Fifth Avenue and Central Park from 667 Madison Avenue
On Sunday, December 8, a stretch of Fifth Avenue from 48th to 55th Streets will be closed to car traffic and open to pedestrians in honor of Fifth Avenue’s 200th anniversary. There will be pop-up shops from brands with Fifth Avenue presences (Tiffany & Co., Puma, Aritzia, Longchamp, and more) as well as food stands and performances.
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As they walk, visitors can enjoy iconic holiday sights like the Rockefeller Center tree and the Fifth Avenue snowflake as well as new attractions like a light show against the beautifully wrapped facade of the Louis Vuitton tower. And while Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light show is not taking place this year, the luxury department store has still put on a beautiful window display for the season.
Fifth Avenue, November 2024 (CityRealty)
Shanty town on what is now upper Fifth Avenue (Village Preservation)
It is an exciting time and a demonstration of how far Fifth Avenue has come since the first sections were laid in 1824. Serious development of the avenue began amidst Washington Square Park’s transition from a potters field to a military parade ground, but uptown development took shape in stages because of rocky terrain. Indeed, the uptown area now known as historic Millionaires’ Row was once farmland and shanty towns, but the opening of Central Park in 1873 did a number to “civilize” the area. Increasingly lavish mansions began to rise on what is now the Upper East Side, not to mention luxurious apartment buildings that were instrumental in New York’s embrace of multi-family living.
Amidst the threat of encroaching factories, the Zoning Resolution of 1916 was established to restrict heights and uses among Fifth Avenue. It was the first of its kind in the country and the first of many protections for Fifth Avenue. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (“Landmarks”) would also establish several historic districts along Fifth Avenue, thus protecting and preserving the historic architecture.
Rendering of the redesigned Fifth Avenue (NYC DOT)
In addition to an illustrious past, Fifth Avenue has a bright future ahead. In October 2024, Mayor Adams revealed plans to make Fifth Avenue from 40th Street to 59th Street (i.e., Bryant Park to Central Park) more pedestrian-friendly. The plan draws inspiration from the Champs-Élysées in Paris and Ginza in Tokyo, and calls for reducing traffic lanes from five to three, nearly doubling the width of sidewalks, and planting more trees. The initial design is estimated for next year, and construction is estimated to begin in 2028.
In the meantime, Fifth Avenue is the site of such New York City icons as the Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (flagship New York Public Library), St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Tiffany & Co. moved its store from downtown to Fifth Avenue in 1870, followed by the Cartier Mansion, Bergdorf Goodman, and Saks Fifth Avenue in the decades to come, setting the tone for the luxury shopping destination we know and love today.
Fifth Avenue is also home to some of Manhattan’s most beautiful and coveted real estate. The highest-priced co-op contract of 2024 to date was signed at the prestigious 960 Fifth Avenue; Aman New York Residences at 730 Fifth Avenue was home to 2024’s highest-priced sale to date; and new supertall 520 Fifth Avenue ranked among Manhattan’s best-selling buildings of November 2024. We look at the top 10 apartment buildings from 57th Street to 110th Streets, as well as downtown buildings and forthcoming projects.
Architect: Warren & Wetmore | Built in 1917
Neighborhood: Upper East Side Gold Coast
12 Units | 12 Floors
“One of the finest and most exclusive limestone-clad apartment houses on Fifth Avenue” – Carter Horsley
The crisp limestone facade of 927 Park Avenue was designed by Warren & Wetmore, the firm that designed Grand Central Terminal. The apartments average just one per floor and feature private elevator landings, sprawling layouts, and multiple fireplaces. Jeweler Harry Winston's apartment entered contract earlier this year, and other previous residents of note include Mary Tyler Moore, Kenneth Cole, and Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk that nested in the building's palazzo-inspired facade.
Architect: Starrett & Van Vleck | Built in 1916
Neighborhood: Upper East Side Gold Coast
12 Units | 13 Floors
“Residents in this limestone-clad apartment palace have formidable wealth and impeccable social status” – Carter Horsley
Architecture critic Carter Horsley describes 820 Fifth Avenue as "one of the city's grandest apartment buildings." Dating back to 1916, the palazzo-style building only holds 12 full-floor apartments featuring private elevator landings, grand galleries, libraries, fireplaces, multiple bedrooms, and direct views of the Central Park Zoo across the street.
