Top 10 Most Prestigious Co-ops in New York City
New York City’s cooperative apartments are as well known for their exclusivity as they are for their opulence and prestige. Passing a co-op board can be a long process, but the chance to reside in one of the city's top co-ops is certainly worth it.
#1 - 998 Fifth Avenue
The Italian Renaissance-style palazzo, designed by the esteemed firm of McKim, Mean, and White, rose at 998 Fifth Avenue across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1912. The 12-story landmark holds just 17 units, many of which are duplexes with double-digit room counts. Limestone cladding extends to the interior courtyard, an uncommon luxury for all but the most rarified apartment buildings. Fireplaces feature in many units.
#2 - 1040 Fifth Avenue
The arches, curves, and urns atop the limestone pinnacle of architect Rosario Candela’s 1040 Park Avenue leave an unmistakable mark on the Fifth Avenue skyline. Its 27 apartments feature spacious entrance galleries, fireplaces, and staff rooms in certain units. Front windows face the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the co-op’s longtime resident, helped relocate the 2,000-year-old Temple of Dendur from Egypt during a dam-building project.
#3 - 740 Park Avenue
Author Michael Gross dedicated his 2005 book “740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building” to a co-op he describes as “one of the most lusted-after addresses in the world,” which once held a 37-room apartment with a private elevator. The limestone-clad, pre-war edifice, designed by Rosario Candela and Arthur Loomis Harmon, has attracted residents such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, developer William Zeckendorf, and fashion designer Vera Wang.
#4 - The Dakota, 1 West 72nd Street
Ever since its 1884 completion, the gable-roofed Dakota codified grand New York living and has attracted global icons such as John Lennon, Judy Garland, Boris Karloff, and many other renowned artists, musicians, writers, actors, businesspersons, and other luminaries.
#5 - River House, 435 East 52nd Street
The River House mixes Beaux-Arts and Art Deco motifs with flamboyant elegance. It has ranked among the city’s most prestigious co-ops since its 1931 opening and has housed a large number of luminaires and celebrities over the decades.
#6 - 834 Fifth Avenue
The 1931 co-op, designed by one of New York’s greatest architects Rosario Candela, has housed various members of the Rockefeller family among other elites. The 16-story high-rise holds only 24 units, many of which are duplexes and triplexes. Even the smallest apartment measures 4,000 square feet, while the largest spans a whopping 12,000 square feet. All units boast 11-foot ceilings, and many feature fireplaces.
#7 - The San Remo, 145 Central Park West
San Remo’s twin Renaissance-style pinnacles are an Upper West Side icon. Though the 1930 Emery Roth-designed building approaches its 100th anniversary, its quality holds up to this day thanks to timeless exterior and interior design and layouts where ceilings rise up to 11 feet and many units surpass 2,500 square feet.
#8 - The Beresford, 211 Central Park West
The bulky Beresford looks delicate thanks to ornate Renaissance decor, accented with three arched-window lantern pinnacles. The co-op, which faces the American Museum of Natural History and Central Park, has attracted residents such as comedian Jerry Seinfeld and actress Glenn Close.
#9 - 960 Fifth Avenue
Architect Rosario Candela teamed up with Warren & Wetmore, the firm behind Grand Central Terminal, to produce the limestone-clad edifice at 960 Fifth Avenue. Many of the units within the 15-story building rise to duplex heights, some with double-height living rooms. An ornate metal marquee adds gravitas to the Fifth Avenue entrance.
#10 - 720 Park Avenue
Rosario Candela collaborated with Cross & Cross, one of New York’s all-time greatest architecture offices, to create an ornate, red-brick, limestone-trimmed residence at 720 Park Avenue. Most units span several thousand square feet and feature regal layouts with high ceilings. Upper-floor apartments open onto cozy terraces, some of which boast brick archways.
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