THE CONDO BOOK PROJECT

One United Nations Park

685 First Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10016

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Overview

A 148-unit condo on floors 28 to 43 of a Richard Meier-designed Solow tower at 685 First Avenue, above about 408 rental apartments. Renters share the pool and gym, and the rental owner controls the building-wide board.

  • Address: 685 First Avenue, Manhattan (Block 945, Lot 23), on a lot of about 32,000 square feet
  • Plan: CD170048, accepted for filing in January 2018
  • Residences: 148, from one-bedrooms of about 714 square feet to four-bedroom duplexes of about 3,831 square feet
  • Other units: a Rental Unit of about 408 apartments on floors 3 to 27, a ground-floor Retail Unit on East 39th and East 40th Streets, and a Garage Unit in the cellar, none of them offered for sale
  • Outdoor space: balconies on most E and H lines from the 28th to 39th floors, and terraces on 28A, 28D, 28E, 28M and 40E to 40H
  • Storage: 78 sub-cellar lockers of about 15 square feet, sold as licenses at $25,000 each plus $15 a month
  • First offering: all 148 homes at about $548.8 million in total, from about $1.5 million for a one-bedroom on the 28th floor to $10.8 million for a 42nd-floor duplex (sponsor offering prices, not sales). The Attorney General's record now lists about $447.5 million for the offering.

Compare

FigureThis building1Charlie West2123 units · 1.6 miaccepted 2017Siva Tower380 units · 1.9 miaccepted 2019
Common ChargesPer Square Foot / Month$1.30In line$1.09$1.41
Average Offering PricePer Apartment$3.71MHighest$2.2M$2.99M
Average PricePer Square Foot$2,355Above peers$1,966$2,303
Property TaxesPer Square Foot / Month$1.23In line$0.95$1.29
Average Unit SizeSquare Feet1,575 SFLargest1,114 SF1,336 SF

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Unit mix, closings, budgets, finishes and the team, against Charlie West and Siva Tower, cited to the offering plans. No credit card required.

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How We Got This
  • Comps: the closest Manhattan plans on size, $/SF and launch date, within 2 miles when possible.
  • Figures: each building's own offering plan, filed with the NY Attorney General. Nothing is estimated.
  • Checked: a price list publishes only when its math adds up, and building pages cite the plan pages.
  • Labels: In line is between the comps; Below/Above peers is past both by up to 15%; Lowest/Highest by more.

Closings Pro

Homes closed99% of the homes in Schedule A146 of 148
Closing prices vs. Schedule A143 homes: $369,398,392 at closing against $510,480,000 in Schedule A (p. 74, p. 75, p. 76)−27.6%
Average closing price143 homes, on their Schedule A square feet$1,689 / SF
Closingsfirst and latest recordedJul 20, 2021 – Feb 2, 2026

Sales recorded with the Department of Finance (ACRIS) through Sep 30, 2026: deeds, or transfer tax filings for a building on leased land, of $10,000 or more. A home's first sale since the plan was filed is the sponsor's closing; resales aren't counted. Closing prices are compared with the same home's Schedule A price, as first offered; a deed covering more than one home isn't compared. Amendments often change prices before a home closes, and a deed that includes parking or storage counts its full price. ACRIS records a sale weeks after closing, so recent contracts don't appear yet. Every building's sales.

