161 North 4th Street (nforth)

Fischer's plan puts nine residences on the ground floor, eleven each on the second and third floors, and six larger residences on the fourth. Unit sizes on the Department of Finance roll run from about 480 square feet to about 1,290, and the size follows the floor. The second and third floors stack identically, eleven residences each from about 480 to 940 square feet. The ground floor and the fourth floor carry the larger residences, most of them between roughly 950 and 1,290 square feet; the fourth-floor units are the top of the building and the ground-floor units sit at the street. Those are different products and trade differently. Several ACRIS unit records carry two letters (2I and 2J, for example), which is consistent with lettering revised during construction or with combinations. Confirm the legal description of any unit against its deed and the floor plans filed with the declaration.

Parking and storage are deeded. Nineteen parking units serve 37 residences, roughly one space for every two apartments, and there are 24 storage units. Each is its own condominium unit with its own deed and its own tax bill, and most are held by residence owners. Because they are separate units, a space does not travel with an apartment unless the contract says so. Ask exactly what conveys, and check the declaration for any limit on who may own one.

The Department of Finance classes the residences as R2, its code for condominium units in a walk-up building. Confirm vertical circulation in person before relying on that classification either way.

The 37-residence, four-story configuration does not establish the operating budget; obtain the current figures. We have no offering plan, financial statements or house rules on file, and no amenity program is documented in the records reviewed beyond the garage and storage. Ask for the latest financial statements, the reserve balance, any assessment history, and the house rules.

At four stories, the building is not subject to Local Law 11, the city's façade inspection program, which applies only to buildings over six stories. The records reviewed for this profile showed no open DOB/ECB violations at that review date; check current records and condition reports before relying on that snapshot. The capital items to ask about in a building approaching twenty years old are the roof membrane, window and terrace waterproofing, and garage drainage and ventilation.

Department of Finance records show a 15-year 421-a exemption on the residences (code 5113, "421A 15 YR NO CAP"). 421-a is the state program that exempted the added value of new construction from property tax for a fixed term. Here the benefit began in 2009/10, ran at full value for eleven years, and stepped down over four, from 2020/21 through 2023/24. It has been zero since 2024/25. No 421-a phase-out remains; future bills still change with assessments, rates and other benefits.

A Northside condominium still inside its 421-a term shows a lower bill today that will rise. The exemption here has no remaining phase-out, though the bill still changes with assessments and rates. Compare carrying costs on a fully taxed basis before comparing prices.

Recent sales

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.

Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $1,925/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. 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 0.6% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.

Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 3-02344-7501; 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.

The 421-a phase-out is over. The abatement ended with 2023/24; future bills still change with assessments and rates. Use the current bill for the specific unit, not an older one.

Price parking and storage separately. Nineteen deeded spaces and 24 storage units serve 37 apartments. If a space matters to you, confirm it is in the contract and has its own deed.

Check the unit's legal description. Some unit records carry two letters. Match the deed, the declaration floor plans and the apartment you are touring.

Get the governing documents. We have not reviewed the offering plan, by-laws or house rules. Pets, leasing, alterations and any transfer contribution should be confirmed from them and from the managing agent.

Present the tax position plainly. The 421-a benefit has fully phased out, so no step-up remains; show the current bill for the unit.

Sell the space with the apartment if you have it. Deeded parking and storage are scarce here, and buyers price them in.

Lead with the location. Between Bedford and Driggs, three blocks from the L, in a four-story building whose actual operating expenses should be compared with specific alternatives.

If you're considering 161 North 4th Street, also evaluate:

• The Rialto (150 North 5th Street) — the 31-residence loft conversion on the same block, whose 421-a has also expired
• Sevenberry (120 North 7th Street) — Karl Fischer's 27-residence four-story condominium with deeded parking, fully taxed since 2024/25
• NV (101 North 5th Street) — Karl Fischer's 40-residence condominium a few blocks west, also fully taxed
• 100 North 3rd Street — a 24-residence condominium from the same post-rezoning cycle, fully taxed since 2024/25
• Lucent Condominium (170 North 11th Street) — a 28-residence Bedford–Driggs condominium with deeded parking and an expired 421-a
• 144 North 8th Street — a fully taxed 41-residence condominium between Bedford and Berry
• 70 Berry Street — a 38-residence Northside condominium with deeded parking and an expired 421-a
• 80 Roebling Street — a 36-residence Karl Fischer walk-up complex east of Driggs, fully taxed since 2022/23