- Type
- Prewar commercial loft conversion
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Doorman
- No doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2005–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf, 2026 to date
- $833
- 1 sale
- Listing discount
- 5.9%
- Recorded sales
- 11
- On record
- 2005–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 143 West 20th Street 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.
This early-twentieth-century loft building retains the broad windows and deep floor plates of Chelsea's former commercial district. Today, a small cooperative fills a twelve-story structure with half-floor and combined full-floor homes, capped by a duplex penthouse whose curved glass rooftop room is an unusually visible residential addition.
Architecture and unit composition
Pale orange brick rises above a two-story rusticated limestone base. Horizontal bands mark the lower floors and the upper façade, while decorative spandrels sit beneath wide window openings. Pilasters frame the top stories, and a cornice completes the main street wall. Retail occupies the ground floor.
The apartments range from smaller lofts of approximately 1,400 to 1,750 square feet to combined floors exceeding 3,000 square feet. The larger plans can accommodate separate living, dining and media areas alongside several bedrooms. Tall ceilings and wide window walls are common features, with northern and southern portions of the building supporting different exposures.
The rooftop duplex was redesigned by Lee F. Mindel and Reed Morrison. A curved stair connects the principal level to a circular glass sitting room and landscaped terrace. Its rounded forms distinguish it from the rectangular lofts below. Interior renovations elsewhere have added central air conditioning and private laundry without producing a uniform apartment specification.
Building operations
A keyed passenger elevator controls residential access, with video intercom entry and a part-time superintendent. There is no doorman. The upper terrace is private to its residence.
The cooperative's existing bulk exceeds the residential FAR listed for its zoning. Its combination of tall commercial floors, ground-floor retail and large residences is part of the inherited building structure.
Policy framework
Pets: Permitted — confirm with the managing agent. Minimum down payment: 20% — confirm with the managing agent.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- No doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Virtual or video entry
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $1,952/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $13
- Modeled exposure split equally across 13 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; how a building allocates a shared cost depends on its governing documents.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the inspector (QEWI) identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair, with repairs due by the deadline stated in the filing. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
Recent sales
Recent transfers at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2026 | 2SN | 5 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,300 sf | $2,750,000 | $833/sf | -6.8% |
| Nov 16, 2023 | 2SN | 4 BR · 3 BA · 4,050 sf | $2,500,000 | $617/sf | -28.5% |
| Jan 20, 2022 | 3N | 1 BR · 1,500 sf | $1,160,000 | $773/sf | -9.0% |
| Nov 16, 2016 | 3N | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,400 sf | $2,275,000 | $1,625/sf | -9.0% |
| Jul 21, 2015 | 10S | 3 BR · 1,750 sf | $3,375,000 | $1,929/sf | +0.0% |
| Feb 19, 2013 | 3N | 1 BR · 1,500 sf | $1,160,000 | $773/sf | -9.0% |
| Jun 2, 2008 | 10S | 3 BR | $2,375,000 | -5.0% | |
| Mar 14, 2006 | 10S | 3 BR | $2,025,000 | -3.3% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $833/sf (recorded) across 1 sale. Median listing discount 5.9% 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 1-00796-0013). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. Not all transactions cross-verify with ACRIS records — sponsor and LLC purchases sometimes record at stipulated values rather than market price; square footage on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What would your apartment rent for?
Enter your apartment and I'll send you what it would rent for, from comparable closed leases at 143 West 20th Street and nearby.
Comparable buildings
- 147 West 22nd Street — A small prewar Chelsea cooperative in a similarly tall loft building.
- Top of the Lofts — Another loft cooperative with a small inventory spread through a tall structure.
- 139 West 19th Street — A nearby prewar cooperative for comparing converted commercial floor plates.
- 40 West 22nd Street — A small prewar cooperative of comparable vertical scale.
- The Hellmuth Building — A larger cooperative loft conversion nearby.
More Chelsea buildings
- 142 West 19th Street (142Flatiron) — 2021 condominium
- 142 West 26th Street — 1911 co-op
- The Myles (142 West 21st Street) — condominium by BKSK Architects
- 144 West 18th Street (The Chainworks Building) — 1910 condominium
- 144 West 27th Street — 1911 condominium
- 146 West 22nd Street (The Paradigm) — 2003 condominium
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Chelsea — read The Roebling Team Guide to Chelsea.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
Considering a move at 143 West 20th Street?
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646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com