144 North 8th Street
144 North 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
BBL 3023197501 · BIN 3061917
- Year built
- 2011
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 41
- Floors
- 14
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Doorman
- Requires confirmation
Every recorded sale at this building, 2012–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf, 2026 to date
- $2,026
- floor-adjusted, 2 sales
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 67
- On record
- 2012–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 144 North 8th 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.
A 14-story tower rises mid-block among three- and four-story row houses, a short walk from the Bedford Avenue L. It exists because of timing. The project was filed in 2004 under R6 zoning. The Greenpoint–Williamsburg rezoning, adopted by the City Council on May 11, 2005, remapped this midblock to contextual R6B, which caps new buildings far below this height. Ground had already been broken, and per press accounts a Board of Standards and Appeals approval let the tower finish under the old rules. PLUTO maps the entire block R6B today, which limits new building height under current zoning; zoning can change, and upper-floor views depend on floor, position and exposure, not on a protected right.
The history is what gave the building its nickname. The original developer stalled the tower at about ten stories and lost it to lenders. GFI Capital took it over through Gabriel Realty LLC, redesigned it at 14 stories (two below the 16 in the original filing), and replaced planned rooftop mechanicals with a planted green roof. The architect of the original design was Robert Scarano Jr., whose Brooklyn towers of that era were a recurring subject of press coverage and DOB enforcement. The Finger Building was one of the most widely covered.
The sale went quickly. Press in January 2012 reported 70 percent of the 41 apartments in contract after a few months of marketing. ACRIS shows the sponsor closing essentially the whole building between April and June 2012. There is no sponsor inventory today. Every apartment is held by an individual owner or that owner's LLC or trust.
Architecture and unit composition
The tower is a slender tan shaft rising from a ground-floor commercial base. Because the site is mid-block, residents enter through a passage to the lobby. The offering plan describes new construction over an existing one-story commercial building. DOB's 2004 filings covered partial demolition, excavation and new foundations beneath it.
The apartments run in lettered lines: two on the second floor, four (A through D) from the third through eighth floors, and three from the ninth through twelfth. Above them are PH1-A and PH1-B, and PH2 takes the whole top level. The sponsor delivered in-unit laundry appliances. The line-by-line bedroom mix is set out in the offering plan's schedule, which is on file. From about the fourth floor up, the views are the product: open outlooks over low-rise North Williamsburg to the Manhattan skyline, and east and north across Brooklyn and Queens.
Building operations
The building is a 41-apartment condominium with a superintendent and a virtual doorman (a remote attendant service) rather than a staffed lobby. The plan's first-year budget included a porter and a parking attendant. The board of managers owns the parking unit and administers the 29 licensed spaces.
The ground-floor community-facility and commercial units are separately owned. They pay common charges on their own allocation, which the plan set by expected use for each group of units. Ask for the current budget split, and for any agreements covering the commercial unit's use of the building's systems.
The building is now about fourteen years old, the age at which new construction starts needing capital work. Interrogate the waterproofing on the second-floor terrace and green roof, the façade under LL11 (the city's periodic façade-inspection law), and the reserve position.
The tax position
This is the most important carrying-cost fact in the building. Department of Finance records show a 15-year 421-a exemption (code 5113, "15 YR NO CAP") on every residential lot, with a benefit start of 2009. The offering plan notes the project was vested for 421-a because its footings and foundation were poured before the June 30, 2008 deadline. The exemption shrank over its final years and dropped to zero on the 2023/24 roll. Owners have paid fully assessed taxes since.
For buyers, that means the 421-a has no remaining phase-out; future bills still change with assessments, rates and other benefits. Comparing it with Williamsburg condominiums still inside a 421-a term, particularly the 25-year waterfront benefits, requires adjusting for how much of their abatement remains. The commercial and community-facility units carry their own separate 25-year exemption from 2008, which does not reach the apartments.
Policy framework
Sales and leasing: Unusually open. The offering plan says an owner may sell or lease a unit to anyone, subject only to civil-rights laws. The sale-and-lease conditions in Article 7 of the by-laws apply, and a unit cannot be sold, leased or mortgaged until its common charges and liens are paid. Confirm whether any amendment since 2012 added a right of first refusal (the board's option to buy the unit on the contract terms) or a minimum lease term, and what the current application fees are.
Pets: The house rules require the board's written consent for any animal.
Parking: Spaces are licenses running with the parking unit, which the board holds. A space is not deeded real property. Confirm whether a license transfers with a particular apartment.
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Common charges + taxes, per room
- $590 per room a monthMedian of 7 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges + taxes, per square foot
- $1.97 per square foot a monthMedian of 8 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
Common charges plus real estate taxes, combined into one monthly figure the way New York condominium listings show them. Add a mortgage payment for the monthly outlay. A summary of recorded sales, not a current bill; charges change.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Requires confirmationSources differ. Confirm with building management.