820 Fifth Avenue, #3FL
$29,500,000
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 6+ Bedrooms, 6+ Baths | 7,000 ft2
820 Fifth Avenue, #3FL (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
Architect: Warren & Wetmore (original); SLCE Architects (conversion) | Built in 1921
Neighborhood: Midtown West
22 Units | 26 Floors
“This building has the best and most ornate top in Midtown” – Carter Horsley
All images of Aman New York Residences via Douglas Elliman
The Crown Building, an ornate office tower topped with an iconic copper-clad pyramid, has graced the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street since 1921. One hundred years later, the ornate edifice has been reborn as Aman New York Residences, a bespoke addition to Billionaires’ Row. The upper floors are dedicated to condos, and residents have access to the luxurious amenities and services of the hotel below. The five-level penthouse at the top of the building has the top sale of 2024 to date.
Aman New York Residences, #18A
$39,995,000
Midtown West | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths | 3,746 ft2
Aman New York Residences, #18A (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Architect: Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (original); Hill & West (conversion) | Built in 1907
Neighborhood: Midtown West
181 Units | 21 Floors
“For those who enjoy luxury and legend – and being steps from Central Park – The Plaza is simply irresistible” – Carter Horsley
All images of The Plaza via Douglas Elliman
Since 1907, the Plaza has reigned as the world’s most famous hotel. The French Renaissance-style building was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, whose work includes The Dakota. A century later, the upper floors were transformed into luxury condominiums, where residents can take advantage of the same Central Park views and sumptuous amenities hotel guests have enjoyed over the years.
The Plaza, #803 (Compass)
Architect: Schultze & Weaver | Built in 1927
Neighborhood: Upper East Side Gold Coast
168 Units | 36 Floors
“A strong argument can be made that the Sherry Netherland Hotel is the best building in New York” – Carter Horsley
The Sherry Netherland, which rises 38 stories above the Grand Army Plaza and Central Park, channels elegance from the barrel-vaulted lobby to the tip of the copper spire. The ornate neo-Gothic building features a recently restored ceiling mural in the lobby based on Raphael's frescoes at the Vatican Palace, and has attracted the likes of Howard Hughes, Diana Ross, Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Henson, and Judith Sheindlin, also known as "Judge Judy."
The Sherry Netherland, #304310
$6,000,000 (-20%)
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 5 Baths
The Sherry Netherland, #304310 (Sothebys International Realty)
Architect: Schulze & Weaver | Built in 1930
Neighborhood: Upper East Side Gold Coast
77 Units | 42 Floors
“The Pierre is one of the city’s greatest luxury hotels and apartment buildings with stupendous views and a heavenly location” – Carter Horsley
All images of The Pierre via Christie's International Real Estate
The Pierre's elegant design features a sophisticated Renaissance facade and iconic mansard roof to bring a touch of Parisian style to the Upper East Side. The hotel has been one of New York's finest since its opening in 1930, and the 1959 conversion of the upper floors to co-ops has further added to its cachet.
The Pierre, #2407 (Sothebys International Realty)
Architect: Rosario Candela with Warren & Wetmore | Built in 1927
Neighborhood: Upper East Side Gold Coast
19 Units | 15 Floors
“One of New York’s most prestigious addresses” – Carter Horsley
A dream team of Rosario Candela and Warren & Wetmore is behind the limestone-clad edifice at 960 Fifth Avenue. An ornamental metal marquee adds gravitas to the attended Fifth Avenue entrance, and many of the apartments above soar to duplex heights, some with double-height living rooms and fireplaces.
960 Fifth Avenue, #4A (Sothebys International Realty)
Architect: Rosario Candela | Built in 1931
Neighborhood: Upper East Side Gold Coast
24 Units | 16 Floors
“834 Fifth Avenue is widely considered one of Rosario Candela’s greatest luxury designs and one of the city’s most desirable cooperative residential buildings” – Carter Horsley
Ever since its opening in 1931, elites of all stripes have been drawn to the grand design and impressively proportioned apartments at the Rosario Candela-designed 834 Fifth Avenue. These have included Laurance Rockefeller, John Gutfreund, Rupert Murdoch, Bruce Wasserstein, and Jack and Suzy Welch. The smallest apartment measures 4,000 square feet, while the largest spans a whopping 12,000 square feet.
