50 West 66th Street: The Upper West Side's Tallest Tower

At 775 feet, 50 West 66th Street is the tallest building on the Upper West Side, a Snøhetta-designed condominium tower developed by Extell between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.

Its first apartments closed in 2025, so its history as a condominium is only beginning. Here is what the building is, how it is laid out, and what an overseas buyer should settle before signing.

1. What the Building Is

50 West 66th Street is a residential condominium tower developed by Extell Development Company and designed by Snøhetta, with SLCE Architects as executive architect. It rises 775 feet, which made it the tallest building on the Upper West Side when it topped out in 2024, and the first apartment sales were recorded at the city register in early 2025.

The city's tax roll records 121 residential condominium units, the same count shown on the Department of Buildings filing. The tower was first marketed with 127 homes and some apartments are offered as combinations of two units, so older listings and articles still quote the higher figure and it is worth knowing which source you are reading.

Construction was slowed by a long planning dispute. Neighbourhood groups challenged the height, arguing that unusually tall mechanical floors were being used to lift the residences higher, and the Board of Standards and Appeals approved the permit in January 2020, after which work resumed and the tower rose to its full height.

The location is on Google Maps.

2. Two Volumes, Two Collections

Snøhetta organised the tower as a base, a body and a crown, carving the mass away as it rises in a way the firm says evokes the chiselled stone of Manhattan's geology. A shared terrace on the 16th floor splits the building into two volumes, and above it opposing corners are sliced away to form a run of loggias up the tower.

The lower floors are sold as The House, with interiors by Shamir Shah Design and ceilings up to 12 feet 8 inches. The upper floors are The Tower, with interiors by AB Concept and ceilings up to 14 feet 6 inches, set behind glass and bronze-toned chamfers that rise above a base of hand-set, textured limestone and bronze.

Kitchens are custom Smallbone designs with Sub-Zero and Miele appliances, and floors are wide-plank oak behind floor-to-ceiling windows. More than a third of the residences have private outdoor space, including corner loggias facing Central Park or the skyline, and that space deserves to be valued separately from the interior area.

Ask for each candidate unit's floor plan with ceiling height and outdoor area stated separately.

3. Amenities and the Lincoln Square Setting

The amenity programme covers more than 50,000 square feet across three levels. It includes indoor and outdoor saltwater pools, a full-size basketball court, pickleball and squash courts, a bowling alley, a golf simulator, a fitness centre with a Pilates studio, infrared sauna and steam rooms, a screening room and a game lounge.

A sky level adds a landscaped terrace with fire pits, a sunset bar and a lounge, and the building runs a 24-hour concierge with a porte-cochère entrance and a pet spa. A programme of this size is carried in the common charges, so ask how each space is staffed, scheduled and maintained before comparing this building with its neighbours.

The setting is Lincoln Square, with Lincoln Center a short walk west and Central Park at the end of the block across Central Park West. The 1 train stops at 66 St–Lincoln Center and the M66 crosstown bus runs within a block, so Midtown, the East Side and the park are all within easy reach for a household that does not keep a car.

Walk the block from Columbus Avenue to the park before a second viewing.

4. Buying Here as an Overseas Purchaser

50 West 66th Street is a condominium, so there is no co-op board approval, and foreign nationals can buy in their own name or through an entity. Financing for foreign buyers is possible, but lenders generally ask for larger deposits, fuller documentation and proof of funds held abroad, so start the loan conversation well before making an offer.

New York's mansion tax is paid by the buyer on residential purchases of $1 million or more, charged on the whole price rather than the excess over the threshold. In New York City the rate is graduated, from 1% between $1 million and $2 million up to 3.9% at $25 million and above, and it is due at closing with the other transfer taxes.

On a later sale, a foreign owner faces FIRPTA withholding of 15% of the gross price unless an IRS withholding certificate reduces it. Non-resident non-citizens also have only a $60,000 US estate tax exemption on US-situs assets, so settle the ownership structure with tax counsel before signing a contract, because it is hard to change later.

Agree the buying entity with counsel before the contract is signed.

Recorded Sales: What the Public Record Shows

NYC's Department of Finance records every sale with its address and price. Between January 2023 and September 2026 it recorded 101 sales of apartments at 50 West 66th Street, at a median price of $8.52 million. Half of them closed between $6.25 million and $11.76 million; the highest was $55.64 million.

A median across a whole building mixes small and large apartments, low floors and high ones, so it describes the building rather than any one residence. Use it to see how often apartments here change hands and where the building's prices sit. Price a specific apartment from recorded sales on the same line and floor range, which can be pulled from the deed records before you make an offer.

These are recorded deed prices, not asking prices, and none of them is a Reinvent NY transaction. A sale appears in the record weeks after closing, and a deed price can include a parking space or storage unit bought at the same time.

Final Thoughts: Height, Outdoor Space and a New Track Record

50 West 66th Street combines a height no other Upper West Side building reaches with an amenity programme on the scale of a private club, a short walk from Lincoln Center and Central Park. The condominium form keeps the purchase procedurally simple for a buyer based abroad, and its height gives it a recognisable place on the skyline.

Because closings only began in 2025, the building has a short operating history, which puts more weight on the documents. Read the offering plan and its amendments, the current budget and the reserve position with your attorney, and compare closed sales on the same line rather than relying on building-wide averages.

View and outdoor space will separate one apartment from another more than finishes will. Choose the collection and the exposure first, then weigh any loggia or terrace against the interior area and layout, and ask what could be built on neighbouring sites that might change the outlook over the years you expect to hold.

Request the offering plan amendments and the current budget before your second viewing.

Figures here describe the building, not any one apartment. Asking prices, monthly carrying costs, tax abatement status and sublet rules are established unit by unit from the offering plan, the most recent financial statement and the managing agent. Real estate services are provided through R New York.

Reinvent NY provides business consulting, operational support, and coordination services. Legal advice and immigration filings are handled by independent licensed attorneys. Real estate services are provided through licensed professionals and applicable brokerage relationships. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice.

More buildings worth knowing: 100 Eleventh Avenue, 111 West 57th Street, 130 William. The full set is indexed under New York building profiles.