21 East 81st Street

Gallery Image 1
Gallery Image 2
Gallery Image 3
Gallery Image 4
Gallery Image 5
Gallery Image 6
Gallery Image 7
Gallery Image 8
Gallery Image 9
Gallery Image 10
Gallery Image 11
Gallery Image 12
Gallery Image 13
Gallery Image 14
Gallery Image 15
Gallery Image 16
Gallery Image 17
Gallery Image 18
Active
$16,500,000
Est: $98,088/moGet pre-approved
6 beds8,538 sqft

21 East 81st Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan, NY 10028

Building Info: 21 E 81st St, 5 stories, Built 1907

Description

Just off Fifth Avenue on one of the Upper East Side's most coveted blocks, 21 East 81st Street presents a rare opportunity to own a piece of New York history. Built in 1899, this south-facing, 20-foot-wide, six-story limestone townhome spans approximately 8,600 square feet and is crowned by a charming mansard roof. Grand interiors feature impressive 12-foot ceilings, multiple wood-burning fireplaces, elegant period details, and an elevator servicing all levels. The parlor floor offers generous entertaining...Just off Fifth Avenue on one of the Upper East Side's most coveted blocks, 21 East 81st Street presents a rare opportunity to own a piece of New York history. Built in 1899, this south-facing, 20-foot-wide, six-story limestone townhome spans approximately 8,600 square feet and is crowned by a charming mansard roof. Grand interiors feature impressive 12-foot ceilings, multiple wood-burning fireplaces, elegant period details, and an elevator servicing all levels. The parlor floor offers generous entertaining spaces, with sun-filled rooms and a massive windowed kitchen. Above are spacious bedrooms, oversized walk in closets, and a stately library. Crowning the residence is a beautiful landscaped roof deck with views of the Metropolitan Museum and space for dining, lounging, and entertaining. Currently configured as an owner's quadruplex with a separate income-producing duplex, the home offers exceptional flexibility for extended family, guests, staff, a home office, gym, or den. It can also be returned to its original configuration as a grand single-family residence. Set on one of the neighborhood's most elegant tree-lined blocks, 21 East 81st Street is moments from Central Park, the Guggenheim, Museum Mile, and the Upper East Side's celebrated restaurants, art galleries, and Madison Ave shopping.
TownhouseProperty Type
0.05 acresLot Size
1907Year Built
$1,933/sq ftPrice per sq ft
No pets allowedPet policy
  • Listed by: FRAYDA RESNICK 917.575.7621 frayda@serhant.com • Serhant
Last updated: 09/08/2026 02:58 PM
Source: RLS RESO as distributed by MLS GRID, MLS#: RLS20110701
78 days on Market
See It First™ on Compass

Find homes before they're listed on other real estate sites.

Start your search

Location

Add your commute
Property Calculator

Get preapproved with Rocket Mortgage1

$98,088 per month

Principal and Interest

$88,086

Property Taxes

$10,002

The Payment Calculator is for illustrative purposes only.
Get prequalified

Property information

21 East 81st Street

Property Details

  • MLS ID: RLS20110701
  • Taxes: $10,002 / month
  • Total Rooms: 18.0
  • MLS Type: House/Building
  • County: New York County
  • View: Other

Building Information

  • Stories: 5
  • Year Built: 1907
  • Building Size: 19.83' x 66'
  • Building Sq. Ft: 6,543.9 SF
  • Lot Size: 2,040 SF / 102' x 20'
  • Building Age: Pre-war
  • Building Type: Townhouse

Summary

Location and General Information

  • Subdivision Name: Upper East Side
  • Stories Total: 1
  • View: No

Taxes and HOA

  • Tax Lot: 0012
  • Tax Block: 01493
  • Building Tax Lot: 0012
  • Tax Abatement YN: false

Parking

  • Garage: No
  • Garage Spaces Assigned YN: false

Property

Lot Information

  • Living Area: 8538.0
  • Building Area Total: 8538.0
  • Building Area Units: Square Feet
  • Lot Size Dimensions: 102.00x20.00
  • Living Area Units: Square Feet

Building Information

  • Building Features: Elevators
  • Landmark Status YN: false
  • Building Smoke Free YN: true
  • Building Laundry Features: Other
  • Building Pets Allowed: BuildingYes
  • Building Pool Features: None
  • Capital Reserves YN: false
  • Green Building YN: true

Property and Assessments

  • New Development: No
  • Sponsor Unit: No
  • Certificate Of Occupancy: Yes
  • New Construction: No
  • Structure Type: Townhouse
  • Property Condition: Good

Interior and Exterior Features

Exterior Features

  • Basement: Other
  • Exterior Features: RoofDeck
  • Patio And Porch Features: None

Interior Features

  • Cooling: Other
  • Entry Level: 1
  • Appliances: WasherDryerAllowed
  • Fireplace Features: Stone
  • Fireplaces Total: 1
  • Fireplace: Yes
  • Interior Features: WalkInClosets, HighCeilings
  • Floor Number: 1
  • Basement: No
  • Cooling: Yes
  • Laundry Features: WasherHookup, InUnit
  • ElevatorsTotal: 1
  • Size Dimensions: 66.00x19.83

Multi Family

Multi-Family Information

  • Number Of Units Total: -1

Rental

Rental Information

  • Pets Allowed: UnitNo
  • Delivered Vacant: No
  • Attendance Type: None
  • Land Lease: No

Property History

21 East 81st Street

DateEventPriceLink
Aug 24, 2026

Listed (Active)

RLS RESO #RLS20110701

$16,500,000
Aug 14, 2026

Permanently Off Market

Manual

—
—
Feb 10, 2026

Listed (Active)

Manual

$18,000,000
—
DateEventPrice
08/24/2026

Listed (Active)

RLS RESO #RLS20110701

$16,500,000
08/14/2026

Permanently Off Market

Manual

—
02/10/2026

Listed (Active)

Manual

$18,000,000

For completeness, we often displays two records for one sale: the MLS record and the public record.

