- Year built
- 1929
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 53
- Floors
- 6
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Cats and dogs permitted, subject to board approval
- Subletting
- Permitted after one year of ownership, up to a maximum of three years within any six-year period, with board approval
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
- Flip tax
- Building-specific flip tax not publicly disclosed; confirm the current amount and who pays at offer stage
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- Studio median
- $525K
- Recent range
- $460K – $1.4M
- Listing discount
- 4.1%
- Recorded transfers
- 39
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at Chelsea Hall 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.
Chelsea Hall is a pre-war Art Deco cooperative on a prime Chelsea block, the north side of West 16th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. The six-story masonry building dates to around 1929–1930 and was converted to cooperative ownership in the mid-1980s, and it has operated since as a practical, well-priced co-op with an accommodating policy framework.
The building's character is the draw: a genuine pre-war envelope with an Art Deco lobby, high ceilings, and hardwood floors, at a price point well below the neighborhood's newer condominiums. It sits at the meeting point of Chelsea, the Flatiron edge, and the West Village fringe, with the amenity density of all three within a short walk while keeping the quieter residential feel of the 16th Street block.
For buyers, Chelsea Hall offers the combination that makes pre-war co-ops attractive: architectural character, moderate carrying costs, and — importantly here — a genuinely usable sublet policy. It is a practical, well-run building rather than a trophy address, and it prices accordingly.
Architecture and unit composition
The roughly 53 apartments distribute across six stories in a 1929–1930 pre-war masonry envelope. The building's signature gesture is its Art Deco lobby and detailing, carried through to the high ceilings and hardwood floors that define the apartments.
The unit mix runs from studios and one-bedrooms through two-bedroom combinations, with some larger layouts created by combining adjacent units. Interiors are pre-war in bones — solid proportions, good light on the better exposures — with renovation quality varying apartment to apartment and driving much of the pricing spread within the building.
Building operations
Chelsea Hall is a self-service pre-war co-op: an elevator, a central laundry room, a bike room, private resident storage, a live-in superintendent, and voice intercom. There is no doorman, no roof deck, and no garage — consistent with a moderately-priced pre-war co-op of this scale.
The co-op permits financing up to 80 percent (minimum 20 percent down) and requires standard board approval for purchases. The sublet policy is notably usable for a Chelsea cooperative — permitted after one year of ownership, up to three years within any six-year window with board approval — which supports flexibility over the life of ownership. The building's flip tax is not publicly disclosed; most co-ops of this type carry a modest seller-paid flip tax, but the specific amount and structure here should be confirmed against the offering plan. Buyers should also confirm the current maintenance schedule, any assessments, the reserve position, and recent capital work during due diligence.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $6,025/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $33,162/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $9 – $52
- Modeled exposure split equally across 53 units (the city tax-lot count). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City record last verified September 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available filing classified the facade as SWARMP — Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program: the engineer identified conditions requiring monitoring or repair, with repairs due by the deadline stated in the filing. The scope, timeline, and how the building funds the work are building-specific — we review the filings and board materials for you.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — the licensed engineer the city requires to sign the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2010–15 to 2025–30. 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 record last verified September 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- $10 per share (seller, at closing)
- Sublet policy
- Allowed; Monthly Sublet Fee 25% of monthly maintenance; sublet renewal $200
- Notable fees
- Transfer Agent Fee $750; Super Fee $200 each side; Trust Transfer Fee $500
Recent sales
As a cooperative, Chelsea Hall is read on a price-per-room basis; many apartments trade without a published square footage, and per-room and per-estimated-room pricing is the more reliable comparison. Size, floor, exposure, and condition drive the spread, with renovated units and larger combinations commanding the premium within the building.
Apartments here have historically sold within a normal marketing range for a well-run, non-trophy pre-war co-op. The usable sublet policy and the Art Deco character are recurring points of appeal that support demand across market cycles.
Recent transfers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | 5C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $985,000 | -1.4% | |
| Jan 23, 2026 | 6B | 1 BR · 1 BA | $905,000 | -3.6% | |
| Oct 7, 2025 | 6D | 1 BA | $590,000 | -0.8% | |
| Jun 18, 2025 | 2D | 1 BA · 420 sf | $460,000 | $1,095/sf | -7.1% |
| May 13, 2024 | 6C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $835,000 | -6.7% | |
| Jan 3, 2024 | 1E | 1 BR · 1 BA | $789,000 | -12.2% | |
| Apr 11, 2023 | A | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,100 sf | $1,415,000 | $1,286/sf | -0.7% |
| Apr 4, 2023 | 1A | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,100 sf | $1,415,000 | $1,286/sf | -4.1% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $1,096/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2009 | 4D | $319,000 |
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 1-00766-0009). 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
Closed rents at Chelsea Hall, last 36 months
3 closed sublet leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease March 2026. Based on few leases. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
At the recent median sale of $905K (4 transfers since 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $11,944 to close, or 1.3% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $0
- No mortgage recording tax or title insurance on a co-op purchase
- Attorneys, lender, building fees and filings: $11,944
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
Keep up with Chelsea Hall and its market
The Roebling Report, monthly: Manhattan sales data and analysis, including buildings like Chelsea Hall. Unsubscribe anytime.
We’ll use your email for The Roebling Report and note your interest in this building. See our privacy policy.
What to know if you’re buying
Condition drives price. Renovation quality is a primary variable within the building. Inspect kitchens, baths, and mechanicals, and price against comparable condition.
Understand the co-op economics. Financing to 80 percent is permitted. Confirm the flip tax amount and who pays it, along with any assessments, before you commit — the flip tax is not publicly published for this building.
The sublet policy is a genuine feature. For buyers who value flexibility, the one-year-then-usable sublet framework is a differentiator among Chelsea co-ops. Confirm current terms with the board.
Pied-à-terre and pets are workable. Both are permitted with board approval — confirm the current stance for your situation.
Board approval applies. As a cooperative, purchases require board approval. Prepare a complete, well-documented board package.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the character. The Art Deco lobby, the pre-war ceilings, and the prime Chelsea block are the differentiators against newer, more generic inventory.
Presentation matters. Because condition drives the pricing spread, staging and preparation materially affect outcome.
Price per room against the right comps. Comparable analysis should weight floor, exposure, and condition — and account for the building's usable sublet policy in the buyer pool it attracts.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 253 West 16th Street, also evaluate:
- 515 West 18th Street — Heatherwick Studio's 22-story twin-tower Chelsea condominium
- One High Line (76 Eleventh Avenue) — West Chelsea / High Line condominium
- Chelsea — the broader corridor's cooperative and condominium tradition
More Chelsea buildings
- 252 Seventh Avenue (The Chelsea Mercantile) — 1906 condominium
- 252 West 17th Street — 1985 condominium
- 252 West 30th Street — 1927 condominium
- 254 West 25th Street — 1925 co-op
- Chelsea Gardens (255 West 23rd Street) — co-op
- 257 West 17th Street — 1908 condominium
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Chelsea — read The Roebling Team Guide to Chelsea.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
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 Chelsea Hall?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.