211 West 18th Street

Nine stories on a fifty-foot lot, built as contemporary masonry infill, with an elevator and a modest lobby rather than an amenity program. Built floor area is 14,339 square feet against a 4,600-square-foot lot — a built FAR of 3.12 where the zoning permits 6.02, the deficit made up by the purchased rights over 209. That simple ratio does not establish the lot's legal zoning floor area or what further work is permitted.

The unit mix is unusually legible from the Department of Finance roll because the eight lots sum exactly to the building area. Unit 1 runs 1,249 square feet; Units 2, 3, 4 and 5 are identical at 1,312 square feet each and occupy full floors; Unit 6 at 2,768 square feet, Unit 7 at 2,610 and the penthouse at 2,464 are roughly double the size of the floors below them, consistent with duplex configurations across the upper stories. The offering plan's projected electricity schedules distinguish "one and two bedroom" units from "three and four bedroom" units, which tracks the same split — mid-size full-floor apartments below, family-scale duplexes above.

Ceiling heights, finishes and the extent of individual renovation vary; five of the eight units have traded at least twice since the sponsor closings, and several have been comprehensively redone. Because every apartment on floors two through five is a full floor, exposures run north and south with no interior corridor to absorb light, which is the practical advantage of a building this narrow.

Small, self-contained, and inexpensive to run. There is no doorman; the plan budgets an elevator maintenance contract and building supplies rather than staff. Units are directly metered for electricity, with common-area electric covering mechanical systems, the elevator, hot water circulating pumps and lighting — the projected annual common electric charge in the first year of operation was under $17,000 for the whole building. Heating and air conditioning are metered to the units. Audited financial statements for 2014–2015 and federal returns are on file in The Roebling Research Library.

The one operating feature that has no analogue in an ordinary condominium is the reciprocal agreement with 209 West 18th Street. The two buildings are structurally and operationally entangled: this building's upper floors sit over the neighbour's roof, its access rights over that property run with the land, and the Zoning Lot Development Agreement contemplates what happens if the two lots are ever assessed as one. A buyer's attorney should read that agreement rather than skim it.

The condominium framework here is the plain-vanilla one, and the offering plan states it in terms that are worth quoting in substance because they answer the questions buyers actually ask.

Ownership entity. Units may be held by individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts, sovereign governments or consulates. There is no LLC or trust prohibition in the plan.

Transfer. A unit owner may sell or lease to anyone, subject only to the Board of Managers' right of first refusal at the same price and terms. There is no board approval in the cooperative sense and no interview.

Use. Each unit may be used only as a dwelling.

Working capital. Two months of common charges payable to the condominium's working capital fund at closing.

What is not documented. The plan does not fix a flip tax or resale capital contribution, and the current house rules — pets, sublet notice requirements, alteration procedure, move-in fees — are set by the Board of Managers and are not published. The sublet application and purchase application on file in The Roebling Research Library indicate the board maintains a formal process for both; obtain the current versions and the current rules from the managing agent before you offer.

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 (2024) cleared a median $1,859/sf (recorded) across 1 sale. Median listing discount 1.5% 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 1-00768-7503; 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.

Model the tax bill beyond any benefit phaseout. No 421-a or J-51 was identified in the reviewed records. Verify the specific unit's current bill and model changes in assessments, rates and other benefits alongside common charges and capital assessments using the True Monthly Carrying Cost Calculator.

Read the 209 West 18th Street agreements. The reciprocal agreement, the Zoning Lot Development Agreement and the air-parcel deed are the most consequential documents in this file and they are not standard condominium paperwork. Ask specifically about maintenance obligations for the portion of this building bearing on the neighbour's structure, insurance, and access rights. Have your attorney review all three, and bring in title or engineering help if the structural provisions call for it. It should not be skipped.

Understand what an eight-unit building means for common charges. There are eight owners to absorb every capital expense, a façade cycle, an elevator replacement, a roof. Small buildings are cheap to run until something large needs doing. Ask for the reserve balance, the most recent façade inspection, and any assessment history.

Full-floor living without a lobby. If a doorman matters to you, this is not the building. If a private-elevator-landing full floor at Chelsea condominium pricing matters more, it is one of very few in the neighbourhood.

In-unit laundry came with the building. The machines were sponsor-installed, not hook-ups. Confirm the condition of what is actually in the apartment.

Present the full-floor plan and actual tax position. Compare the current unit tax bill with each alternative's actual bill and benefit schedule, then model possible changes over the holding period. An absent construction benefit does not establish a fixed or superior long-term carrying cost.

Have the 209 agreements ready. Every buyer's attorney will ask. A seller who produces them in week one rather than week three keeps the deal on schedule.

Scarcity is the argument. Eight apartments, five of them full-floor, in a purpose-built condominium between Seventh and Eighth. There is very little direct competition, and the pricing evidence in the building is thin enough that positioning matters more than usual. Run the Seller Closing Cost Calculator and set the strategy before you list.

If you're considering 211 West 18th Street, also evaluate:

• 270 West 19th Street (The Sedona) — the other boutique condominium on this same tax block; new construction in 2004–06, fourteen residences, and a 421-a history this building does not share
• 212 West 18th Street (Walker Tower) — directly across the street; the trophy conversion comparison at a materially higher price point
• 224 West 18th Street (The Campiello Collection) — boutique condominium a few doors west
• 163 West 18th Street (The Slate) — Chelsea condominium of adjacent vintage on the same street
• 166 West 18th Street (Yves Chelsea) — the new-development alternative one block east
• 251 West 19th Street (Chelsea 19) — small Chelsea condominium one street north
• 210 West 19th Street — boutique building on the block behind
• 100 West 18th Street — the larger full-service Chelsea condominium alternative
• 121 West 19th Street (The Lion's Head) — amenitised Chelsea condominium for buyers who want staff and services
• 144 West 18th Street (The Chainworks Building) — the loft-conversion comparison on the same street