Lincoln Towers on UWS

[ISONY]

I'm a broker who has sold numerous apartments there. I'm sure you were reading about different buildings when you read it called as:

"disability towers" "almost all of the occupants are on state assistance, are loud, unruly, the building has an offensive odor, bedbugs are rampant, it's not the safest place and drug deals are often seen in the area. "

There are 8 buildings to the complex and each one is a different co-op corporation. All are full service buildings and it's a great location.

What your agent probably meant by.. "if you are comfortable living in a place like this.".....although the floorplans are nice, and most units have some type of view and some with balconies, many people dislike LT for esthetic reasons.....the utilitarian look of the buildings are certainly not as sexy as a new glass tower or a prewar.

[Jules Clemons]

I wish I could say Frederick Douglass Houses was much better but the Manager we have now and the previous manager have brought my development down. The prior manager when complaints were made sided with the Supervisor who covered for the Caretakers not doing their jobs and now Douglass is so Dirty I just don't even bother to complain cuz to me the people in higher places that could help take the role of cover-up for these employees who collect paychecks for doing nothing.

[New York 2011]

I have lived in Lincoln Towers for two years. The information provided to the original poster is incorrect. The buildings are well managed and while not literally "luxury" they most certainly are middle to upper middle class. Each of the complexes' eight buildings have 24/7 doormen, package rooms, storage rooms, laundry rooms, underground parking and bike rooms. Most have gyms, party rooms and libraries. A couple of the buildings have dry cleaners and medical offices. The lobbies and their sitting areas look just as good as many nearby upscale buildings---including the luxury Trump Palace complex next door. The grounds are beautifully kept and there is a 24/7 security force and maintenance crew. Lincoln Towers also has two private parks accessible only to residents. Most of the lobbies were renovated in the 1990's shortly after he complex converted from rentals to coops. Several buildings are undergoing interior and exterior renovations. Maintenance fees are somewhat high (and increase in the same apartment line as you get higher in the building) but includes gas and electric. One building, though, has individual electric meters. Some apartments have private terraces. I can't figure out why the original design did not include terraces in all apartments.

Apartments (according to long-term monitoring New York Times iPhone app) appears to run 350-400K for studios (much higher for those converted into one bedrooms), 550-750K for one bedrooms, 800K-1.5M for two bedrooms and 1.5K+ for a three bedroom. Monthly maintence fees vary from about 900 for studios to close to 3K for some units that were combined apartments. If you are fortunate to secure one of the handful of above ground parking spots, they go for about 100K plus a monthly maintenace fee of about 185/mo. (I was quoted a monthly fee including resident discount of $425/mo in the independently owned underground garage).

These prices are hardly consistent with a development occupied by poor or even working-class people. It is a great place to live. The rooms are large with great closet space. As others have stated, asthetics are subjective and I can understand how someone would not go for the mid-century "Tower in the Park" design. But, renovate the interior of your apartment to suit your tastes. I found that the Coop Board was on top of every aspect of my total renovation and that is a good thing. They wanted to be sure that evgrything was done to code.

I highly recommend Lincoln Towers.

[bgkennard]

We have an alcove studio in 205 WEA, the most northern on the Lincoln Towers buildings, at 70th Street. The neighborhood is awesome -- Lincoln Center down the street, all the activities and beauty of the Hudson River and Riverside Park area a few blocks west. Great schools, restaurants and a great age mix of families, seniors, singles in the building. Friendly, helpful doormen, excellent maintenance. It's a win-win.