257 West 86 Street   Unit 78B

Rarely available southwest-corner duplex at 257 West 86th Street. Spanning nearly 2,800 square feet, this singular residence offers dramatic scale, preserved craftsmanship, and three bright exposures within one of the Upper West Side’s most distinctive pre-war cooperatives. Rich with original detail and architectural presence, it presents a rare opportunity to create a memorable long-term home.
At its center is a dramatic double-height living room with a wood-burning fireplace, twenty-foot ceiling, and monumental steel casement studio window, recently restored with high-efficiency glass. Northern light fills the room throughout the day, while a west-facing corner window looks over the neighboring church’s Spanish tile roofline. Above, original interior galleries with wood balustrades reinforce the apartment’s distinctive Arts & Crafts character.
Hardwood pocket doors open into a handsome corner dining room with south and west exposures, bringing in beautiful light and open outlooks over the church, West 86th Street, Riverside Park, and the Hudson River beyond.
The windowed kitchen, pantry, and private laundry are joined by adjacent space that offers meaningful flexibility for redesign. Whether reimagined as a larger eat-in kitchen, a reworked service core, or part of a broader reconfiguration of the lower level, the apartment is well suited to a more contemporary plan.
Upstairs, the southwest-corner primary bedroom is wrapped by five windows with open views and exceptional light. Two additional bedrooms are bright and well proportioned, while the upper galleries add both drama and practical circulation space. A separate home office with original wood cabinetry sits quietly above the staircase. The apartment is currently configured as a four-bedroom, though its scale and proportions also lend themselves especially well to a comfortable three-bedroom layout.
Expanded kitchen and bath layouts, as well as central air conditioning, are permitted with board approval. The sale also includes a private windowed room on the ground floor, well suited for storage, an archive, or other personal use.
Designed in 1906–07 by Pollard & Steinam, architects of the Hotel des Artistes and other notable studio buildings, 257 West 86th Street is a boutique cooperative with a 24-hour lobby attendant and elevator operator, landscaped roof deck, fitness room, basement laundry, bike storage, deeded storage, and full-time resident manager.
A distinctive Upper West Side duplex with the substance to become something truly exceptional.