159 East 78th Street
Description
History:
In 1861 a row of eleven brick houses was built on the north side of East 78th Street at numbers 157-177 between Lexington and Third avenues. Today five of these landmark houses remain including Number 159. To read the history of this house is to engage in a fascinating study not only of the building itself but of a tumultuous New York City. Storm clouds of the Civil War had gathered and war broke out affecting both the city and its residential development. Masses of soldiers now populated...
History:
In 1861 a row of eleven brick houses was built on the north side of East 78th Street at numbers 157-177 between Lexington and Third avenues. Today five of these landmark houses remain including Number 159. To read the history of this house is to engage in a fascinating study not only of the building itself but of a tumultuous New York City. Storm clouds of the Civil War had gathered and war broke out affecting both the city and its residential development. Masses of soldiers now populated the city and an ever-expanding growth to the upper east side had begun. Just two years earlier, a few blocks west of the house, the city had purchased an extensive parcel of land and transformed it into the green oasis of Central Park as splendidly envisioned by Olmsted and Vaux.
The Property:
Today, one enters 159 at street level into an entrance hall complete with powder room and coat closet. The eye is immediately drawn to the distant view of the houseās private garden. This floor also consists of a large eat-in-kitchen and a formal dining room with a wood burning fireplace that is now used as a combined dining and sitting room. Large picture windows with a sliding glass door overlook the beautifully landscaped and tranquil garden. Up the staircase one flight is the expansive double parlor floor with its impressive 10ā8ā ceilings and two wood burning fireplaces. There are three full length French doors facing both north and south allowing for lovely light and tree top views. The house was originally built with steps leading to the second floor. That stoop became unfashionable with the passage of time and later removed. A remnant of the original stoop is found at the foot of the southeastern French door on this floor. The living quarters of the house begin on the third floor with a beautiful bedroom (now set up as a home office) facing south with the fourth wood burning fireplace and ensuite bath. Overlooking the garden on the northern end are two side by side bedrooms that share a hall bath. The fourth and top floor is a private sanctuary consisting of a light filled primary bedroom suite that opens onto a south facing terrace with open city views. There is also an ensuite bath and an adjacent large dressing room. The renovation of the house has been well maintained and includes two zone central air-conditioning. The living area of the house consists of +/-3240sf. The house also has a finished basement of approximately 900sf that includes an exercise room, bonus room with ensuite bath, laundry room, mechanical room, and abundant storage. There are an additional 900 square feet of exterior spaces including the garden and the terrace.
*Approximate Gross Square Footage
- Interior: 3240
- Exterior: 900
- Basement: 900
*Approximate Ceiling Height
- Basement: 8'-5"
- Garden Floor: 7'-3"
- Parlor Floor: 10'-8"
- 3rd Floor: 9'-4"
- 4th Floor: 8'-4"
Recent comparable sales
Median sold price
$5,800,000
Avg days on market
138
Sale-to-list ratio
93.8%
Manhattan, NY
9 comparable properties found
$5,800,000
Sold 07/18/25
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 5
- Bathrooms
- 3,500
- Square Feet
- 77' x 17'
- lot size
$7,750,000
Sold 07/07/26
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 5
- Bathrooms
- 4,828
- Square Feet
- 102' x 16'
- lot size
$5,275,000
Sold 12/16/24
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 5
- Bathrooms
- 3,024
- Square Feet
- 16' x 77'
- lot size
$6,800,000
Sold 07/10/25
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 5
- Bathrooms
- 4,600
- Square Feet
- 17' x 102'
- lot size
$6,000,000
Sold 07/21/26
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 6
- Bathrooms
- 4,081
- Square Feet
- 100' x 18'
- lot size
$5,500,000
Sold 01/26/26
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 4
- Bathrooms
- 4,100
- Square Feet
- 100' x 18'
- lot size
$4,295,000
Sold 05/28/25
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 5
- Bathrooms
- 2,880
- Square Feet
- 16' x 77'
- lot size
$4,990,000
Sold 05/07/26
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 5
- Bathrooms
- 4,736
- Square Feet
- 102' x 18'
- lot size
$8,325,000
Sold 01/09/26
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 6
- Bathrooms
- 3,946
- Square Feet
- 0.04
- Acres
Amenities
- Parking Included
Location
Virtual Tour
Payment Calculator
$38,115 per month
30 year fixed, 6.71% Interest
$33,847
$4,268
$0
Know your buying power with a preapproval and custom rate in minutes
1Property Information for 159 East 78th Street
- Taxes: $4,268 / month
- Total Rooms: 8.0
- MLS Type: House/Building
- County: New York County
- Buyer's Agent Compensation: 2.5%
- Stories: 3
- Year Built: 1899
- Building Size: 18' x 38'
- Building Sq. Ft: 2,052 SF
- Lot Size: 1,839 SF / 18' x 102'
Property History for 159 East 78th Street
| Date | Event & Source | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 05/03/2023 | Sold Manual | $6,550,000 |
| 05/03/2023 | $6,550,000 -2.8% / yr | |
| 03/06/2023 | Contract Signed Manual | ā |
| 09/02/2022 | Price Change Manual | $7,100,000 |
| 06/24/2022 | Price Change Manual | $7,300,000 |
| 04/25/2022 | Price Change Manual | $7,500,000 |
| 04/14/2022 | Price Change Manual | $7,600,000 |
| 06/15/2021 | Listed (Active) Manual | $7,750,000 |
| 12/05/2019 | Sold Manual | $7,225,000 |
| 12/05/2019 | $7,225,000 | |
| 09/24/2019 | Contract Signed Manual | ā |
| 07/16/2019 | ā | |
| 07/15/2019 | Listed (Active) Manual | $7,500,000 |
| 03/13/2019 | $7,500,000 | |
| 11/29/2018 | $7,900,000 | |
| 09/24/2018 | $8,100,000 | |
| 06/05/2018 | $8,395,000 | |
| 03/13/2018 | ā | |
| 01/10/2018 | $8,750,000 | |
| 10/06/2017 | $9,250,000 | |
| 10/06/2017 | $9,250,000 |
For completeness, we often displays two records for one sale: the MLS record and the public record.