834 Fifth Avenue, #MAISA
$14,750,000 (-18.1%)
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 5,000 ft2
834 Fifth Avenue, #MAISA (Corcoran Group)
Architect: Rosario Candela | Built in 1930
Neighborhood: Carnegie Hill
27 Units | 17 Floors
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“1040 Fifth Avenue has one of the most distinctive rooflines along the avenue” – Carter Horsley
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. The co-op's front windows face the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where longtime resident Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis helped relocate the 2,000-year-old Temple of Dendur from Egypt during a dam-building project.
Interiors via Douglas Elliman
Architect: McKim, Meade & White | Built in 1912
Neighborhood: Carnegie Hill
17 Units | 12 Floors
“The building would delight the Medicis and is widely credited with convincing New York’s very rich that apartments were acceptable habitats” – Carter Horsley
The Italian Renaissance-style palazzo, designed by the esteemed firm of McKim, Mead, and White, rose at 998 Fifth Avenue across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1912 and was named a New York City Landmark in 1974. From the start, the expansive apartments inside included marble framed doorways, a central vacuum-cleaning system, refrigerated wine cellars, safes for jewelry and silver, laundries with steam-drying devices, basement storage rooms and ample servants’ quarters
Other notable buildings along the full length of Fifth Avenue
Olympic Tower via Sotheby's International Realty
Developed by Aristotle Onassis and built in 1976, Olympic Tower was Midtown's first major mixed-use tower. But even in the wake of flashier supertalls a few blocks north on Billionaires' Row, the building's history, address near St. Patrick's Cathedral, and upper-level apartments with spectacular skyline and Central Park views have held onto their glamour.
Olympic Tower, #35A (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Commercial developers who may be considering converting their Fifth Avenue offices to residential use should be heartened by the success story at 212 Fifth Avenue: The Schwartz & Gross-designed building was constructed as an office building in 1913 and converted to a condominium in 2016. In 2019, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' $80 million purchase of the triplex penthouse and two units below it was the largest ever to close below 42nd Street; a year later, he purchased another unit in the building for $16 million.
212 Fifth Avenue, #7A
$10,695,000
Flatiron/Union Square | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 3,008 ft2
212 Fifth Avenue, #7A (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
1 Fifth Avenue (Ann Weintraub Ltd.)
Nearly 100 years after it was constructed, 1 Fifth Avenue is the tallest residential building in Greenwich Village. The building is celebrated for its views of Washington Square Park and the iconic Manhattan skyline; however, it is an architectural masterpiece in its own right with its bold Art Deco elements.
1 Fifth Avenue, #16/17F (Compass)
Sohmer Piano Building (CityRealty)
In the heart of the Ladies Mile Historic District, 170 Fifth Avenue housed piano company Sohmer & Co. as well as notable architects and publishers during its time as a commercial building. Amidst its conversion to luxury loft condominiums in the late 20th century, original details like the iconic gold dome at the top were carefully preserved and restored to their original glory.
The Sohmer Piano Building, #PH
$25,000,000
Flatiron/Union Square | Condominium | 5 Bedrooms, 5 Baths | 5,777 ft2
The Sohmer Piano Building, #PH (Sothebys International Realty)
400 Fifth Avenue
A newer addition to the local skyline, 400 Fifth Avenue's simple shape and metallic crown were inspired by surrounding architecture. The interiors include both the five-star Langham Hotel and 190 units on the upper floors. There is a separate residential entrance on East 36th Street, and all units were designed to make the most or Empire State Building and Manhattan skyline views. Residents have access to both exclusive amenities and the hotel's services.
