- Year built
- 1988
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 157
- Floors
- 21
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Permitted under condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2001–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,335
- Listing discount
- 1.9%
- Recorded sales
- 171
- On record
- 2001–2026
The Grand Chelsea is the building that gave central Chelsea a full-service condominium address before the neighborhood had one. When 128 Eighth Avenue Associates completed the tower at the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and West 17th Street in 1989, Chelsea was still a low-rise, largely pre-war neighborhood of brownstones, tenement walk-ups, and light-industrial loft blocks. A 21-story doorman condominium with balconies, a landscaped sun deck, and a double-height lobby was an unusual proposition for the corridor — a bet that Chelsea would draw buyers who wanted new-construction convenience without leaving a neighborhood defined by its scale and its history. The building opened into that thesis and has held it for more than three decades.
What followed at Chelsea was the rest of the neighborhood's transformation. The High Line opened in stages beginning in 2009 and pulled a wave of architectural condominiums to the far western blocks. The Meatpacking District matured into a retail and hospitality anchor to the south. Galleries, restaurants, and the reconstruction of the Chelsea waterfront followed. The Grand Chelsea predates all of it — a full-service tower that was already standing, already occupied, and already establishing Eighth Avenue as a residential spine when the newer buildings arrived. Its buyers today acquire a settled, mature condominium in a neighborhood that grew up around it.
The Grand Chelsea's architectural identity is distinct from its High Line-era successors. Where the western Chelsea condominiums pursue glass, steel, and starchitect signatures, James Stewart Polshek's design is a red-brick composition with a grey-brick central band, a seven-story masonry base, and a roofline of punched squares. The building reads as late-1980s New York — solid, contextual, and unmistakably of its moment — rather than as contemporary architecture. Buyers respond differently to that posture: some value the masonry substance and the balconies over the curtainwall aesthetic of the newer stock; others prefer the floor-to-ceiling glass and amenity depth of the recent High Line condominiums.
The location is the building's most durable asset. The southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 17th Street sits at the functional center of Chelsea, a short walk from the A/C/E/L subway hub at Eighth Avenue and 14th Street, the Meatpacking District, the High Line, and the neighborhood's retail and dining core. Buyers who want to be inside Chelsea rather than on its western edge find the position hard to replicate.
Architecture and unit composition
The 157 condominium residences range from one-bedroom units to larger three-bedroom homes. Many apartments feature corner windows, open kitchens, and private balconies, with downtown, Empire State Building, and Hudson Yards sight lines from the upper floors. One-bedroom layouts run from roughly 525 to just under 1,000 square feet; larger two- and three-bedroom configurations occupy the corner and upper-floor positions.
James Stewart Polshek's design produces a red-brick tower set on a seven-story base, with a grey-brick center portion facing the avenue, white bandcourses, balconies with diagonal bracing, and a roofline of punched-out squares. The entrance along 17th Street is marked by large canopies within a two-story section of the base. The result is a contextual, masonry-forward building — a deliberate contrast to the glass condominiums that arrived in western Chelsea two decades later.
Interiors vary by unit and by renovation vintage. Original 1989 finishes remain in some apartments; many others have been renovated by successive owners over three decades of ownership. Balconies, corner exposures, and open kitchens are the recurring value drivers across the stack.
View permanence is meaningful for the upper floors. The building's height relative to much of the surrounding Chelsea streetscape preserves downtown and skyline sight lines from the higher residences, though buyers should confirm exposure and view envelope at the specific apartment level — the corridor has seen selective new development, and view lines vary materially by floor and orientation.
Building operations
The Grand Chelsea operates as a full-service condominium with a 24-hour doorman, porter, live-in superintendent, central laundry, bike room, private storage, and a second-floor landscaped sun deck. Optional health-club access has historically been available to residents. Common charges and property taxes are moderate by Manhattan luxury-condo standards, consistent with a 1989 full-service building rather than a new-construction amenity tower; buyers should confirm current charges and any assessments at the apartment level.
