartments; architects Harrison & Fouilhoux.

For broader context on how diligence works at a Manhattan co-op, see our guide to reading a co-op board's financials.

Why this apartment

At $795,000, 9C is $815 per square foot for a south-facing one-bedroom over MoMA's sculpture garden, with a bay-windowed dining area and substantial storage: three oversized closets in the dressing hall, a walk-in pantry, and built-ins throughout. The building is a landmark with a full-time doorman, a resident manager, and a private garden. Pieds-à-terre and pets are permitted with board approval, financing goes to 75%, and in-unit washer/dryers are permitted with approval. The building's capital program adds a renovated lobby, a fitness room, and upgraded laundry.

Floor plan and dimensions are approximate. Maintenance, assessment, and policy information should be independently verified. To see the apartment, request a private viewing below.