All 146 closings
HomeRecordedClosing priceSchedule ADifference
31FJul 20, 2021$2,630,000$3,025,000 p. 74−13.1%
31DJul 21, 2021$2,300,000$3,280,000 p. 74−29.9%
33LJul 22, 2021$1,598,000$2,210,000 p. 75−27.7%
32LJul 28, 2021$1,565,000$2,190,000 p. 75−28.5%
30EJul 29, 2021$3,745,902$4,960,000 p. 74−24.5%
30GJul 29, 2021$2,400,000$2,995,000 p. 74−19.9%
28LAug 2, 2021$1,180,000$1,495,000 p. 74−21.1%
35KAug 2, 2021$2,225,000$3,375,000 p. 75−34.1%
32KAug 4, 2021$2,140,000$3,265,000 p. 75−34.5%
30JAug 5, 2021$1,190,000$1,690,000 p. 74−29.6%
32DAug 5, 2021$2,450,000$3,310,000 p. 74−26%
34JAug 5, 2021$1,425,000$1,770,000 p. 75−19.5%
32AAug 9, 2021$1,280,000$1,915,000 p. 74−33.2%
34DAug 9, 2021$2,500,000$3,370,000 p. 75−25.8%
30HAug 10, 2021$2,765,000$4,185,000 p. 74−33.9%
33DAug 10, 2021$2,400,000$3,340,000 p. 75−28.1%
32JAug 11, 2021$1,400,000$1,730,000 p. 74−19.1%
30BAug 12, 2021$1,892,500$2,890,000 p. 74−34.5%
33KAug 12, 2021$2,160,000$3,295,000 p. 75−34.4%
34KAug 12, 2021$2,250,000$3,325,000 p. 75−32.3%
35DAug 17, 2021$2,480,000$3,430,000 p. 75−27.7%
32CAug 18, 2021$1,235,000$1,665,000 p. 74−25.8%
32HAug 19, 2021$2,936,000$4,245,000 p. 74−30.8%
30KAug 23, 2021$2,100,000$3,205,000 p. 74−34.5%
32EAug 23, 2021$3,735,000$5,060,000 p. 74−26.2%
31AAug 26, 2021$1,275,000$1,895,000 p. 74−32.7%
30DAug 27, 2021$2,200,000$3,250,000 p. 74−32.3%
30CAug 30, 2021$1,205,000$1,625,000 p. 74−25.8%
31CAug 30, 2021$1,225,000$1,645,000 p. 74−25.5%
32BAug 30, 2021$2,510,000$3,215,000 p. 74−21.9%
34HAug 31, 2021$3,225,000$4,305,000 p. 75−25.1%
31KSep 1, 2021$2,120,000$3,235,000 p. 74−34.5%
29LSep 8, 2021$1,232,100$1,520,000 p. 74−18.9%
31ESep 9, 2021$3,675,000$5,020,000 p. 74−26.8%
36DSep 15, 2021$2,650,000$3,460,000 p. 75−23.4%
36JSep 20, 2021$1,550,000$1,830,000 p. 75−15.3%
30ASep 22, 2021$1,350,000$1,875,000 p. 74−28%
35CSep 22, 2021$1,305,000$1,745,000 p. 75−25.2%
36KSep 27, 2021$2,350,000$3,405,000 p. 75−31%
33ASep 30, 2021$1,350,000$1,935,000 p. 75−30.2%
34AOct 12, 2021$1,389,000$1,955,000 p. 75−29%
37DOct 18, 2021$2,733,000$3,545,000 p. 75−22.9%
37JOct 19, 2021$1,530,000$1,895,000 p. 75−19.3%
31JOct 28, 2021$1,230,000$1,710,000 p. 74−28.1%
28DNov 2, 2021$6,200,000$8,100,000 p. 74−23.5%
33JNov 3, 2021$1,481,250$1,750,000 p. 75−15.4%
34CNov 8, 2021$1,290,275$1,705,000 p. 75−24.3%
37HNov 23, 2021$3,375,000$4,455,000 p. 75−24.2%
33CNov 29, 2021$1,250,000$1,685,000 p. 75−25.8%
33EDec 2, 2021$3,800,000$5,100,000 p. 75−25.5%
35ADec 8, 2021$1,400,000$1,995,000 p. 75−29.8%
34EDec 14, 2021$3,830,000$5,140,000 p. 75−25.5%
38CJan 4, 2022$1,350,000$1,850,000 p. 76−27%
39CJan 4, 2022$1,440,000$1,870,000 p. 76−23%
36CJan 20, 2022$1,330,000$1,765,000 p. 75−24.6%
38FJan 20, 2022$2,875,000$3,320,000 p. 76−13.4%
34LJan 27, 2022$1,600,000$2,230,000 p. 75−28.3%
37KJan 27, 2022$2,395,000$3,490,000 p. 75−31.4%
35LFeb 3, 2022$1,620,000$2,270,000 p. 75−28.6%
36LFeb 10, 2022$1,730,520$2,290,000 p. 75−24.4%
38KFeb 10, 2022$2,506,965$3,520,000 p. 76−28.8%
31LFeb 22, 2022$1,600,000$2,170,000 p. 74−26.3%
39DFeb 23, 2022$2,773,000$3,605,000 p. 76−23.1%
35EMar 8, 2022$3,915,000$5,220,000 p. 75−25%
29GMar 9, 2022$2,345,000$2,895,000 p. 74−19%
37CMar 17, 2022$1,370,000$1,830,000 p. 75−25.1%
40HMar 17, 2022$4,600,000$5,880,000 p. 76−21.8%
36AMar 30, 2022$1,430,000$2,015,000 p. 75−29%
28HApr 12, 2022$3,525,000$4,950,000 p. 74−28.8%
37EApr 13, 2022$4,115,000$5,365,000 p. 75−23.3%
31HApr 28, 2022$2,845,000$4,030,000 p. 74−29.4%
35HMay 3, 2022$2,925,000$4,180,000 p. 75−30%