Public records

21 East 81st Street

Total Finished SqFt

7,784 SqFt

Lot Size

2,026 SqFt

Year Built

1899

Zoning

R8B

APN

1014930012

Schools

Near 21 East 81st Street

This home is within New York City Geographic District # 2.

School ratings and boundaries are provided by GreatSchools.org and Pitney Bowes. This information should only be used as a reference. Proximity or boundaries shown here are not a guarantee of enrollment. Please reach out to schools directly to verify all information and enrollment eligibility.

Upper East Side
Upper East Side
An upscale neighborhood with affluent roots. Although the Upper East Side is best known for upscale real-estate, well-known prep schools and designer boutiques, affordable apartments and relaxed living are easy to find in this quiet and bright neighborhood.
Upper East Side GuideAll Neighborhoods

Neighborhood Map and Transit

Know your buying power with a preapproval and custom rate in minutes
Rocket Mortgage1

Similar Homes

New listings in 10028

$875,000 | 345 East 86th Street, Unit 10D | Upper East Side
1/13

Listing Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC

Open: 11/15 12:00PM - 01:00PM - By ApptNew

$875,000

2
Bedrooms
Unavailable
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

345 East 86th Street, Unit 10D

Upper East Side

$3,405,000 | 400 East 84th Street, Unit 38B | Upper East Side
1/13
Listed By CorcoranNew

$3,405,000

3
Bedrooms
1,625
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

400 East 84th Street, Unit 38B

Upper East Side

$1,240,000 | 400 East 84th Street, Unit 3A | Upper East Side
1/5
Listed By CorcoranNew

$1,240,000

1
Bedrooms
983
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

400 East 84th Street, Unit 3A

Upper East Side

$1,025,000 | 400 East 84th Street, Unit 8A | Upper East Side
1/7
Listed By CorcoranNew

$1,025,000

1
Bedrooms
745
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

400 East 84th Street, Unit 8A

Upper East Side

$665,000 | 45 East End Avenue, Unit 2B | Upper East Side
1/11

Listing Courtesy of Olshan Realty

$665,000

1
Bedrooms
800
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

45 East End Avenue, Unit 2B

Upper East Side

$1,995,000 | 8 East 83rd Street, Unit 2D | Upper East Side
1/14

Listing Courtesy of Douglas Elliman Real Estate

$1,995,000

2
Bedrooms
Unavailable
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

8 East 83rd Street, Unit 2D

Upper East Side

$1,095,000 | 455 East 86th Street, Unit 15C | Upper East Side
1/14
Listed By Sotheby's International Realty

$1,095,000

1
Bedrooms
907
Square Feet

455 East 86th Street, Unit 15C

Upper East Side

$440,000 | 201 East 83rd Street, Unit 8G | Upper East Side
1/10

Listing Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC

Open: 11/11 09:00AM - 10:00AM - By Appt

$440,000

Alcove
Bedrooms
480
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

201 East 83rd Street, Unit 8G

Upper East Side

$397,000 | 330 East 83rd Street, Unit 5G | Upper East Side
1/6

Listing Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC

$397,000

Studio
Bedrooms
Unavailable
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres

330 East 83rd Street, Unit 5G

Upper East Side

Explore Nearby Homes

More information about 21 East 81st Street, Upper East Side

21 East 81st Street is a townhouse for sale in Upper East Side. This property was listed for sale on August 24, 2026 by Serhant, it's currently listed at $16,500,000. This listing's school district is New York City Geographic District # 2. Nearby schools include P.S. 6 Lillie D Blake, Nyc Lab Ms For Collaborative Studies and Lower Manhattan Community Middle School. 21 East 81st Street is a 6-bed, 7-bath, 8,538 sqft townhouse built in 1907.

No guarantee, warranty or representation of any kind is made regarding the completeness or accuracy of any information, descriptions or measurements (including square footage measurements and property condition), such should be independently verified through appropriate means, including, but not limited to, in person inspection and public records, and Compass International Holdings, its subsidiaries, affiliates and independently owned and operated franchisees, and their affiliated agents and associated third parties expressly disclaim any liability in connection therewith. Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect actual property conditions. Offers of compensation are subject to change at the seller's discretion. No financial or legal advice provided. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Listing Courtesy of Serhant

This information is not verified for authenticity or accuracy and is not guaranteed and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. ©2026 The Real Estate Board of New York, Inc., All rights reserved. The source of the displayed data is either the property owner or public record provided by non-governmental third parties. It is believed to be reliable but not guaranteed. This information is provided exclusively for consumers’ personal, non-commercial use. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the IDX Program of OneKey® MLS. Information Copyright 2026, OneKey® MLS. All data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Compass, Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates and their agents and associated third parties. See Terms of Service for additional restrictions. Compass · Tel: 212-913-9058 · New York, NY Listing information for certain New York City properties provided courtesy of the Real Estate Board of New York’s Residential Listing Service (the "RLS"). The information contained in this listing has not been verified by the RLS and should be verified by the consumer. The listing information provided here is for the consumer’s personal, non-commercial use. Retransmission, redistribution or copying of this listing information is strictly prohibited except in connection with a consumer's consideration of the purchase and/or sale of an individual property. This listing information is not verified for authenticity or accuracy and is not guaranteed and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. ©2026 The Real Estate Board of New York, Inc., all rights reserved. This information is not guaranteed, should be independently verified and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. Offers of compensation set forth here are for other RLSParticipants only and may not reflect other agreements between a consumer and their broker.©2026 The Real Estate Board of New York, Inc., All rights reserved.