- 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.
- 1BR median
- $870K
- Recent range
- $525K – $1.4M
- Listing discount
- 3.8%
- Recorded transfers
- 26
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
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 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. Recent closings have run from the high six figures to the low seven figures depending on size, floor, exposure, and condition — with renovated units and larger combinations commanding the premium within the building. On the apartments where square footage has been reported, pricing has clustered around the low $1,000s per square foot, but per-room remains the sounder lens.
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, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2026 | 5C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $985,000 | -1.4% | |
| Mar 5, 2026 | 6B | 1 BR · 1 BA | $905,000 | -3.6% | |
| Oct 24, 2025 | 6D | 5 BR · 1 BA | $590,000 | -0.8% | |
| May 13, 2024 | 6C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $835,000 | -6.7% | |
| Jan 10, 2024 | 1E | 1 BR · 1 BA | $789,000 | -12.2% | |
| Apr 11, 2023 | 1A | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,100 sf | $1,415,000 | $1,286/sf | -4.1% |
| Nov 3, 2022 | 1B | 2 BR · 1 BA | $940,000 | -14.5% | |
| Mar 30, 2022 | 1CD | 3 BR · 2 BA | $1,600,000 | +7.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2023): a median $1,286/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 1.4% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 2024 | 5E | $525,000 |
| Mar 8, 2013 | 1/CD | $975,000 |
| Dec 27, 2012 | 1/CD | $975,000 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | 5B | $705,000 |
| Mar 2, 2010 | 1A | $900,000 |
| Feb 21, 2006 | 5C | $530,000 |
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) 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 on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
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
- 76 Eleventh Avenue — West Chelsea / High Line condominium
- Chelsea — the broader corridor's cooperative and condominium tradition
The Roebling Team at Chelsea Hall
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in the Chelsea cooperative and condominium market. We publish this building profile because cooperative buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, board policy, and apartment-level pricing reality — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 253 West 16th 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 — financial structuring, due diligence priorities, comparable analysis at the apartment level, and the pacing strategy that fits your timeline.
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 Chelsea Hall, in this market. Put together by a person, not an algorithm.