53 West 53rd Street Condominium

The Building

Fine Print

What's Specific to It

• MoMA in the building: a MoMA Unit on the 2nd, 4th and 5th floors (plus parts of other levels) is expected to hold art galleries. It connects floor by floor to the museum next door, and its visitors never use the residential entrances. MoMA appoints one of the seven board members.
• Suite units: 29 small units, mostly on floors 14 to 16, can only be sold or leased to someone who also owns, or is buying, a residence in the building. One of them, unit 1511, becomes the resident manager's apartment.
• Private dining and housekeeping: the board is expected to hire a food service company to serve lunch and dinner on weekdays in the 46th-floor lounge or in your apartment. The condo covers 100% of any operating losses.
• Possible MoMA benefits: the plan expects, but doesn't guarantee, a "benefactor" level MoMA membership for each residential owner, and up to six board-scheduled events a year in MoMA's Sculpture Garden, for fees.
• A custom curtain wall: sloped north and south facades, diagonal aluminum panels and triangular and irregular windows. The plan warns that repairs may take longer than with ordinary systems, and that no window opens beyond a small vent panel.
• A tuned mass damper: a damper on the 84th and 85th floors reduces the feeling of sway in wind. The plan says it adds comfort only and doesn't strengthen the structure.

53 West 53rd Street runs through the block from West 53rd to West 54th Street, directly next to the Museum of Modern Art, with residential lobby entrances on both streets. Its offering plan tells you who shares the building with you, what's in the apartments and what the sponsor expected it to cost to run.

Fine Print Worth Knowing

• Dining losses are on owners: each owner pays a dining assessment at closing and a minimum annual usage charge, and future losses are set by the board. The Special Risks and the budget notes give different dollar figures, so ask which apply.
• Sponsor may rent instead of sell: the sponsor keeps an unconditional right to rent unsold homes and is only committed to selling the 15% needed to declare the plan effective. It controls the board for up to five years.
• Lot line windows: the whole west facade is lot line windows. If the neighbor builds, they may have to be sealed at the owner's cost, estimated at about $5,000 per window. East facade windows rely on light-and-air easements from the neighbor.
• Storage and wine cellars: both are licenses, not deeded units. They aren't on the backup generator, so any wine spoilage in an outage is the licensee's loss, and the sponsor keeps all sale proceeds.
• Development rights: the sponsor and MoMA each keep excess development rights. If they're moved to a neighboring lot, light and views may be affected.
• Mechanical noise: equipment sits on many floors, including 6, 16, 30, 45 to 47 and 72, and the generator is tested about once a month. The plan says nearby homes may hear it.
• Closing costs: buyers pay the city and state transfer taxes and the mansion tax, and about $3,000 to sponsor's counsel. Deposits are 25%, and you can't list your home for sale for 12 months after the first closing without the sponsor's consent.

FAQ

Does 53 West 53rd Street have a pool?

Yes. The 12th-floor amenity level has an indoor pool of about 65 by 14 feet, a whirlpool spa and a cold plunge pool, with lifeguards from an outside operator. The plan warns the pools may not open until about 24 months after the first closing.

What is MoMA's role in the building?

MoMA sold the sponsor the site and keeps a unit inside the tower on the 2nd, 4th and 5th floors that is expected to hold art galleries. Its visitors enter through the museum next door, and MoMA appoints one of the seven board members.

Does 53 West 53rd Street have a reserve fund?

No. The sponsor didn't set up a reserve fund for capital repairs. The first-year budget has a $200,000 contingency line, and buyers pay two months of common charges into working capital at closing.

Where this comes from: the building's offering plan (CD140230) as filed with the New York Attorney General, including its Special Risks, Description of Property and Improvements, Schedule A, Schedule B, Management Agreement and Identity of Parties. Prices are the sponsor's offering prices, not sales, and budget figures are the sponsor's first-year projections. Later amendments may change them. Updated October 2026.