20 distinguished Manhattan co-op buildings
998 Fifth Avenue is a McKim, Mead & White apartment house at East 81st Street, with a formal limestone exterior opposite the Metropolitan Museum.
- Address
- 998 Fifth Avenue
- Location
- Fifth Avenue
- Ownership
- Cooperative
- Architect
- McKim, Mead & White
- Completed
- 1910–1912
Architecture and building history
Built between 1910 and 1912, 998 Fifth Avenue brings McKim, Mead & White's Italian Renaissance architectural language to a residential building on the park. Its limestone facade, pronounced cornice and ordered windows distinguish it from the later setback towers.
The apartment house was planned with substantial residences and formal interior spaces. Its significance is both architectural and practical: the building offers a useful comparison with the later Candela homes nearby, particularly for buyers interested in an earlier approach to room planning.
What to compare in the apartment
Compare the entrance hall, entertaining rooms and bedroom areas as a complete plan. A formal sequence can offer privacy and room separation, but the kitchen and service spaces must also suit the way the apartment will be used.
Inspect the surviving interior detail and establish what a renovation has changed. Ceiling height, window scale and the depth of rooms should be checked in person. Where an apartment spans several levels or includes ancillary rooms, confirm the legal footprint and the terms governing each space.
The location
East 81st Street places the building directly across from the museum and the park. Compare that setting at different times of day, including the activity around the museum frontage and the apartment's exposure to Fifth Avenue.
Services, maintenance and purchase requirements
Request the current service schedule and maintenance breakdown for the apartment. Establish which services are included, which carry separate charges and whether storage or other ancillary space transfers with the shares.
A co-op purchase involves shares in the building corporation and a proprietary lease. Have your attorney review the financial statements, minutes, insurance and any assessment notices. Confirm the current requirements for financing, liquidity, intended occupancy, ownership structure, subletting and renovations with the managing agent. Published summaries can lag the governing documents.
Compare the complete cost of ownership with the apartment’s condition and the work you intend to do. A recognizable address does not establish the condition of the home or the co-op’s finances.
Where it fits on a shortlist
Early twentieth-century room planning, the condition of original details and the complete legal apartment footprint.
Compare this building with 990 Fifth Avenue, 1040 Fifth Avenue. The top-20 co-op guide explains the wider selection.
For purchase steps, read buying an apartment in NYC and the co-op versus condo guide. For market-wide inventory, use the 100 newest Manhattan co-op listings.
Discuss an apartment in this building
Tell us the space you need, your timing and how you intend to use the home. We can help assess relevant availability and compare the building with other co-ops on your shortlist.
Architecture and image sources
Image author and license are credited with the photograph. Building descriptions cover architecture and purchase considerations; current availability and co-op policies require individual confirmation.