An Art Deco complex on a quiet block next to the East River
Southgate is a five-building complex designed by the celebrated early-20th-century architect Emery Roth and built by prolific developers Bing & Bing. The Turtle Bay development, dating to 1930, is like a quiet cousin of some of Roth’s most notable designs — such as the San Remo on Central Park West — or nearby ritzy residences like River House or Beekman Place. “I would always call it the poor man’s Emery Roth,” said Donald Albrecht, a design curator who has worked with the New-York Historical Society and the Museum of the City of New York and lived in the complex from 2004 to 2022. “It doesn’t have the spires and all that. And the lobbies are small.” But it does have sizable layouts and prewar details, he adds. On the outside, the brick buildings have an Art Deco design, with carved limestone bases and ornamentation, upper-level setbacks (making way for outdoor space for units) and wrought-iron detailing on many doors, windows and balconies. Four of the buildings are located on East 52nd Street, which dead ends at the East River, with the fifth address on 51st Street. The complex is connected by an expansive garden.
The complex has been home to some famous faces over the years, including John Lennon (who lived there, away from Yoko Ono, in the 1970s) and Broadway star Tommy Tune, who has two residences there. Modernist architect Philip Johnson also lived in one of the buildings when it was new; fellow architect Ludwig Mies van de Rohr helped design his living room. Today, however, “it’s almost like a sleeper building,” explains Sara Schwartz, a real estate agent at Corcoran who has done business in the complex. “This is such a small pocket that it doesn’t really cross people’s minds, but when they get there, they absolutely love it.” Part of the reason is because it’s so quiet once they pass First Avenue, and there’s plenty of space to spread out. “They have the entire cul-de-sac of 52nd Street,” Schwartz notes. “People also love the amenities, the staff — they have full-time porters, a full-time handyman, a full-time super. There’s always somebody at the doors. It’s very white glove.”
Defined rooms and ‘typical Emery Roth features’
There are close to 470 units across Southgate’s five addresses, with units ranging from studios to four-bedrooms. “They’ve got the typical Emery Roth features such as the step-down living room, the beamed ceiling, the casement windows. Those are all attributes of that kind of prewar building,” Albrecht notes. “And it’s an early ’30s building, so it’s all these defined rooms,” he adds, as opposed to open floorplans that are more common today. “I had a one-bedroom. There was a generous foyer that had two closets. There was a very long kitchen. It had a little dinette area, and I put up a wall with an arched opening and made an office out of it, which the people who bought it from me really liked. Then there was a living room with a working fireplace, another small hall that had a big closet and a bathroom, and then the bedroom.” To make it seem larger, he worked with a friend who painted “the living room a light yellow, and then he made the bedroom a darker yellow. That tends to kind of fake the perspective and made the rooms look bigger.” The unit was on the second floor; it didn’t get a lot of light, but it did look out on the trees in the garden, he adds.
Because of the building’s age, finishes vary from unit to unit and building to building, as do the prices, which start at between $400,000 and $500,000 for a studio and peak at nearly $7 million for an 11-room duplex penthouse with far-reaching East River views. One-bedrooms range from just under $600,000 to nearly $2.3 million for the top-floor residence of 10-time Tony Award-winner Tommy Tune, which was listed in March 2024 and features a wraparound terrace. Two-bedrooms generally cost between $1 million and $2 million, while three-bedrooms start at $1.1 million and can sell for as much as $6.55 million. The four-bedroom unit where Lennon briefly lived — a house-like residence with a wraparound terrace on the upper two floors of 434 E. 52nd St. — sold for $4.25 million in 2021.
A secret garden connects the complex
A landscaped garden connects the five buildings at Southgate. “It’s so beautiful and lush,” Schwartz says. “It’s like a secret garden with benches and a little area for kids to play.” Prewar complexes aren’t known for having a slate of amenities, but Southgate offers common laundry rooms (although washers and dryers are allowed in units), a bike room and storage areas. There is no gym or common areas beyond the lobby, the agent adds.
A quiet cul-de-sac north of UN Headquarters
Four of the five Southgate buildings share a dead-end street with the River Club, which bills itself as “New York City’s premier family club” and offers tennis and squash courts, a golf simulator, a pool and a fitness center, plus event spaces, hotel rooms and a garden. It’s also a few blocks north of the United Nations Headquarters, so the neighborhood has an international vibe with several embassies nearby. Peter Detmold Dog Run is just around the corner on 51st Street, while the East 51st Street Pedestrian Crossing allows residents to access the landscaped walking path along the East River Esplanade. Nearby restaurants include Italian eats at La Villetta, Greek food at Ethos or American fare at Copinette. The Ophelia Lounge NYC offers rooftop cocktails with river views. The Japan Society is about six blocks south of the complex, offering regular events and exhibitions. The closest grocery store is D’Agostino, two blocks away at 53rd Street and First Avenue, and Ideal Cheese Shop is around the corner on First and 52nd. Several other grocery stores can be found within a 10-block radius, including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Morton Williams.
Blocks from the subway on Lexington Avenue
The E and the M trains are about five blocks away at Lexington and 53rd Street, and it has an underground passageway to the 6 train (it can also be accessed via a station on Lexington Avenue and 51st Street). It’s one stop to Grand Central — or about a 20-minute walk. Nearby buses include the M15, running along First Avenue, and the M50, which provides crosstown service. Drivers can access the FDR in under five minutes.
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Current List Price
Sold Price
Area Factors
Low Crime
Crime Score®
4/ 10
Very Bikeable
Bike Score®
70/ 100
Very Walkable
Walk Score®
89/ 100
Rider's Paradise
Transit Score®
100/ 100
Sources: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Walk Score
Sources: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Walk Score
WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Powered by CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks. Walk Score® measures the walkability of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address.
Sound Score® measures the noise level of any address. Environmental risk data is provided by First Street Foundation® and is designed to approximate risk and not intended to include all possible scenarios.
Parks in this Area
Peter Detmold Park Dog Run
4 min walk
Peter Detmold Park
5 min walk
Dog Park
Trails
Greenacre Park
6 min walk
Picnic Area
Nature Center
51st St FDR Dog Park
6 min walk
Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
7 min walk
MacArthur Playground
7 min walk
Picnic Area
Playground
Honey Locust Park
9 min walk
Picnic Area
Trails
Sutton Place Park
9 min walk
Trails
Playground
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park
15 min drive
Schools
Source:
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First Service Residential - Southgate Apartments V
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