- Year built
- 1927
- Type
- Condominium
- Floors
- 18
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Permitted
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $951
- Listing discount
- 3.0%
- Recorded sales
- 108
- On record
- 2004–2026
The Cass Gilbert is the rare Manhattan condominium that is, literally, a one-of-one: an individually landmarked Assyrian Revival loft tower by the architect of the Woolworth Building, carrying winged lions, palm friezes, and chariot hunts in polychrome terra cotta up a ziggurat of setbacks. Gilbert designed it in 1927 as the S.J.M. Building — speculative showrooms and lofts for the Fur District, named for the fur merchant Salomon J. Manne — and never explained the Assyrian program beyond remarking that he liked "to develop a ziggurat in the style which seems best adapted to the purpose." The city's architectural record treats it as a minor masterwork: the critic Christopher Gray, writing in The New York Times in 2004, called its ornamental program "one of the brightest spots in the area," and the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated it an individual landmark in November 2001.
The designation itself created the condominium. The landmarking landed days before developer Henry Justin closed on his 2000 acquisition, bringing preservation obligations the building's commercial rents could not carry — so Justin converted the upper floors to 45 residential condominiums, completed in 2003–04, and renamed the building for its architect with the blessing of Gilbert's grandson. The press at the time reported the units selling out within sixty days; the plan's fourth amendment on file in The Roebling Research Library shows the more precise picture — 30 residential closings by November 2004, with all but two units spoken for — which is still one of the faster absorption stories of that conversion cycle.
The building's third act arrived at its base: in 2011, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah — the city's flagship LGBT synagogue — purchased the commercial space for $7 million and built an Architecture Research Office-designed sanctuary behind the gold-pinstriped glass storefront, opening in 2016 to coverage in The New York Times and the architectural press. For residents, the practical result is a landmarked, institutionally anchored base and a building whose street presence is maintained to museum standard.
Architecture and unit composition
The facade is the asset, and it is protected: brick elevations banded with Atlantic Terra Cotta friezes — winged lions alternating with horses' and humans' heads, palm-tree dividers, chariot-hunt panels in mirror image over the travertine-framed entrances, and corner panels bearing the Mesopotamian demon Lamashtu — wrapping setbacks above the 10th, 14th, and 17th stories. Exterior work runs through Landmarks review, which is both the guarantee of the building's character and a scheduling reality for owners planning window or terrace work.
Inside, the 45 residences are true loft conversions in 21 different layouts — predominantly two- and three-bedrooms with roughly 11-foot ceilings, oversized multi-paned windows, washer/dryers, and unit-controlled central air, finished at conversion with Calacatta marble kitchens and premium appliances. The setback floors carry the building's distinctive units: terraced lines above the 10th-floor setback, a full-floor residence of roughly 3,850 square feet with some 900 square feet of terraces, and two duplex penthouses under 18-foot ceilings. Mid-block siting gives the north-facing lines protected light over the low police-precinct building next door; upper floors clear the surrounding loft fabric in most directions.
Building operations
The Cass Gilbert runs as a boutique doorman condominium — attended lobby (verify current staffing hours), live elevator core, and the essential services, without an amenity floor: no gym, no garage, no common roof deck documented in current records. Common charges price the lean model accordingly. The commercial base is institutionally held by the synagogue rather than rotating retail, a stability factor worth noting in diligence. The offering plan and amendments are on file in The Roebling Research Library; current financial statements should be requested through the managing agent.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $40,167/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $74
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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 29, 2026 | 4C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,064 sf | $1,878,215 | $910/sf | -5.9% |
| Dec 24, 2025 | 3B | 2 BR · 3 BA · 2,150 sf | $2,250,000 | $1,047/sf | -6.1% |
| Nov 3, 2025 | 19A | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 2,988 sf | $2,999,999 | $1,004/sf | -25.0% |
| Oct 20, 2025 | C11 | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,055 sf | $2,300,000 | $1,119/sf | -1.3% |
| Nov 5, 2025 | 5C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,064 sf | $1,800,000 | $872/sf | off-mkt |
| Aug 12, 2025 | 11C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,055 sf | $2,300,000 | $1,119/sf | off-mkt |
| Jun 2, 2025 | 10C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 2,055 sf | $2,240,000 | $1,090/sf | -2.4% |
| Jan 2, 2025 | 17A | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,256 sf | $2,807,000 | $1,244/sf | -6.3% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $951/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 3.0% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2004 | 7C | $1,150,000 |
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 1-00805-7501) 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
You are buying a landmark with condo mechanics. An individually designated Cass Gilbert facade with condominium transfer flexibility — no board interview, 10 percent minimum down per listing records, permissive structures typical of condo ownership. That combination is genuinely scarce below 34th Street.
