- Year built
- 1985
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 16
- Floors
- 9
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pet-friendly under the condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
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
- $1,386
- Listing discount
- -1.8%
- Recorded sales
- 8
- On record
- 2004–2026
252 West 17th Street is a boutique loft-style condominium in central Chelsea, on the block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. Built in 1985, it is a red-brick building of just 16 residences — a small, low-density condominium designed around loft-scaled, often full-floor apartments, on one of Chelsea's most convenient corridors near Seventh Avenue, the subway, and the neighborhood's shopping and dining.
What buyers respond to here is the combination of loft proportions and true condominium flexibility in a genuinely boutique building. With only 16 apartments and a full slate of practical amenities — elevator, virtual doorman, laundry, storage, and a furnished common roof deck — the building offers the space and light of a loft with the ownership flexibility and lower-maintenance profile of a condo. It is a well-located, well-judged building rather than a large tower.
The building is for buyers who want a boutique Chelsea loft condominium — space, light, and condo flexibility on a central block.
Architecture and unit composition
252 West 17th Street is a nine-story red-brick building from 1985, built to house loft-scaled condominium residences. The masonry facade and the mid-1980s vintage give it a solid, understated presence on the block — a building that reads as a Chelsea loft building rather than a glass tower.
Inside, the 16 residences are laid out as loft-style condominium homes, many of them full-floor or near-full-floor, with the open proportions, larger windows, and flexible layouts that define the type. Some residences carry private outdoor space. With so few apartments in the building, the specific floor, exposure, and layout of each residence drive its value, and the loft geometry gives the better units a distinct sense of scale.
Building operations
252 West 17th Street operates as a boutique condominium with a practical amenity package: an elevator, a virtual doorman system, common laundry, common storage, and a furnished common roof deck. That is a sensible, well-judged set of services for a 16-residence building — the security and shared amenities that matter, without the cost of full-time door staff. Common charges reflect the modest staffing and the roof amenity; buyers should model the full monthly carry and review reserves and any capital history during due diligence, as is prudent for a boutique condominium of this vintage.
Local Law 97
This building is below the 25,000 sq ft threshold at which LL97 emissions caps apply. No regulatory capital pressure from this law specifically, current or 2030.
See full Local Law 97 analysis →Facade safety — Local Law 11
Safe to live in today — but the last inspection flagged repairs that are due on a deadline, so facade work and its cost are coming. Whether that’s a real concern depends on the scope, the timing, and how the building plans to pay for it — reserves or an assessment — which is exactly what we’d dig into for you.
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
As a condominium, 252 West 17th Street prices on a price-per-square-foot basis, with floor, exposure, loft proportions, outdoor space, and condition supporting value. Turnover is light for a boutique building of this size; both resale and owner-rental activity occur, but it is an ownership condominium, not a rental building. Apartment-level context — floor, exposure, layout, and condition — drives pricing more than any building average, and the loft-scaled residences and central Chelsea location support pricing for units that present well.
Recent closings at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. Apartment-level facts are independently verified before publishing; sale prices reflect the recorded transfer amount at the NYC Department of Finance.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2026 | 8A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 974 sf | $1,350,000 | $1,386/sf | +4.0% |
| Feb 9, 2021 | 9A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,200 sf | $2,500,000 | $2,083/sf | off-mkt |
| Sep 30, 2013 | 9A | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,163 sf | $1,823,000 | $1,567/sf | off-mkt |
| Jul 19, 2012 | 1A | 2 BR · 1,165 sf | $1,495,000 | $1,283/sf | +7.2% |
| Jul 7, 2008 | 3A | 2 BR · 850 sf | $990,000 | $1,165/sf | -0.5% |
| Aug 2, 2005 | 4B | 1 BR · 815 sf | $775,000 | $951/sf | off-mkt |
| May 12, 2004 | 1A | 2 BR · 1,165 sf | $1,070,000 | $918/sf | -2.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,386/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount -1.8% over 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 1-00766-7501) and verified listing data. Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified by The Roebling Team research desk. 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 to know if you’re buying
Loft scale is the draw. The residences are loft-style and often full-floor — space, light, and flexible layouts define the better units.
This is a boutique building. 16 residences with elevator, virtual doorman, laundry, storage, and a roof deck — a well-judged package on a human scale.
The location is central. Between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, steps from the subway and Chelsea's shopping and dining — convenience supports value.
Condo flexibility is real. Pied-à-terre, subletting, foreign buyers, and LLC/trust ownership are permitted under the declaration; closings run on condo timelines.
Mansion tax thresholds apply. At this building's pricing, the $1M and $2M cliffs can be in play. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Variable board financial policy — confirm at offer stage. Financing percentages and any sublet terms specific to your situation should be confirmed in writing before you commit.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the loft scale. The full-floor proportions and light are the story; marketing should foreground the space and the layout flexibility.
Pricing requires apartment-level comps. With 16 residences, floor, exposure, outdoor space, and condition all move the number.
Present the light and the roof deck. Photography that reads the loft proportions and the shared roof amenity supports price in a boutique building.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 252 West 17th Street, also evaluate these Chelsea condominiums:
- 121 West 17th Street — nearby Chelsea building
- 246 West 17th Street — nearby Chelsea building
- 113 West 17th Street — nearby Chelsea building
- 253 West 16th Street — nearby Chelsea building
- 130 West 16th Street — nearby Chelsea building
The Roebling Team at 252 West 17th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass works the full Chelsea and downtown market, including its boutique loft condominiums. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers of architecturally specific buildings deserve building-level intelligence — architecture, amenity reality, and apartment-level pricing context — rather than generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 252 West 17th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point. We'll bring the full context this page provides plus the transactional specifics your situation requires.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Chelsea — read The Roebling Team Guide to Chelsea.
Get the full picture on this building.
The full comp set, a private valuation of your line, or current and off-market availability — sent to you directly.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A broker’s honest answer to three questions — what your apartment would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — for your apartment at 252 West 17th Street, in this market. Put together by a person, not an algorithm.