As a building now more than three decades into occupancy, The Grand Chelsea carries the maintenance profile of a mature masonry high-rise — facade, balcony, mechanical, and roof systems that require ongoing capital attention. This is a normal and well-understood profile for a building of its age and construction, materially different from the defect risk associated with recent supertall new construction. Buyers should nonetheless review current building engineering reports, board minutes, reserve study, and any active or planned assessments during due diligence — Local Law 11 facade cycles and balcony inspection requirements apply to a building of this type.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $13,886/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $146,837/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $7 – $78
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
The Grand Chelsea trades as a mature, mid-market Chelsea condominium rather than a trophy asset, and its pricing reflects that. Recent closings have run in the neighborhood of $1,900 per square foot, with active for-sale asking prices clustering somewhat lower — a spread typical of a building where turnover is steady and renovated units command a premium over original-condition inventory. One-bedroom residences have generally transacted between roughly $975,000 and $2.25 million depending on size, floor, exposure, balcony, and renovation quality, with the upper-floor corner and penthouse-line units at the top of that band. Larger two- and three-bedroom homes price above the one-bedroom range. The building's value proposition is location and full-service operation at a price point well below the western Chelsea new-construction condominiums, and that positioning has kept demand steady across market cycles. Pricing at The Grand Chelsea is best read at the apartment level: floor, exposure, balcony, and condition drive meaningful variation across the 157-unit stack.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2026 | 11BC | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,150 sf | $1,995,000 | $1,735/sf | +0.0% |
| Jun 3, 2026 | 11B | 563 sf | $1,995,000 | $3,544/sf | off-mkt |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 12BC | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,300 sf | $1,750,000 | $1,346/sf | -7.9% |
| Jun 9, 2025 | 11F | 1 BR · 1 BA · 587 sf | $1,245,000 | $2,121/sf | -7.4% |
| Jan 7, 2025 | 14E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 575 sf | $1,142,000 | $1,986/sf | -2.8% |
| Sep 12, 2024 | 18G | 1 BR · 1 BA · 645 sf | $1,197,500 | $1,857/sf | off-mkt |
| Aug 30, 2024 | PHC | 1 BR · 2 BA · 1,000 sf | $2,250,000 | $2,250/sf | -1.1% |
| Jul 3, 2024 | 16H | 1 BR · 1 BA · 644 sf | $1,195,000 | $1,856/sf | +0.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,335/sf across 3 sales. Median listing discount 1.9% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
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 1-00766-7502) 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
Understand the building's era and profile. The Grand Chelsea is a 1989 full-service masonry condominium, not a new-construction amenity tower. Buyers who want deep amenity packages — pools, spas, expansive fitness centers — may prefer the western Chelsea and High Line-era condominiums. Buyers who value a settled full-service building at the center of Chelsea, at a price point below the new stock, find the trade-off attractive.
Due diligence on a mature building applies. A building more than three decades into occupancy carries a normal maintenance and capital profile — facade, balcony, roof, and mechanical systems. The Roebling Report's coverage of construction risk and building diligence is in The Cracks in a $90M Penthouse; while its primary example is a supertall, the diligence discipline applies to any building. Review current engineering reports, board minutes, reserve study, and any active or planned assessments.
Condo flexibility is real. 30–45 day closings; foreign buyers welcome; pied-à-terre and investment use permitted under the declaration; subletting allowed.
Mansion tax cliff effects can apply. At the building's larger-unit pricing, the $1M mansion tax threshold applies to most sales, and higher cliff thresholds may apply to the largest homes. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Unit-level condition varies widely. Some apartments retain 1989 finishes; many have been renovated over three decades. Condition, balcony, exposure, and floor drive pricing more than the building average does — evaluate each apartment on its own terms.
Carrying cost is moderate. Model the full monthly carry (common charges + property taxes + utilities + insurance); the building's costs are reasonable for its class but should be confirmed at the apartment level.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing targets a local, functional buyer. The Grand Chelsea's buyer pool is largely New York-based — end users and pied-à-terre buyers who want central Chelsea and full-service operation. Marketing should lead with location, service, and the specific apartment's exposure, balcony, and condition.
Renovation quality is part of the story. In a building with three decades of mixed unit vintages, condition drives price. Renovated, turn-key apartments command a premium; sellers should present condition clearly and price accordingly.
Pricing requires apartment-level context. Comparable sales at The Grand Chelsea are plentiful but heterogeneous — floor, exposure, balcony, layout, and renovation quality all drive pricing variation across the stack.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract signing to closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Grand Chelsea, also evaluate:
- Full-service Chelsea condominiums — other doorman condominiums in the Chelsea corridor offering comparable service and location
- Western Chelsea / High Line new construction — glass-and-steel condominiums with deeper amenity packages at higher price points
- Chelsea loft conversions — pre-war and industrial conversions offering larger floor plates and neighborhood character
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Chelsea — read The Roebling Team Guide to Chelsea.
Considering a move at The Grand Chelsea?
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 The Grand Chelsea 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.