Condominium · 1907
The Varitype Building
2 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014
Buildings·Condominium

2 Cornelia Street

2 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014

At a glance
Year built
1907
Type
Condominium
Landmark
Designated

2 Cornelia Street is one of Greenwich Village's genuine landmarks — a turreted, wedge-shaped tower that fills the acute corner where Cornelia meets West 4th, its triangular plan a smaller cousin to the Flatiron a mile north. Built in 1907 and long known as the Varitype Building, it is so emblematic of the Village skyline that it appears at the center of John Sloan's 1922 Ashcan School painting The City from Greenwich Village, now in the National Gallery of Art. Converted to condominiums in 1982 by Robert and Roger Fisher, it offers something rare: an architecturally significant pre-war address with the ownership flexibility of a condominium, in the heart of the Village.

The form is the appeal. The wedge plan produces apartments with unusual geometry, dramatic corner windows, and light from multiple exposures, and the 12-story height delivers open views over the low-rise Village rooftops. For a buyer who wants character and a story rather than a glass box — and who values being able to finance, sublet, and own through an entity more freely than at a co-op — 2 Cornelia is a singular building.

Architecture and unit composition

The building's defining feature is its triangular footprint, capped by a turret at the apex — a silhouette that has anchored this stretch of the Village for more than a century. The 43 residences inherit that geometry: angled rooms, generous windows, and corner light that conventional rectangular plans cannot offer. The architecture is intentionally spare inside the public spaces, letting the strong masonry form and the views do the work. Homes range across one- and two-bedroom scales, with the upper-floor and turret-adjacent units carrying the most distinctive layouts and the best sightlines over the surrounding district.

As a condominium within the Greenwich Village Historic District, exterior work is subject to landmark review, which preserves the building's protected silhouette — part of what makes the address durable.

Building operations

2 Cornelia runs as a well-staffed condominium for its size: full-time door attendants, a live-in resident manager, a recently renovated central laundry room, private storage, and a rooftop terrace with commanding 360-degree views of the Village and the downtown and Midtown skylines. As a condominium, it offers the advantages Village buyers prize — flexible financing, a right-of-first-refusal rather than a co-op board package, and customary latitude for pied-à-terre, LLC, trust, and investment ownership, with subletting freer than at the neighborhood's pre-war cooperatives. The building is generally pet-friendly. The shared roof terrace is the social heart of the building and one of its strongest selling points.

Local Law 97

Carbon-penalty exposure
🟠
Material — penalties in current period, escalating in 2030
2024–2029 annual penalty
$299/yr
2030–2034 annual penalty
$54,696/yr
Per unit / month range
$1 – $106
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →

Facade safety — Local Law 11

Local Law 11 / FISP · last inspection 2020–25
Safe
What this means for you

The facade passed its last inspection with no required repairs — nothing to budget for here, and no facade assessment on the horizon for roughly five years.

Inspection history
2005–10
SWARMP
2010–15
Safe
2015–20
Safe
2020–25
Safe
2025–30
Due
Next report due
by Feb 2027
On record
$3,000 in filing penalties
The three grades, in buyer terms
SafeGood for ~5 years — no facade assessment on the horizon.
SWARMPSafe now, repairs due on a deadline — budget for the work or a possible assessment.
UnsafeActive hazard: sidewalk shed and repairs now. Expect disruption and an assessment.

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

With 43 residences in a tightly held landmark, 2 Cornelia turns over only a handful of times a year. Pricing is driven by the apartment's specific geometry and light — the wedge plan means no two homes are quite alike — as well as floor, exposure, and proximity to the turret. The building's architectural significance and Village location support durable value through market cycles, and well-positioned upper-floor homes with strong light and views sit at the top of the building's range. Buyers should underwrite each unit individually; the auto-updating sales record on this building's /sales page reflects recorded transfers as they post.

What to know if you’re buying

This is a condominium purchase, which clears through a right-of-first-refusal rather than a co-op board interview — a faster, lighter path that is one of the building's structural advantages. Financing is flexible and entity and pied-à-terre purchases are customary. Because the homes are shaped by the building's triangular plan, the most important diligence is the apartment itself: confirm the light, the angled-room layout, and the views of the specific unit, and review the condominium's financials, reserve fund, and any building projects with your attorney. Buyers drawn to the character of a true Village landmark will find no real substitute on this corner.

What to know if you’re selling

The selling story writes itself: an iconic, painted-into-art-history Village tower with a roof terrace, full-time staff, and condominium flexibility. Lead with the architecture — the wedge form, the turret, the corner light — and with the building's place in the Village's visual identity. Price against other character-rich Greenwich Village and West Village condominiums rather than against generic new construction; this building competes on story and form, not on amenity count. Because inventory is scarce and the address is unmistakable, a well-prepared listing here draws concentrated, motivated interest.

Comparable buildings

If you're considering 2 Cornelia Street, these nearby Village and West Village condominiums and lofts are a useful comparison set:

The Roebling Team at The Varitype Building

The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Greenwich Village, the West Village, and the downtown condominium and loft market. We publish this profile because a landmark like 2 Cornelia rewards buyers and sellers who understand how to value architecture, light, and story — not just square footage. If you're considering a transaction here, a 30-minute consultation is the right place to begin.

Considering a move at The Varitype Building?

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Corey Cohen, Principal · The Roebling Team at Compass
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com