Due to its somewhat remote location, the elegant and staid East End Avenue spent years being overlooked among Upper East Side buyers. However, that has started to change. The street shot to prominence in 2018, when former President Barack Obama was rumored to be moving to the prestigious 10 Gracie Square. The rumor was quickly dispelled, but East End Avenue was not forgotten: In June 2021, a penthouse at the Robert A.M. Stern-designed 20 East End Avenue set a new avenue record with a $30.3 million closing price.
Most recently, an apartment at the Peter Marino-designed 170 East End Avenue ranked among Manhattan’s top sales, and luxury buyers remain drawn to its peaceful environment. This article looks at East End Avenue's rich history as well as attractions and availabilities in the present.
Most recently, an apartment at the Peter Marino-designed 170 East End Avenue ranked among Manhattan’s top sales, and luxury buyers remain drawn to its peaceful environment. This article looks at East End Avenue's rich history as well as attractions and availabilities in the present.
View of Carl Schurz Park and East End Avenue from 170 East End Avenue (Corcoran)
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East End Avenue aerial with future skyline (via Ondel at CityRealty)
Geography
East End Avenue is an 11-block avenue that runs from East 79th to East 90th streets between York Avenue and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive. Due to almost no vehicular access eastward, the avenue has a vibe of a cul-de-sac or gated community than a typical bustling Manhattan Avenue. As Gothamites deal with the pandemic-related stresses of increased car congestion, noise from illegally-altered vehicles, and an unpredictable public school system; the tranquility of East End Avenue
This tiny enclave is chockablock with old world residential buildings of various architectural styles lining Carl Schurz Park. Although less remote than it has ever been (due to the Second Avenue Subway opening), East End Avenue is still an extremely quiet section of Manhattan. So much so that it has been referred to as “the suburb of the Upper East Side.” For some because of this, and others, despite this, East End Avenue draws buyers looking to own luxurious and homes with river and/or park views in this prestigious community.
Looking down East End Avenue with 20 East End in center (CityRealty)
Famous Residents
Past and current residents of East End Avenue: L to R: Gloria Vanderbilt, Johan Santanta, Ricky Martin, Robert Moses, Walter Cronkite, Soong Mei-Ling
While the Obamas did not move to East End Avenue, this stretch does not lack for high-profile residents. Some of the famous past and current residents of East End Avenue are Club Monaco founder Joseph Mimram, singer Ricky Martin, baseball player Johan Santana, hedge-funder Arvind Sanger, Walter Cronkite and Harriet the Spy.
Carl Schurz Park
No, the park is not named after the Peanuts creator (on first glance, did you not think that too?) but rather the German-born Secretary of the Interior, Carl Schurz. Schurz was a soldier, a statesman and a journalist who was a strong advocate of abolishing slavery and, at one time, editor of the New York Post. In 1910, when the park was named after Schurz, Yorkville had a large population of German-Americans.
Carl Schurz Park is a 15-acre park that overlooks the part of the Hudson River referred to as “Hell Gate.” Despite originally being named “Hellegat,” the Dutch word for “bright passage” and “beautiful strait,” the turbulent waters and anglicized version, unfortunately, became “Hell Gate.”
Carl Schurz Park is a 15-acre park that overlooks the part of the Hudson River referred to as “Hell Gate.” Despite originally being named “Hellegat,” the Dutch word for “bright passage” and “beautiful strait,” the turbulent waters and anglicized version, unfortunately, became “Hell Gate.”
In 1798, after the war, the land was bought by Archibald Gracie, a Scottish shipping magnate. In 1799, Gracie built the mansion which still currently stands. In 1819, the city bought the mansion. Gracie Mansion was first home to the Museum of the City of New York (1924-32). In 1942, NYC mayor Fiorello LaGuardia moved there and it has since served as the official residence of New York's mayors since.
East End Avenue from Carl Schrz Park (CityRealty)
Prestigious Schools
Chapin School for girl's 3-story expansion underway at 100 East End Avenue
Beth Benalloul of The Corcoran Group, who represents 20 East End Avenue, summarized those most interested in the neighborhood as families wanting to be in close proximity of the prestigious schools in the area and people moving from the suburbs who “don’t want to walk out of their front door and get hit by a bus. It’s a great place for people who want a ‘neighborhood’ and within a couple of blocks, you can get everything you want.”
Top private schools in the neighborhood include two for girls: Brearley, on 83rd Street, and Chapin, on East End Avenue at 84th. The coed Eleanor Roosevelt High School is on East 76th Street near First Avenue, and the school reports SAT averages of 700 in reading and 680 in math, not to mention an AP exam pass rate of 86% (all figures via Niche).
Come and Stay
View from 170 East End over Carl Schurz Park
East End Avenue is quiet, remote, and overlooking water and a park, three things that are hard to come by in New York City.
Deborah Berke, an East End Avenue resident who designed 40 East End Avenue, loves her neighborhood and has no plan of going anywhere: “Our daughter went to Brearley and she’s all grown up and graduated and we’re still here.” As the following buildings and listings show, many others may yet be following their lead.
Deborah Berke, an East End Avenue resident who designed 40 East End Avenue, loves her neighborhood and has no plan of going anywhere: “Our daughter went to Brearley and she’s all grown up and graduated and we’re still here.” As the following buildings and listings show, many others may yet be following their lead.
