The Rowan

The street-side garden leads into a glass-walled lobby with a planted roof. A wood-slat enclosure directs views toward the private garden. The entrance pavilion creates a distinct transition from 31st Street to the residential building behind it.

The massing steps back toward the upper floors, creating south-facing terraces and reducing the apparent height at parts of the perimeter. The façade combines masonry and broad glazing, with large windows serving the apartments. The terraced profile is an integral part of the building form.

The residential mix includes studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom homes. Original sizes ran from approximately 425 to 1,857 square feet, with ceiling heights beginning around nine and a half feet. Open kitchen and living arrangements occupy the principal interior spaces, while bedroom placement varies with the stepped footprint.

Private outdoor areas range from smaller spaces to broad terraces that can support separate seating and dining zones. Rooftop cabanas were also offered as separate interests. A cabana, an apartment terrace and access to the common roof are distinct forms of outdoor use.

The shared lounge connects directly to the sensory garden. Its kitchenette, dining area and library extend the common interior space into the landscape. A separate soundproof music room serves an activity that would otherwise take place within individual apartments.

The Rowan's common program includes a fitness center, playroom, pet spa and package facilities, together with bicycle and private storage. The landscaped roof provides seating and an outdoor kitchen with barbecue facilities. These amenities are substantial relative to a 46-residence inventory.

The parking system is automated. The New York Times reported in 2019 that automation allowed substantially more spaces within the project than its minimum requirement, with some parking intended to serve commercial visitors. The equipment and commercial usage make the garage a distinct operating component, not simply a collection of conventional apartment parking stalls.

The tax structure includes 56 Class 4 lots alongside the 46 residential lots. Those nonresidential interests are separate from the apartment inventory. The largest residential owner holds one apartment in the DOF tally, indicating a dispersed ownership pattern following the original sales.

No building-wide tax abatement appears in the DOF record. The residential lots are Class 2. The landscaped roof and terraces, automated garage and specialized common rooms each introduce maintenance obligations that extend beyond the basic elevator and corridor operation.

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 $1,261/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 -0.4% over ask.

Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 4-00831-7502; 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.

Separate the outdoor and parking interests. An apartment terrace, a purchased cabana and a parking interest carry different rights and responsibilities. A resale should specify which interests transfer and how their charges relate to the residential common charges, particularly within the broader phased development.

• Shore Towers — A much larger Astoria condominium with a waterfront setting and a substantial shared-service program.
• Crescent House — A six-story Astoria cooperative providing a useful comparison for scale, parking and outdoor space under different tenure.
• Galerie — A larger Long Island City condominium with extensive common facilities and contemporary apartment planning.
• L Haus — A contemporary Queens condominium where landscaped shared space is central to the building's design.
• 5 Court Square West — A relatively small contemporary condominium inventory in a taller building, useful for comparing service costs and apartment form.