28GMay 18, 2022$2,335,000$2,875,000 p. 74−18.8%
36EMay 23, 2022$3,900,000$5,260,000 p. 75−25.9%
39KMay 23, 2022$2,530,000$3,550,000 p. 76−28.7%
29HMay 26, 2022$3,550,000$4,860,000 p. 74−27%
29FMay 31, 2022$2,390,000$2,895,000 p. 74−17.4%
38JJun 6, 2022$1,560,000$1,915,000 p. 76−18.5%
31BJun 14, 2022$2,450,000$3,185,000 p. 74−23.1%
33HJun 16, 2022$2,865,000$4,090,000 p. 75−30%
30LJun 27, 2022$1,580,000$2,150,000 p. 74−26.5%
37LJul 11, 2022$1,720,000$2,355,000 p. 75−27%
38LJul 11, 2022$1,730,000$2,375,000 p. 76−27.2%
28KJul 12, 2022$2,300,000$3,230,000 p. 74−28.8%
35JJul 14, 2022$1,445,000$1,810,000 p. 75−20.2%
29KJul 26, 2022$2,350,000$3,260,000 p. 74−27.9%
39LJul 26, 2022$1,745,000$2,400,000 p. 76−27.3%
39JAug 15, 2022$1,635,000$1,935,000 p. 76−15.5%
38BAug 22, 2022$2,580,000$3,480,000 p. 76−25.9%
28EAug 24, 2022$5,800,000$7,150,000 p. 74−18.9%
37AAug 29, 2022$1,486,645$2,040,000 p. 75−27.1%
40KAug 31, 2022$8,825,000$10,400,000 p. 76−15.1%
34BSep 20, 2022$2,530,000$3,275,000 p. 75−22.7%
GUSep 23, 2022$387,500,000——
RRUSep 23, 2022$387,500,000——
RUSep 23, 2022$387,500,000——
28FSep 27, 2022$2,370,000$2,875,000 p. 74−17.6%
39ANov 2, 2022$1,500,000$2,080,000 p. 76−27.9%
38DNov 22, 2022$2,753,000$3,575,000 p. 76−23%
38EDec 19, 2022$4,250,000$5,405,000 p. 76−21.4%
36HDec 21, 2022$3,300,000$4,395,000 p. 75−24.9%
38AJan 13, 2023$1,460,000$2,060,000 p. 76−29.1%
33BJan 17, 2023$2,520,000$3,245,000 p. 75−22.3%
32GJan 26, 2023$2,390,000$3,055,000 p. 74−21.8%
35GFeb 14, 2023$2,430,000$3,175,000 p. 75−23.5%
38HMar 9, 2023$3,674,700$4,485,000 p. 76−18.1%
35BMar 30, 2023$2,540,000$3,335,000 p. 75−23.8%
40FApr 13, 2023$2,460,000$3,675,000 p. 76−33.1%
36FApr 24, 2023$2,515,078$3,205,000 p. 75−21.5%
37FJun 14, 2023$2,520,000$3,290,000 p. 75−23.4%
31GAug 15, 2023$2,370,000$3,025,000 p. 74−21.7%
39BAug 30, 2023$2,718,728$3,510,000 p. 76−22.5%
40GSep 18, 2023$2,525,000$3,675,000 p. 76−31.3%
37BSep 20, 2023$2,550,000$3,450,000 p. 75−26.1%
36GOct 31, 2023$2,470,000$3,205,000 p. 75−22.9%
37GNov 20, 2023$2,470,000$3,290,000 p. 75−24.9%
30FNov 30, 2023$2,350,000$2,995,000 p. 74−21.5%
43EDec 18, 2023$4,770,987$6,475,000 p. 76−26.3%
36BFeb 20, 2024$2,550,000$3,365,000 p. 75−24.2%
39GMar 19, 2024$2,575,000$3,350,000 p. 76−23.1%
33GMay 2, 2024$2,410,000$3,085,000 p. 75−21.9%
34GJun 4, 2024$2,420,000$3,115,000 p. 75−22.3%
28MJun 17, 2024$3,750,000$5,770,000 p. 74−35%
28AJul 17, 2024$3,480,000$5,770,000 p. 74−39.7%
39HSep 17, 2024$3,550,000$4,515,000 p. 76−21.4%
39FSep 18, 2024$2,500,000$3,350,000 p. 76−25.4%
42KSep 30, 2024$8,540,000$10,800,000 p. 76−20.9%
33FDec 19, 2024$2,400,000$3,085,000 p. 75−22.2%
38GDec 31, 2024$2,430,000$3,320,000 p. 76−26.8%
42HJan 22, 2025$4,225,000$5,900,000 p. 76−28.4%
32FFeb 6, 2025$2,160,000$3,055,000 p. 74−29.3%
42FFeb 21, 2025$2,460,000$3,850,000 p. 76−36.1%
35FFeb 25, 2025$2,350,000$3,175,000 p. 75−26%
40EFeb 26, 2025$3,795,000$5,900,000 p. 76−35.7%
43GMar 31, 2025$2,480,173$4,150,000 p. 76−40.2%
43FApr 18, 2025$2,500,000$4,150,000 p. 76−39.8%
42GMay 1, 2025$2,525,000$3,850,000 p. 76−34.4%
41EMay 16, 2025$3,395,000$5,800,000 p. 76−41.5%
41GJun 2, 2025$2,288,000$3,525,000 p. 76−35.1%
41HJul 22, 2025$3,595,000$5,800,000 p. 76−38%
43HJul 28, 2025$3,750,000$6,400,000 p. 76−41.4%
42ASep 17, 2025$4,500,000$8,470,000 p. 76−46.9%
42EOct 27, 2025$4,149,500$5,975,000 p. 76−30.6%
41ANov 13, 2025$4,500,000$8,320,000 p. 76−45.9%
41FDec 15, 2025$2,403,070$3,525,000 p. 76−31.8%
40AFeb 2, 2026$4,500,000$8,180,000 p. 76−45%

