Ultra-luxury NYC condo has seen homes languishing for years in the decade since it launched — as it lacks 1 thing other buildings don’t

No billionaire, no buzz. 

For Manhattan’s priciest towers, it often takes just one name to define a building. Ken Griffin did it at 220 Central Park South. Michael Dell helped do it at One57.

Nearly a decade after sales began, 53 West 53 — the Jean Nouvel-designed condominium rising above the Museum of Modern Art — is still waiting for its equivalent.

The 1,050-foot tower arrived with the pedigree to compete at the top of the market: a starchitect design, a prime Midtown location and direct ties to MoMA. But instead of blockbuster deals and bidding wars, the building has been marked by slow absorption, price cuts and a steady churn of listings.

Several high-profile units have taken years to trade — and often at a discount.

Residence 65, initially listed in 2017 for $43.95 million, finally sold this January for $29.5 million after nearly nine years on the market, records show. Unit 30A spent roughly three years searching for a buyer before closing for about $8.55 million, below its $10.9 million ask. More recently, Residence 49A sold for $15.35 million after lingering since 2019, down slightly from its original $16.7 million price.

Even today, a number of marquee units remain unsold. 

A full-floor residence known as Penthouse 78 has been on the market since at least 2021 with an asking price around $64.7 million. Another high-floor unit, Residence 71, first listed for roughly $37.85 million, has since been reduced to $29 million and is still searching for a buyer. Unit 66, currently asking $34.4 million, has also seen a price cut from nearly $40 million.

Taken together, the numbers point to a building still working through inventory long after its debut. Out of 161 units, roughly 40% are either on the market or have recently been rented, an unusually high share for a project of this scale and age.

Nearby, other luxury towers tell somewhat similar stories. The supertall 125-unit 432 Park Ave., which for years has nabbed headlines over lawsuits charging alleged structural defaults, has 12 units now for sale, according to StreetEasy. Of those, the listings portal shows eight homes that have undergone at least a handful of years spent on and off the market, as well as undergoing discounts. One57, meanwhile, has just several current listings showing years of discounts. Central Park Tower, according to StreetEasy, has four units for sale whose histories show discounts since 2021.

Still, more than a dozen units now listed at 53 W 53 show years of price cuts, according to StreetEasy, with certain debut dates stretching as far back to 2015 and 2016.

On the resale side, most activity has clustered far below 53 West 53’s aspirational pricing. While a handful of deals have crossed into the $40 million and $60 million range, the bulk of transactions have landed between roughly $3 million and $7 million, with smaller units closer to the $1 million mark.

The rental market has offered another window into demand.

One-bedroom units have typically leased in the $9,000 to $11,000 range, sometimes dipping into the $6,000s, when average rental units for luxe condos in the area go for at least $20,000 per month.

“I think it’s magnificent, but I don’t think people understand it,” Keyan Sanai of Douglas Elliman told The Post, pointing to the tower’s distinctive design. Unlike more traditional layouts, many units feature angled walls and structural elements that cut into usable space. 

“It has these diagrids right in the corners. They’re not your traditional rectangular layouts. And I think people have a hard time envisioning or seeing that,” he said.  

That design-forward approach, which was central to the building’s identity, may have also narrowed its audience.

“It’s just a very niche product,” Sanai said. “It has a different feel to it — very forward and European.”

He noted that even well-heeled buyers often prioritize practicality over architectural ambition.

“I’ve seen people take the perfect square apartment, even though it’s smaller, because they can visualize their furniture,” Sanai said. “And as someone who works in the industry, I’m like, ‘you’re nuts to take that apartment over the other one,'” Sanai said.  

“This building also has these original copper type windows, and I’ve had buyers come in from the Far East and go, ‘when are they going to finish the windows?’ They just don’t understand,” Sanai reiterated. “I think it’s just harder to digest when you see the diagrid and these things in the living room that are cutting into the usable square footage that are supposed to be representative of art.” 

A spokesperson for 53 West 53 told The Post they “continue to see strong global demand,” in the building.

“Sales have remained strong and aligned with the market, highlighted by the recent closing of a full-floor residence at $4,575 per square foot,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “With over $122 million signed in 2025 and an additional $81 million already closed in 2026, the property is now approaching 70% sold.”

At the same time, the absence of a high-profile buyer has left the tower without the kind of narrative boost that has propelled competing developments.

“I think it would generate press,” Sanai said of a marquee purchase, though he added that many ultra-wealthy buyers prefer to keep their holdings private, which may be the case in this building.

“220 Central Park South has ties to ‘Succession,’ legacy, wealth, pre-war. And then you have this building, where it’s artsy and just catered to a super niche audience,” Sanai said. 

“I see something like this and I get excited. I actually love the architecture of this building — it is very Gotham City in the best way. It’s actually a cool looking building. It’s by no means an eyesore,” Sanai said, adding that he believes the building is ahead of its time. 

“If something doesn’t hit the market at the right time. There’s only so many things you can control.”