View looking south at Carl Schurz Park with 10 Gracie Square(CityRealty)
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Built in 1930, the pre-war 10 Gracie Square the white-glove, full-service building with 15 floors and 43 apartments and an elaborate rooftop. Beside almost housing the Obamas, Gloria Vanderbilt, conductor André Kostelanetz and New Yorker critic Alexander Woollcott, exiled former first lady of China Madame Chiang Kai-shek, media mogul Steve Ross, and socialite Brooke Astor have all lived in 10 Gracie Square.
Amenities at 10 Gracie Square include a gym, an indoor basketball court, and a squash court that was formerly a private club that opened onto a yacht mooring but was demolished for the construction of FDR Drive. It also held the ignominious distinction of being Manhattan's furthest building from the subway, at least until the Second Avenue subway opened, but an underground drive-in garage took some of the sting out of that.
Amenities at 10 Gracie Square include a gym, an indoor basketball court, and a squash court that was formerly a private club that opened onto a yacht mooring but was demolished for the construction of FDR Drive. It also held the ignominious distinction of being Manhattan's furthest building from the subway, at least until the Second Avenue subway opened, but an underground drive-in garage took some of the sting out of that.
10 Gracie Square, #8D (Corcoran Group)
20 East End Avenue (Robert A.M. Stern Architects)
Inspired by the Yorkville neighborhood, Robert A.M. Stern designed 20 East End Avenue to reinterpret classic pre-war apartment buildings. At street level, there is a two-story handset pale Indiana limestone base echoing the New York tradition of stone and brick façades.
Stern said, “I like to learn from that past. I like to climb on the shoulders of what went before. This building is modern and traditional at the same time. Today’s buildings are more about lifestyle than they used to be. When you come into the lobby, you see a welcoming stair like a house. The building becomes like a club. This will be a signature building, there is no question about that.”
Stern said, “I like to learn from that past. I like to climb on the shoulders of what went before. This building is modern and traditional at the same time. Today’s buildings are more about lifestyle than they used to be. When you come into the lobby, you see a welcoming stair like a house. The building becomes like a club. This will be a signature building, there is no question about that.”
Looking up at 20 East End Avenue (CityRealty)
Benalloul says that “the market on East End Avenue tends to be a little slower than other neighborhoods in New York but because 20 East End is a Stern project, we get above average attention with people specifically seeking it out.” She describes the building as “being new construction so it has all the 'bells and whistles' but it also has a prewar feeling with high ceilings and tall doors but central air, the nicest possible kitchens you could want but all the rooms feel large-scale and historic with features like casement moldings.”
Falling right in line with his 15 Central Park West exclusive luxury residence, this Stern-designed building has all the top amenities to attract the well-to-do crowd: a porte-cochere, motor court, private dining room, wine cellar, spa and fitness center, billiard and game room and a junior lounge. And to literally top it all off, the penthouse rooftop is otherworldly.
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20 East End Avenue, #9A (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
40 East End Avenue renderings courtesy of Binyan
Deborah Berke, who happened to be Robert A.M. Stern’s replacement as Dean of the Yale Architecture School, has lived on East End Avenue for more than 20 years and brought her neighborhood expertise to this collaboration with Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects (GKV). In a statement about the building, she said, “The area has changed since we moved here but it’s changing more slowly than the rest of the city. It’s a real family-based neighborhood with schools and a park. It’s a ‘neighborhood neighborhood.’ Because of that, the project is very family-focused in terms of layout. It’s modern but contextual.”
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According to Lightstone President Mitchell Hochberg, “Every home at 40 East End has been meticulously designed with all the interior finishes privately sourced and handpicked. 40 East End is a special building, one that showcases the highest design and with a true focus on finish details.” This applies to the apartments as well as the amenities: Residents arrive to an attended lobby and double-height Parlor Lounge with a dramatic chandelier, custom upholstered seating, and a sculptural marble staircase. The second-floor amenity suite houses a graciously furnished library, a well-appointed game room, a gourmet catering kitchen, and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
As of this writing, only a small handful of sponsor units remains on the market. They include a townhouse unit, two penthouses, and the last three-bedroom availability in the building. For a limited time, the sponsor will pay two years of common charges, transfer taxes, and mansion taxes.
40 East End Avenue, #PH17 (Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group)
Featured East End Avenue Listings
River Edge House, #12A (Elegran LLC)
2 East End Avenue, #PHF
$1,750,000 (-5.4%)
Yorkville | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths | 2,320 ft2
2 East End Avenue, #PHF (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
60 East End Avenue, #18A (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
10 East End Avenue, #14JK
$2,695,000 (-5.4%)
Yorkville | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths | 2,300 ft2
10 East End Avenue, #14JK (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
1 East End Avenue, #5C (Sothebys International Realty)
120 East End Avenue, #3C (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
90 East End Avenue, #21A (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
The Yorkgate, #PH16 (Compass)
170 East End Avenue, #1011B (Corcoran Group)
170 East End Avenue, #10CD
$8,850,000 (-11.1%)
Yorkville | Condominium | 6+ Bedrooms, 6+ Baths | 4,393 ft2
170 East End Avenue, #10CD (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Contributing Writer
Michelle Sinclair Colman
Michelle writes children's books and also writes articles about architecture, design and real estate. Those two passions came together in Michelle's first children's book, "Urban Babies Wear Black." Michelle has a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Minnesota and a Master's degree in the Cities Program from the London School of Economics.
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