Architect Aymar Embury II is hardly a household name; and yet, anyone who has visited a New York City park, zoo, or bridge has likely seen his work firsthand. During urban planner/original "power broker" Robert Moses' tenure as NYC Parks Commissioner in the early 1930s, at the height of the New Deal, he hired Mr. Embury as chief or consulting architect for several newly created and renovated parks across the city.
Mr. Embury's use of materials like cheap concrete caused some of his works to decay over time. However, several surviving examples include Bryant Park, McCarren Park, Jacob Riis Park, Orchard Beach, the Central Park zoo, the Prospect Park zoo and bandshell, the Triborough Bridge, and the New York City Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair that has since been converted to the Queens Museum.
Mr. Embury's use of materials like cheap concrete caused some of his works to decay over time. However, several surviving examples include Bryant Park, McCarren Park, Jacob Riis Park, Orchard Beach, the Central Park zoo, the Prospect Park zoo and bandshell, the Triborough Bridge, and the New York City Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair that has since been converted to the Queens Museum.
Lesser known examples of Mr. Embury's work may be found on a rarefied block in the Upper East Side Historic District. In early 1928, a few years after philanthropist Dorothy Lehman's wedding to investment banker Richard Bernhard, her father, banker Arthur Lehman, purchased a plot of land on East 70th Street to build a private house. Mr. Embury built this house as well as one at 46 East 71st Street that backed onto it and was occupied by the younger couple.
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Mrs. Bernhard lived at 46 East 71st Street until her death in 1969, her husband having predeceased her in 1961. Since then, the limestone and brick house has changed hands and been renovated with modern infrastructure, though not at the expense of prewar architectural details like marble fireplaces and a gracefully curved staircase. The listing notes that it is on the market for the first time in 42 years, and neither the seller's identity nor the amount they paid for it are available. It was listed for $19.95 million in May 2025, and a price reduction brings it down to $17.9 million.
-10.3% | -$2,050,000
46 East 71st Street, #TH
$17,900,000
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Townhouse | 6+ Bedrooms, 6+ Baths | 9,023 ft2
46 East 71st Street, #TH (Compass)
Further downtown, the recently approved Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan represents the city's largest residential rezoning in 20 years. It updates zoning rules for four quadrants between West 23rd and West 40th Street, and between Fifth and Eighth Avenues to allow for the creation of as many as 9,500 new housing units (about 3,000 of which would be permanently affordable) in a part of the city historically restricted to manufacturing and commercial buildings. The plan includes economic development resources to protect and support fashion businesses in the Garment District, a car-free busway on 34th Street, and "density bonuses" that allow for more housing in exchange for local improvements (e.g., increased access to public transportation stations).
The two-toned Maverick's address on West 28th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues puts it in the heart of the rezoning and directly across from Fashion Institute of Technology's main campus. A handful of availabilities in the gray rental component starts at $6,250/month, and the white condo component is nearly 85% sold. The sponsor is offering two years of common charges and transfer taxes on condo contracts signed for a limited time, and a pair of two-bedrooms had their prices reduced.
-12.5% | -$355,000
Maverick, #2C
$2,495,000
Chelsea | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 1,120 ft2
Maverick, #2C (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
These listings were among approximately 130 condos, co-ops, condops, and townhouses in core New York City areas that experienced price reductions from August 19-25, 2025. A selection of notable listings, as well as a full list of last week's price reductions, may be seen below. Please be advised that all quoted figures reflect cumulative price cuts as opposed to the most recent reductions.
Recently reduced listings
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-9.8% | -$2,450,000
One57, #52B
$22,500,000
Midtown West | Condominium | 5 Bedrooms, 5.5 Baths | 5,475 ft2
One57, #52B (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
-7.8% | -$500,000
The Greenwich Lane, #51
$5,950,000
Greenwich Village | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 1,565 ft2
The Greenwich Lane, #51 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
-15.5% | -$680,000
Metal Shutter Houses, #1
$3,700,000
Chelsea | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths | 1,986 ft2
Metal Shutter Houses, #1 (Serhant)
-8.4% | -$295,000
The Franklin, #5SE
$3,200,000
Tribeca | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths | 2,084 ft2
The Franklin, #5SE (Sothebys International Realty)
-9.6% | -$250,000
40 Bleecker Street, #3H
$2,350,000
NoHo | Condominium | 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath | 743 ft2
40 Bleecker Street, #3H (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
-11.1% | -$250,000
867 Lafayette Avenue, #TH
$2,000,000
Bedford-Stuyvesant | Townhouse | 6+ Bedrooms, 4 Baths | 3,400 ft2
867 Lafayette Avenue, #TH (Christies International Real Estate Group LLC)
-10% | -$200,000
The Monarch, #27D
$1,795,000
Yorkville | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths | 1,327 ft2
The Monarch, #27D (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
-6.7% | -$100,000
The Alfred, #16F
$1,395,000
Lincoln Center | Condominium | 1 Bedroom, 1.5 Baths | 948 ft2
The Alfred, #16F (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
-7.2% | -$105,000
340 East 80th Street, #17D
$1,345,000
Yorkville | Cooperative | 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
340 East 80th Street, #17D (Nest Seekers LLC)
-6.5% | -$75,000
Cast Iron Building, #517
$1,075,000
Greenwich Village | Cooperative | 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath
Cast Iron Building, #517 (Compass)
-16% | -$200,000
245 West 24th Street, #GARDEN
$1,050,000
Chelsea | Cooperative | 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath | 1,000 ft2
245 West 24th Street, #GARDEN (Christies International Real Estate Group LLC)
Blue, #2B (Sothebys International Realty)
-28.7% | -$395,000
W Residences, #44G
$980,000
Financial District | Condominium | 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath | 708 ft2
W Residences, #44G (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
-13.6% | -$126,000
Tudor Tower, #2119
$799,000
Turtle Bay/United Nations | Cooperative | 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths | 900 ft2
Tudor Tower, #2119 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
-8.1% | -$60,995
555 West 149th Street, #3
$689,000
Hamilton Heights | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath | 1,050 ft2
555 West 149th Street, #3 (Corcoran Group)
-9.7% | -$70,000
The Sequoia, #3C
$655,000
Lenox Hill | Cooperative | 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath
The Sequoia, #3C (Compass)
206 East 90th Street, #4W (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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