197 Spencer Street
197 Spencer Street, between Willoughby and DeKalb avenues · Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
BBL 3017637503 · BIN 3378320
- Year built
- 2004
- Type
- Condominium
- Amenities
- Elevator, shared roof deck, video intercom
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
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, 2026 to date
- $805
- floor-adjusted, 1 sale
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded sales
- 24
- On record
- 2004–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Spencer 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.
The Spencer puts direct elevator access and substantial private outdoor space into a small condominium on a residential Bedford-Stuyvesant block. The brick and aluminum exterior rises above much of the surrounding low-rise streetscape, with balconies and setbacks breaking up its height. Upper homes have terraces and private roof areas; the building also has a shared roof deck.
The Attorney General accepted the new-construction condominium filing in July 2003, and it became effective in May 2004. Its 18-residence inventory includes larger one-bedroom plans, flexible two-bedroom arrangements and duplexes. The G train at Bedford–Nostrand Avenues is about two blocks away.
Architecture and unit composition
The apartments have broad living-and-dining areas with open kitchens, and keyed elevators open directly into homes. Several plans have long interior circulation areas separating bedrooms from the living room. Balconies can extend the main entertaining space, while upper residences have additional outdoor areas off bedrooms or above the apartment.
One-bedroom homes are not all compact: flexible layouts can incorporate an office or an additional enclosed room. The distinction between an original bedroom and a later partition matters here because the advertised bedroom count can change without changing the apartment's footprint. Larger duplex homes at the base provide another layout category within the condominium.
In-unit laundry and central air appear across the residential inventory. Private terraces and the shared roof have different access arrangements; a top-floor home may have outdoor space on more than one level. Those stairs remain part of the home's circulation even with direct elevator entry.
Building operations
The condominium uses video-intercom access. A part-time superintendent has been associated with the building, and the shared roof is a common amenity. The tax benefit is a 25-year program beginning in 2006, with an active benefit on the 2027 roll. Its remaining term belongs in a buyer's ownership budget alongside common charges.
The largest single owner holds one of the 18 residential lots. Ownership is therefore dispersed across the condominium, with no single owner controlling a majority of apartments. The building's existing floor area is above the residential allowance shown for its R6B zoning district.
Policy framework
Pets: Permitted — confirm with the managing agent.
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Common charges + taxes, per room
- $191 per room a monthMedian of 3 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges + taxes, per square foot
- $0.89 per square foot a monthMedian of 3 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
- Full-time doormanSource: recent listing records
- Virtual or video entry
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- Roof deckSource: 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.
Local Law 97
This building is below the 25,000 sq ft threshold at which LL97 limits apply to a building on its own. It is still covered if it shares a tax lot or condominium board with buildings totaling over 50,000 sq ft; confirm on DOB’s covered-buildings list.
See full Local Law 97 analysis →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 2010–15 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2026 | 8B | 1 BR · 1 BA · 891 sf | $800,000 | $898/sf | +10.3% |
| Aug 27, 2024 | 3B | 2 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,041 sf | $975,000 | $937/sf | +0.0% |
| Mar 15, 2024 | 5A | 2 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,176 sf | $950,000 | $808/sf | -2.6% |
| Nov 12, 2021 | 4A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,100 sf | $975,000 | $886/sf | -2.3% |
| Mar 30, 2020 | 6B | 1 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,187 sf | $850,000 | $716/sf | +6.4% |
| Dec 30, 2019 | 1A | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,617 sf | $999,000 | $618/sf | -11.2% |
| Apr 30, 2019 | 9A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 767 sf | $730,000 | $952/sf | -5.1% |
| Dec 22, 2004 | 5ASponsor Sale | 2 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,041 sf | $395,557 | $380/sf | — |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $805/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 0.0% 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 3-01763-7503; 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.
What would your apartment rent for?
Enter your apartment and I'll send you what it would rent for, from comparable closed leases at The Spencer and nearby.
Buying here? Condo closing costs with a mortgage typically run 3 to 6% of the price. See NYC co-op and condo closing costs, line by line.
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Comparable buildings
- 15 Lynch Street: Another small condominium from the early-2000s development cycle, with a vertical residential form.
- 119 Lorimer Street: A similarly scaled condominium with a mid-rise profile in nearby Williamsburg.
- 111 Vanderbilt Avenue: A lower-rise condominium alternative in the Wallabout area.
- 136 Clifton Place: A larger condominium nearby, useful for comparing a broader residential inventory.
- 446 Marcy Avenue: A small mid-rise condominium from the following wave of neighborhood construction.
More Bedford-Stuyvesant buildings
- 192 Spencer Street — 2008 condominium
- 194 Bainbridge Street — condominium
- 197 Quincy Street — 2020 condominium
- 201 Spencer Street — 2004 condominium
- 210 & 216 Pulaski Street — 2017 condominium
- 212 Skillman Street — 2023 condominium
The neighborhood
For the full neighborhood — its buildings, character, and market — read The Roebling Team Guide to Bedford-Stuyvesant.
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 The Spencer?
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646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com