Price the corridor honestly. West 30th between Sixth and Seventh is a working block — wholesale remnants of the fur and flower trades, heavy daytime traffic, and the energy (and grit) of the Penn District's ongoing redevelopment a few blocks north. The discount to Madison Square Park pricing is the compensation; visit at multiple hours.
Landmark review shapes envelope work. Interior renovations are conventional; windows, terraces, and anything visible from the street run through the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Budget timeline accordingly and review the building's alteration history during diligence.
The synagogue base is a stability feature, not a variable. The congregation owns its space and invested heavily in it; expect periodic event activity at the ground floor and a meticulously kept streetscape. Buyers sensitive to ground-floor institutional use should visit on a Friday evening.
Verify the operations stack. Doorman hours, current common charges, and the flip-tax question are thinly documented publicly. We verify against the offering plan, amendments, and managing-agent records during diligence.
What to know if you’re selling
Market the provenance with precision. Cass Gilbert, 1928, Atlantic Terra Cotta, individual landmark, one of three Assyrian-ornamented buildings in the city and the only one ornamented head to toe — this is the best architectural narrative in the neighborhood. Buyers for this building respond to specifics, not adjectives.
Sell the layout scarcity. With 21 layouts across 45 units, most lines have no direct same-stack comparable. Anchor pricing to the unit's specific attributes — setback terraces, ceiling height, light plane — against the broader Chelsea-NoMad loft set.
Position the value case against the named conversions. Your buyer is cross-shopping Madison Square Park and Chelsea conversion stock at materially higher per-foot pricing. The pitch: equivalent loft fabric and a superior facade at a 20-to-30-percent-lower basis, with the Penn District's redevelopment narrowing the gap block by block.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 130 West 30th Street, also evaluate:
- Chelsea Mercantile (252 Seventh Avenue) — the corridor's benchmark large-scale pre-war loft conversion, two blocks southwest
- 212 Fifth Avenue — NoMad's trophy pre-war conversion on Madison Square Park; the prestige step-up
- The Grand Madison (225 Fifth Avenue) — park-facing NoMad conversion; the established condo alternative east
- The O'Neill Building (655 Sixth Avenue) — landmarked cast-iron conversion; the closest like-for-like landmark-condo proposition
- Walker Tower (212 West 18th Street) — the Art Deco conversion that sets Chelsea's pre-war price ceiling
- 15 Madison Square North (1107 Broadway) — Madison Square Park loft conversion; the higher-amenity alternative
- 45 East 22nd Street — Flatiron's new-construction tower; the contemporary alternative at a higher basis
- 15 Hudson Yards — the full-amenity new-development alternative west
The Roebling Team at The Cass Gilbert
The Roebling Team at Compass works Chelsea, NoMad, and the broader Midtown South loft-conversion market as a core practice area. We publish this building profile because Cass Gilbert buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — landmark mechanics, conversion documentation, and loft-stock comparables — not generic neighborhood commentary.
If you're considering a transaction at 130 West 30th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Chelsea — read The Roebling Team Guide to Chelsea.
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