Blue (103 Norfolk Street)
103–105 Norfolk Street, New York, NY 10002
Lower East Side
BBL 1003537501 · BIN 1087502
- Year built
- 2007
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 30
- Floors
- 16
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pets permitted under the condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2007–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,251
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 94
- On record
- 2007–2026
Blue is the building that announced contemporary architecture's arrival on the Lower East Side. Designed by Bernard Tschumi — the architect and theorist best known for the Parc de la Villette in Paris and the Acropolis Museum in Athens — it was his first residential high-rise, and it reads like a manifesto. Rising on the former parking lot of Ratner's, the legendary kosher dairy restaurant on Delancey Street, the tower asserts itself against a streetscape of five- and six-story brick tenements with an angular, faceted form sheathed in blue glass.
For a downtown buyer, Blue offers a rare combination: a genuinely significant piece of architecture, condominium ownership flexibility, and a position at the center of a neighborhood that has become one of Manhattan's most dynamic. The building was also among the first on the Lower East Side to offer a full-time doorman — a service level that signaled the area's shift toward a more amenitized residential market.
Building operations
Blue runs as a full-service condominium. Residents have a 24-hour doorman and concierge, two common roof decks, a bike room, private storage, and refrigerated cold-storage for deliveries, served by two elevators. The full-time staffing was a distinguishing feature when the building opened and remains part of its appeal in a neighborhood where most buildings are smaller, self-managed walk-ups and conversions.
As a condominium, ownership is structurally flexible: purchases clear through a board's right of first refusal rather than a co-op admissions process, financing is not capped the way it is at cooperatives, and pied-à-terre, LLC, trust, and investment purchases are customary. Subletting is materially freer than at a co-op. Specific financial terms a board may set — and any subletting administrative rules — should be confirmed at offer stage.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $22,872/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $64
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent). Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library.
See the full facade history →Recent sales
Blue trades as a boutique architectural condominium. Inventory is mostly one- and two-bedroom residences plus the duplex penthouse, and resale pricing has generally run in the range of roughly $900,000 for smaller homes to the low millions for larger and higher-floor units. Because the building is small — about 30 residences — turnover is light, with a handful of closings in an active year. Pricing here is driven by the architecture, the light and views, and the full-service profile rather than by the broad Lower East Side per-foot average. Condos price on $/sf; capture the exact square footage and exposure of any specific unit when underwriting a purchase or a list price.
Recent closings at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. Apartment-level facts are independently verified before publishing; sale prices reflect the recorded transfer amount at the NYC Department of Finance.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2026 | 7A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 790 sf | $988,000 | $1,251/sf | -0.7% |
| Dec 12, 2025 | 6A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 787 sf | $999,000 | $1,269/sf | -8.8% |
| Aug 21, 2025 | 10A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 790 sf | $1,225,000 | $1,551/sf | -5.7% |
| Jul 9, 2025 | 8A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 786 sf | $1,040,000 | $1,323/sf | -5.0% |
| Mar 18, 2024 | 3A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 787 sf | $987,500 | $1,255/sf | -3.7% |
| Nov 8, 2023 | 7B | 1 BR · 1 BA · 1,052 sf | $913,500 | $868/sf | -23.7% |
| Dec 20, 2022 | 7B | 1 BR · 1 BA · 1,052 sf | $1,902,759 | $1,809/sf | off-mkt |
| Dec 20, 2022 | 7B | 1 BR · 1 BA · 1,052 sf | $1,902,760 | $1,809/sf | off-mkt |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,251/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 0.0% from the last ask.
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
Full closing history with price-per-square-foot over time, the complete retrade record, and every line that has traded.
Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 1-00353-7501) and verified listing data. Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified by The Roebling Team research desk. Not all transactions cross-verify with ACRIS records — sponsor and LLC purchases sometimes record at stipulated values rather than market price; square footage from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What to know if you’re buying
This is a condominium, so the path is lighter than a co-op: a right-of-first-refusal process rather than a board interview, uncapped financing, and broad latitude for pied-à-terre and investment ownership. The diligence is building- and apartment-specific. Because the building is a 2007 curtain-wall tower, review the financials, reserve, and any planned capital work on the facade and building systems, and read the offering plan for the specifics of each unit's volume, exposure, and outdoor access.
The reasons to buy are singular: a Bernard Tschumi–designed address, floor-to-ceiling light, a full-time doorman, common roof decks, and a position steps from Essex Crossing, Essex Market, and the Williamsburg Bridge in a neighborhood whose restaurant and gallery density now rivals anywhere downtown.
What to know if you’re selling
The architecture is the story, and it should be told precisely. The Tschumi authorship, the blue curtain wall, and the full-service profile are durable differentiators that distinguish a home here from a conventional Lower East Side condominium. The comparable set is recent closings in the building and in the small cohort of design-forward downtown condominiums — adjusted for the wide variation in floor, exposure, and outdoor space.
Because the residences are few and heterogeneous, pricing is an apartment-specific exercise rather than a per-foot average. We position the architectural narrative, photograph the light and the views, and benchmark against the right comparable tier. A condominium resale clears on a faster, more predictable timeline than a co-op — itself a selling point to the flexibility-minded buyer this building attracts.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering Blue, also look at these design-forward Lower East Side and downtown condominiums:
- 196 Orchard — boutique Lower East Side condominium nearby
- 215 Chrystie Street — design-forward Lower East Side condominium
- 183 Chrystie Street — new-construction downtown condominium peer
- 7 Essex Street — Lower East Side condominium near Essex Crossing
- 40 Bond Street — Herzog & de Meuron 2007; nearby NoHo architectural condominium
Considering a move at Blue?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at Blue would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.