Public Records for 159 East 78th Street
Schools near 159 East 78th Street
Rating | School | Type | Grades | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public - | PK to 5 | |||
| Public - | 6 to 8 | |||
| Public - | 6 to 8 | |||
| Public - | 6 to 8 |
Rating | School | Distance |
|---|---|---|
P.S. 158 Baylard Taylor PublicPK to 5 | ||
Nyc Lab Ms For Collaborative Studies Public6 to 8 | ||
Lower Manhattan Community Middle School Public6 to 8 | ||
Jhs 167 Robert F Wagner Public6 to 8 |
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.
Neighborhood Map and Transit
Similar Homes
New listings in 10075
Listing Courtesy of The Agency Brokerage
Listing Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC
Listing Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC
Listing Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC
Listing Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC
Listing Courtesy of Serhant
Listing Courtesy of Decode Real Estate
Listing Courtesy of Coldwell Banker Warburg
Nearby home values
| Address | Sold price | Beds | Baths | Sqft | Lot (Sqft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This home: 159 East 78th Street, Upper East Side | $6,550,000 | 4 | 5 | ā | 1,839 |
$8,200,000 | ā | ā | 3,100 | ā | |
$4,467,000 | 4 | 6 | 3,100 | 1,839 | |
$12,700,000 | 5 | 8 | 5,305 | 3,678 | |
$6,100,000 | 1 | ā | 2,772 | ā | |
$6,100,000 | ā | ā | ā | ā | |
$14,300,000 | 7 | 7 | 4,300 | ā | |
$11,300,000 | 5 | 5 | 3,966 | ā | |
$1,236,300 | Studio | ā | 523 | ā | |
$13,135,688 | 6 | ā | 4,493 | ā | |
$10,997,100 | 5 | ā | 3,966 | ā | |
$11,404,400 | 5 | ā | 3,966 | ā | |
$12,168,088 | 5 | ā | 3,966 | ā | |
$12,500,000 | 5 | ā | 3,966 | ā | |
$27,500,000 | 6 | ā | 6,924 | ā | |
$30,038,375 | 5 | ā | 6,975 | ā |
Explore Nearby Homes
- Upper East Side Homes for Sale
- Yorkville Homes for Sale
- Lenox Hill Homes for Sale
- Roosevelt Island Homes for Sale
- Carnegie Hill Homes for Sale
- Astoria Homes for Sale
- Northwestern Queens Homes for Sale
- Long Island City Homes for Sale
- Upper West Side Homes for Sale
- Lincoln Square Homes for Sale
- East Harlem Homes for Sale
- Upper Manhattan Homes for Sale
- Midtown Manhattan Homes for Sale
- Midtown East Homes for Sale
- Central Park South Homes for Sale
- New York Homes for Sale
- Manhattan Homes for Sale
- Queens Homes for Sale
- Guttenberg Homes for Sale
- West New York Homes for Sale
- North Bergen Homes for Sale
- Edgewater Homes for Sale
- Weehawken Homes for Sale
- Brooklyn Homes for Sale
- Bronx Homes for Sale
- Cliffside Park Homes for Sale
- Union City Homes for Sale
- Fairview Homes for Sale
- Hoboken Homes for Sale
- Fort Lee Homes for Sale
- 10021 Homes for Sale
- 10162 Homes for Sale
- 10044 Homes for Sale
- 10028 Homes for Sale
- 10024 Homes for Sale
- 10128 Homes for Sale
- 10065 Homes for Sale
- 11106 Homes for Sale
- 10023 Homes for Sale
- 11102 Homes for Sale
- 11101 Homes for Sale
- 10103 Homes for Sale
- 10019 Homes for Sale
- 10022 Homes for Sale
- 10025 Homes for Sale
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.
This information is not verified for authenticity or accuracy and is not guaranteed and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. Ā©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 consumersā personal, non-commercial use. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the IDX Program of OneKeyĀ® MLS. Information Copyright 2026, OneKeyĀ® 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 Ā· Tel: 212-913-9058 Ā· New York, NY Listing information for certain New York City properties provided courtesy of the Real Estate Board of New Yorkās 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 consumerās 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. Ā©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.Ā©2026 The Real Estate Board of New York, Inc., All rights reserved.