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Every home's recorded closing price against its Schedule A price, with the ACRIS document and the plan page.

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Budget

What It Costs to Run

The sponsor projected a first-year condo budget (calendar 2019) of about $3.66 million. About $1.92 million of it is the condo's share of a separate $4.57 million building-wide budget, which the rental, retail and garage units also pay into. Here's how that works out in monthly common charges, per Schedule A:

  • About $930 a month for the smallest one-bedrooms (about 714 square feet).
  • About $1,700 to $2,130 for two-bedrooms.
  • About $4,970 for the 3,831-square-foot duplexes.

Projected real estate taxes for the second year, the first fully assessed year, run from about $1,410 to $7,560 a month. The plan doesn't describe a tax abatement.

Notable lines:

  • Condo staff: about $1.36 million.
  • Utilities: about $452,000 for electricity in the condo's common areas, plus the condo's share of building gas (about $208,000) and water and sewer (about $331,000).
  • Gym and spa contract: $420,000 for the whole building.
  • Window washing: $153,500 for the whole building.
  • Management fee: $100,000 for the condo plus $20,000 at the building level, both to Solow Management Corp., a sponsor affiliate.

Good to know: the plan sets up no separate reserve fund. The budgets carry replacement reserves of about $62,000 for the condo plus a share of building-level reserves, based on a reserve study by Strategic Inspections, and the plan warns these may not cover capital needs in the first five years. You'll pay two months of common charges into working capital at closing. For why budgets like this vary, see why operating costs differ and our common charge benchmarks.