The Residences at 400 Fifth Avenue, #46A
$3,700,000
Midtown West | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 3 Baths | 1,637 ft2
The Residences at 400 Fifth Avenue, #46A (Sothebys International Realty)
520 Fifth Avenue (Corcoran Group)
Measuring just over 1,000 feet high and located north of Bryant Park, 520 Fifth Avenue is set to offer a private members club at the base of the building, office space on floors 5-28, residential condos on floors 31-69, and a residents-only amenity floor at the pinnacle. On all levels, massive arched windows look out on expansive city views. Construction topped out in fall 2024, the building is nearly 80% sold, and three of the seven full-floor penthouses are in contract as of this writing.
520 Fifth Avenue, #64A (Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group)
On the corner of East 54th Street, a commercial tower once known as “the Gucci building” traded one luxury name for another when Mandarin Oriental signed on for its first standalone residences in the Americas. The super-luxe amenities include a rooftop pool and private restaurant by Daniel Boulud, and residences come fully furnished from art in the living areas to Frette linens in the bedrooms.
Mandarin Oriental Residences Fifth Avenue, #23B
$4,750,000
Midtown East | Condominium | 1 Bedroom, 1.5 Baths | 1,070 ft2
Mandarin Oriental Residences Fifth Avenue, #23B (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
721 Fifth Avenue was the site of several protests during the first Trump administration, and increased security around the building is the main reason for only one Open Street event on Fifth Avenue this December despite the great success of previous events (h/t Fifth Avenue Association). Trump Tower's reputation has unquestionably taken a hit, but the building's soaring height, game-changing glass facade, and high-floor apartments with panoramic skyline and Central Park views have made an indelible impression on the city as a whole.
Trump Tower, #33G (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Future Developments
Between multiple Landmarks hearings and trouble at the construction site, it has been slow going for the new building on the rise at 16 Fifth Avenue. However, bracing structures were set up to protect the neighbors, and the new building is close to topping out.
Renderings of the Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed building depict a tall but tasteful building with a gray brick and limestone facade as well as prewar design influences. Setbacks on the upper levels will allow for private terraces. According to an offering plan accepted in November 2024, prices of the full-floor units will start at $12.95 million. The project also includes a duplex penthouse to ask $45 million and a triplex penthouse to ask $65 million.
Renderings of the Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed building depict a tall but tasteful building with a gray brick and limestone facade as well as prewar design influences. Setbacks on the upper levels will allow for private terraces. According to an offering plan accepted in November 2024, prices of the full-floor units will start at $12.95 million. The project also includes a duplex penthouse to ask $45 million and a triplex penthouse to ask $65 million.
Following an auction in spring 2023, the owners of the Flatiron Building announced that they would be converting the office space to residential. Facade repair is currently underway, and the conversion will also involve reconfiguring the interiors and replacing the windows so they meet residential noise standards. This will yield one-of-a-kind apartments in a landmarked building, not to mention a highly desirable address across from Madison Square Park. Completion is estimated for 2026.
Rendering of 262 Fifth Avenue via DBOX/Meganom
262 Fifth Avenue has generated as much attention for its ties to Russian oligarchs as its towering height, which disrupts views of the Empire State Building from as far downtown as the Financial District. However, residents of the full-floor and multi-level units will enjoy far-reaching vistas from their own homes as well as from an amenity observation deck to rival that of the nearby Empire State Building.
Rendering of the new 985 Fifth Avenue (Studio Sofield for Landmarks Preservation Commission)
When Landmarks approved a new building for 985 Fifth Avenue in summer 2023, Commissioner Jeanne Lutfy said of its design, “This is a building that’s speaking to the prewars and history around it, but is also letting us know that, respectfully, this is a new building.” Demolition permits for the postwar rental currently on the site were filed in January 2024, and the new limestone-clad building is set to offer such amenities as a package room, bike room, library, game room, lounge, and private garden.
574 Fifth Avenue — East 47th Street
78 stories | 1,100 feet
Rendering of taller design for 570 Fifth Avenue (BYENCORE for KPF)
At the end of 2018, it was revealed that Extell Development paid $62.5 million to acquire 572 Fifth Avenue as part of the firm's plans for a massive hotel with several hundred guest rooms. More recently, in July 2024, holding company Ingka Group (primary retailer of IKEA) announced a strategic investment in the mixed-use tower. It will feature 80,000 square feet of retail space and house a new IKEA customer meeting point. The project is targeting LEED Gold certification, and completion is estimated for 2028.
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?
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