Pomander Walk in NYC suddenly has several homes for sale

For more than a century, Pomander Walk has been one of New York’s most secretive enclaves — a gated row of Tudor-style cottages tucked between West 94th and 95th streets that feels more English village than Manhattan block. Sales inside the 27-home co-op are notoriously rare. 

Years can pass without a single offering. Yet in recent months, three units have hit the market nearly at once, a flurry of activity for a community that usually trades in whispers.

The newest listing, a one-bedroom, one-bath residence at 10 Pomander Walk asking $895,000, is being marketed as a “storybook retreat” complete with a west-facing living room overlooking a private garden and custom millwork. A windowed kitchen and bath round out the unit. It’s represented by Joan Kagan and Scarlett Buford of Compass.

That listing joins two separate one-bedrooms inside a corner cottage, each priced at $699,000, and a duplex that appeared in September for $1.39 million. 

Earlier this year, a one-bedroom that had been asking $749,000 entered contract in less than a month.

For Natalie Weiss, a Nest Seekers agent who grew up there and has sold roughly 20 homes along the lane, the streak is less trend than coincidence. 

“There will be years when nothing comes on the market and then something will happen like a pandemic and three or four will come up. It’s always about timing,” she said, pointing out that in 2024 there were no sales, and between 2017 and 2019, the enclave also sat idle.

Weiss knows the block better than most. 

“I was born and raised on the walk. My family was there for slightly under 50 years,” she said. After her father passed away, her mother left for a building with an elevator, but Weiss still returns often and maintains ties to longtime residents. 

“I no longer live there, but I’m still so invested. My family only left about eight years ago. And I’m still selling units on the walk. So I’m there all the time and my friends still live there.”

Life on Pomander Walk has always carried a sense of escape from the rest of the city. 

Built in 1921 by Irish developer Thomas Healy, the lane was inspired by Louis N. Parker’s 1910 play “Pomander Walk,” which depicted a group of neighbors along the River Thames. 

Over time, the Manhattan version developed its own cast: Humphrey Bogart, Rosalind Russell and Lillian Gish were among the stars who once lived here.

The enclave remains a landmarked slice of nostalgia. 

Weiss recalls childhood evenings in the 1970s when neighbors would gather in the central courtyard. 

“Before everybody had air conditioning, between maybe May and September at 5:00 p.m., was cocktail hour … many of the residents would gather in the center of the walk, particularly the older ladies and have their martinis and their little snacks out,” she said. 

While such rituals have faded, the gardens still serve as a social hub, with residents spotted on Sunday mornings sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.

The atmosphere has shifted as the resident mix evolved from theater personalities and retirees to more families and professionals. 

“Now they still have little gatherings on the walk, but it’s just a different lifestyle than people live now,” Weiss said. 

Still, she insists the allure endures. 

“People love the idea that it’s secluded and there are these beautiful gardens, and you can sit there peacefully and you barely hear a pin drop from the street. I kid you not. It’s so wonderful.”

For buyers, the current wave of listings offers a rare window into a micro-neighborhood where scarcity has always defined value. 

“It’s more about having something special and unique and that’s something that nobody else has, but something that’s so hard to come by,” Weiss said.