From our research: The Sponsor's Condo-Creation Fee in NYC · NYC Condo Insurance Costs Are Rising · Condo Supplies Cost per Unit, by Size

The Building

Finishes

Richard Meier & Partners wrote the finish schedule, and the plan says appliances vary by unit size and layout (compare with our NYC condo finishes guide).

Kitchen

  • Gaggenau throughout: 30- or 36-inch panel-ready refrigerators (or separate refrigerator and freezer columns), a gas cooktop, a 30-inch convection oven, a speed oven, a panel-ready dishwasher and a wine fridge.
  • Bosch vent hoods, an InSinkErator disposal and, in some layouts, a Sub-Zero under-counter fridge at a wet bar.
  • High-gloss white lacquer cabinets, stone counters with a solid white marble backsplash, a Blanco undermount sink and a Dornbracht faucet with hand spray.

See how these brands compare in our kitchen appliance brands guide.

Baths

  • Stone slab floors and walls, Duravit sinks and wall-hung Duravit toilets on Geberit carriers.
  • Dornbracht fittings, rain shower heads and accessories throughout.
  • Zuma undermount tubs, or freestanding Blu Bathworks stone tubs of 59 or 67 inches in some baths.

See how these names rank in our bathroom brands guide.

Floors, Ceilings and Windows

  • Engineered white oak floors, tongue and groove.
  • Ceilings of about 9.5 feet in most rooms. Double-height living rooms reach about 18.5 feet on the 28th and 40th floors and about 20 feet on the 42nd.
  • A black aluminum curtain wall with insulated-laminated glass, Metra awning windows that open about 4 inches, and Crestron motorized shades in every home.

Laundry, Heating and Cooling

  • Every home has a washer and dryer: a Bosch 800 Series 24-inch pair or an Electrolux 27-inch stacked pair, depending on the layout.
  • Four-pipe fan coils in the ceiling heat and cool each home, fed by central chillers and gas boilers, with a wall thermostat. A supplementary electric radiant floor system runs along the facade.
  • Electricity in each home is sub-metered. The engineer estimated about $1,700 a year for an average one-bedroom and about $4,500 for a four-bedroom duplex.

More on systems like this in NYC condo heating and cooling.

Amenities, Staffing & Transportation

Nearly all the amenities sit on the second floor, and renters can use them too (compare with amenities by building size).

Second Floor

  • A 70-foot by 10.5-foot stainless steel lap pool, 4 feet deep, heated to 82 degrees, with a sauna, steam room and showers.
  • A fitness center with cardio and weight equipment and a yoga and training room.
  • A shared resident lounge and game room with a prep kitchen and billiard tables, a screening room and a kids' playroom.
  • A separate lounge for condo residents only.

Lobby and Lower Levels

  • A condo lobby with its own package room and a mail room with 148 boxes.
  • Storage for about 280 bikes, first come, first served.
  • A pay-per-use laundry room with up to 13 washers and 13 dryers.

Good to know: the shared amenities are run by the building-wide board, which the rental owner controls. The plan warns the large number of renters may make them harder to use. Big changes to hours, staffing or user fees need the votes of both condo-designated members on that board. The sponsor expects to hire Iowa Sports Management to run the second-floor amenities, and the budget sets aside $420,000 for the gym and spa contract.

Tip: parking is in the separate Garage Unit, which the sponsor expects to keep and run as a valet garage for about 110 cars, open to the public. Rates and availability are up to the operator. See deeded vs. licensed parking.

Staffing and Services

The plan promises a doorman and a concierge in both the main lobby and the condo lobby around the clock. The condo section's own budget, under a Local 32BJ staffing plan, pays for:

  • A superintendent who serves the condo only but doesn't live in the building.
  • About 4.2 full-time concierges and about 2.8 doormen.
  • About 5.6 porters and about 1.4 handymen.

Condo payroll comes to about $1.36 million. The condo also pays part of a shared staff of a resident manager, an assistant resident manager and about 4.2 doormen. The resident manager is expected to live in a rental apartment, rented at $8,000 a month and shared as a cost. Three destination-dispatch passenger elevators serve the condo floors. Our doorman cost guide puts these numbers in context.

