- Year built
- 1909
- Type
- Condominium
- Landmark
- No
111 William Street is one of the cleaner examples of how the Financial District turned itself into a residential neighborhood. The structure began as a 1909 commercial loft building — beige brick over a rusticated red-brick base — that spent most of its life as offices a block from the old insurance-and-banking core. In 2005 it was converted to a 74-unit condominium, with three new setback floors added at the top to create a tier of penthouses with terraces. The result is a building that reads, from the street, as exactly what it is: a sturdy pre-war commercial frame given a second life as loft housing.
For buyers, the appeal is twofold. The bones are genuinely old — generous floor plates, large windows, and the proportions that only a purpose-built loft delivers — while the ownership structure is the more flexible condominium form rather than a co-op. That combination is the Financial District's signature, and 111 William is a representative, mid-sized version of it: large enough to support a full-time concierge and amenities, small enough to stay quiet.
Architecture and unit composition
The original building is a thirteen-story masonry loft: a one-story rusticated red-brick base supporting beige brick above, with large white metal spandrels marking the window lines — the visual vocabulary of early-twentieth-century commercial Lower Manhattan. The 2005 conversion preserved that frame and added three floors of setback construction at the crown, which is where the building's terraced penthouses sit; many of those upper homes carry private balconies and outdoor space.
Inside, the 74 residences run the loft register — open layouts, high ceilings, and oversized windows characteristic of a converted commercial floor plate — across one- and two-bedroom homes with the larger and outdoor-equipped units concentrated near the top. The lobby was rebuilt around a media lounge that faces a planted interior garden, an unusually green touch for a corner Financial District building.
Building operations
111 William runs as a full-service condominium: a 24-hour concierge and attended lobby, a fitness center, the garden-facing media lounge, and a resident superintendent. As a condominium, the building offers the ownership flexibility the form is known for — financing latitude, pied-à-terre and investor ownership, and a lighter purchase process than a co-op board package — with subletting and resale governed by the condominium's bylaws rather than a board interview. Buyers should review the bylaws and house rules for the specifics, but the structural advantages of condominium ownership apply here.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $57,323/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $65
Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into for you.
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
With 74 residences, 111 William produces a steady, moderate flow of resales rather than a thin trickle — a building of this size typically turns over a handful of homes in an active year. Pricing tracks the Financial District loft-condominium market: one- and two-bedroom homes priced by floor, light, and outdoor space, with the terraced penthouses commanding the premium tier. Our /sales record for the building is wired to its tax lot and reflects recorded transfers as they post; for current value we benchmark a specific unit against comparable Financial District conversions rather than building-wide averages.
What to know if you’re buying
The condominium structure is the headline advantage. Financing is flexible, the purchase clears through a right-of-first-refusal rather than a co-op board, and pied-à-terre, LLC, trust, and investor ownership are customary at condominiums of this type. Within the building, the variables that move price are floor and light — the setback penthouses and their terraces are the scarce inventory — and the loft layouts reward buyers who want open volume over a carved-up pre-war plan. The Financial District location puts nearly every downtown subway line, the Fulton Transit Center, and the Seaport within a short walk, which matters for both lifestyle and resale.
What to know if you’re selling
A resale here markets on three things: the condominium flexibility, the loft proportions of a true converted commercial floor plate, and — for the top-tier homes — private outdoor space, which is genuinely scarce in the Financial District. Benchmark to other downtown loft conversions rather than to ground-up glass towers; the buyer for 111 William is choosing character and volume. Condominium closing mechanics are faster and more predictable than a co-op's, which is itself a selling point to the financing- and flexibility-minded buyer this building draws.
Comparable buildings
If you're weighing 111 William Street, also look at these Financial District and downtown loft and conversion peers:
- 130 William Street — a sculptural condominium tower a block away
- 119 Fulton Street — Financial District condominium nearby
- 150 Nassau Street — pre-war office-to-residential conversion
- 20 Pine Street — landmark conversion condominium downtown
- 55 Liberty Street — pre-war Financial District residential conversion
The Roebling Team at 59 John Lofts
The Roebling Team at Compass works the Financial District and the downtown loft-conversion market closely — buildings where ownership structure, floor plate, and outdoor space drive value more than any single comp. We publish this profile so buyers and sellers at 111 William have building-specific intelligence before they transact.
If you're considering a purchase or sale here, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point — we'll benchmark the unit, the building, and the comparison set with you.
Get the full picture on this building.
Current availability including off-market, the full comp set, and the board & financials read most listings don't show.