- Concierge
- YesSource: recent listing records
- Virtual or video entry
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of Buildings elevator records
- Amenities noted
- Fitness roomSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
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.
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. A filed Safe grade is not a guarantee of current condition: owners still maintain the facade and, where required, observe parapets each year. Future inspection timing (Local Law 49 of 2025 changed the cycle framework from October 1, 2026), repair and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
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 2015–20 to 2025–30. 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
144 North 8th Street trades as new-development condominium product in dollars per square foot. Its peers are the Northside's post-2005 condominiums. The waterfront towers are a separate market. Include floor and exposure in the comparison: the tower rises above nearby low-rise buildings, but zoning and height alone do not establish a steeper price premium than waterfront towers. Use dated, matched sales and apartment-specific views. Also compare taxes: this building's taxes are fully phased in, while many Northside comparables are still abated. Unit-level transaction history is maintained in The Roebling Research Library and shared with clients during diligence.
Recent closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2026 | 12A | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,438 sf | $3,300,000 | $2,295/sf | +1.5% |
| Jul 17, 2026 | 4B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,152 sf | $1,970,000 | $1,710/sf | +1.0% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 10B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,194 sf | $2,150,000 | $1,801/sf | — |
| Oct 8, 2025 | 8A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,116 sf | $2,250,000 | $2,016/sf | +12.8% |
| Jun 9, 2025 | 4A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,116 sf | $1,795,000 | $1,608/sf | +0.0% |
| Apr 2, 2025 | 6A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,116 sf | $1,690,000 | $1,514/sf | -11.1% |
| Dec 20, 2024 | PH2 | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 2,144 sf | $4,550,000 | $2,122/sf | -1.6% |
| Mar 1, 2024 | 3C | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,186 sf | $1,765,000 | $1,488/sf | -9.5% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $2,026/sf (floor-adjusted) across 2 sales. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. 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 3-02319-7501; each condominium apartment is its own tax lot). 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
Closed rents at 144 North 8th Street, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 3 | $6,000 |
| 2 bedroom | 5 | $8,990 |
8 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease October 2025. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
What would your apartment rent for?
The figures above are the building's closed leases. Enter your apartment and I'll send you what yours would rent for, from comparable leases at 144 North 8th Street and nearby.
At the recent median sale of $2.15M (7 sales in the past 24 months, since November 10, 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $90,881 to close, or 4.2% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $26,875
- Mortgage recording tax: $31,041
- Title insurance: $9,675
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $23,290
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
Keep up with 144 North 8th Street and its market
The Roebling Report, monthly: Manhattan sales data and analysis, including buildings like 144 North 8th Street. Unsubscribe anytime.
We’ll use your email for The Roebling Report and note your interest in this building. See our privacy policy.
What to know if you’re buying
The 421-a is over. Use the current bill. The benefit ended after 2022/23; future bills still change with assessments and rates. Compare carrying costs on a fully taxed basis against abated peers before comparing prices.
Pay for the floor, not the address. Views from low floors are ordinary. Views from upper floors cannot be replicated on this block under current zoning.
Read the parking license. A space here is a license under a unit the board owns. Understand its term, fee and transferability.
Ask about the second-floor terrace and green roof. Both sit over occupied space and are the likely source of future capital work.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the height and the reason for it. The 2005 rezoning made this the last building of its kind on the block. Present the views by floor and exposure; zoning does not protect a view.
Address the taxes directly. Show your tax bill as a known figure against a comparable's rising one.
Use the nickname only if the buyer raises it. The address has been the building's name since 2012; assess the specific floor, exposure, condition and current competing inventory when pricing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 144 North 8th Street, also evaluate:
- 49 North 8th Street (North8): the 40-residence Toll Brothers condominium on the same street at Kent Avenue
- 150 North 5th Street (The Rialto): an off-Bedford loft condominium whose 421-a has also expired
- 110 North 1st Street: a 38-residence Northside condominium of similar size
- 215 North 10th Street (NX): a 31-unit Northside condominium over a commercial base, with no abatement
- 125 North 10th Street: an 86-unit Northside condominium with garage parking
- 214 North 11th Street (Warehouse 11): a 120-unit Northside condominium of the same cycle
- 80 Metropolitan Avenue: a 2008 condominium of townhouses and a tower, south of the Bedford spine
- 85 North 3rd Street (The Mill Building): a loft conversion a few blocks south, for the new-versus-loft comparison
More Williamsburg buildings
- 143 Meserole Street — 2015 condominium
- 143 South 8th Street (Long Island Business College) — 1891 co-op
- 144 Middleton Street, 144 Middleton Street · Williamsburg — 2002 condominium
- 145 Conselyea Street — condominium
- 147 Hope Street — 2017 condominium
- 15 Lynch Street — 2005 condominium
The neighborhood
For the full neighborhood — its buildings, character, and market — read The Roebling Team Guide to Williamsburg.
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 144 North 8th Street?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com