Tip: until a year after the first closing or until half the condo homes close, whichever is later, the plan only guarantees one staffed lobby 24/7 and one working elevator to each occupied floor.

Transportation

  • Subway: 9 min walk to Grand Central-42 St 4 5 6 7 S
  • Parking: 1 parking unit in the plan

Fine Print

What's Specific to It

  • A condo on top of a rental building: the condo homes fill floors 28 to 43. Floors 3 to 27 hold a single Rental Unit of about 408 apartments that the sponsor keeps.
  • The rental owner runs the building: the building-wide board has nine seats. The Rental Unit owner names five, the condo section three and the retail owner one, so condo owners can never outvote the rental side on shared matters.
  • Shared amenities: the second-floor pool, gym, lounges, game room and kids' room are open to renters as well as condo owners. Only one lounge is condo-only.
  • Power and hot water from the rental owner: a rooftop gas co-generation system owned by the Rental Unit owner supplies electricity and hot water, and that owner bills condo homes for their sub-metered electricity.
  • Sponsor may never sell out: the sponsor can rent unsold homes instead of selling them, and only has to sell 15% of the condo units for the plan to take effect. The plan warns owners may never control their own board.
  • Double-height duplexes with private elevators: six duplexes (28D, 28E, 40D, 40K, 42D and 42K) have their own elevators, and some double-height living rooms reach about 18.5 to 20 feet.

One United Nations Park takes the west side of First Avenue between East 39th and East 40th Streets, with its lobbies facing a private drop-off plaza that runs through the block. Its offering plan tells you who you'll share the building with, what's in the apartments and what it should cost to run.

Fine Print Worth Knowing

  • Control may never pass to owners: the sponsor names the condo board until the later of five years after the first closing or 90% of condo homes closing, and its right to rent unsold homes means that point may never come. On the building-wide board, the rental owner holds a majority as long as it owns the Rental Unit.
  • Electricity through the rental owner: the Rental Unit owner bills your sub-metered electricity and can charge more than it pays Con Ed, though no more than direct-metered rates at similar buildings. It can also bill owners for upkeep of the co-generation system.
  • Views and the double glass facade: secondary glass screens sit just outside units 28E, 30E to 39E, 42E, 43E and 28H to 43H. The Rental Unit owner keeps the building's unused air rights and may sell them to neighbors, and sponsor affiliates may develop 700 and 708 First Avenue across the street.
  • No reselling for a year: you can't list or advertise your home until you close, and can't sell it for 12 months after closing. Leases must run at least a year, and the board has a right of first refusal.
  • Window treatments: you must keep the Crestron shades and can't add blinds or curtains that interfere with them or show from outside.
  • Limited warranty: the state housing warranty law doesn't apply. The sponsor fixes defects it's told about within a year, with a long list of exclusions.
  • Closing costs and foreign buyers: you pay the city and state transfer taxes and a $4,200 fee to the sponsor's lawyers. Buyers with diplomatic or sovereign immunity must put down 50% and deposit two years of common charges at closing.

Team

The plan doesn't name an interior designer.

Nearby

FAQ

Do renters share the amenities at One United Nations Park?

Yes. The second-floor pool, gym, lounge, game room, screening room and kids' room, plus the laundry and bike rooms, are shared with the roughly 408 rental apartments below the condo, and only one lounge is reserved for condo residents.

Who controls the board at 685 First Avenue?

The sponsor names the condo board at first, and the rental owner names five of nine members of the building-wide board that runs shared spaces, so condo owners can't outvote the rental side, and the plan warns they may never control their own board.

How much are common charges at One United Nations Park?

Under the sponsor's first-year projection, about $930 a month for the smallest one-bedrooms to about $4,970 for the four-bedroom duplexes, with projected real estate taxes of roughly $1,410 to $7,560 a month on top.

Where this comes from: the building's offering plan (CD170048) as filed with the New York Attorney General, including its Special Risks, Description of the Property, Schedule A, Schedules B-1, B-2 and B-3, and the architect's Description of Property and Specifications. 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.