- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 150
- Floors
- 6
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Pet-friendly; dogs permitted (a two-dog-per-apartment maximum is reported)
- Subletting
- Generally restricted (board discretion)
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
- $1,047
- Listing discount
- 3.0%
- Recorded sales
- 81
- On record
- 2004–2026
Chelsea Gardens is one of Chelsea's distinctive prewar cooperatives — a full-block-depth complex that runs from 255 West 23rd Street through to 250 West 24th Street, organized around a planted central courtyard that gives the building its name. Built in the late 1930s, it belongs to the Art Deco era of Manhattan apartment construction, and the garden plan is its defining architectural idea: rather than a single street-wall slab, the cooperative wraps interior open space, so a meaningful share of apartments look onto greenery rather than the avenue.
The building's appeal is the appeal of prewar Chelsea generally — a central position in one of Manhattan's most walkable neighborhoods, steps from the Seventh and Eighth Avenue retail and transit spines, the High Line to the west, and the Chelsea gallery district. With roughly 150 residences, Chelsea Gardens is among the larger prewar co-ops on the corridor, and that scale tends to produce a deeper, more liquid resale market than smaller boutique co-ops while spreading the building's operating costs across more units.
What distinguishes the cooperative form here is its governance framework. Buyers purchase shares in a corporation rather than real property, and every purchase is subject to board approval. That structure self-selects for an owner-occupant community and produces a different ownership experience than the condominiums nearby. It also shapes how the building behaves on resale, which we address in the sales context below.
Against a Chelsea development pattern that has been overwhelmingly condominium — 231 Tenth Avenue, 245 Tenth Avenue, 100 Eleventh Avenue — an established prewar garden cooperative occupies a distinct niche for buyers who specifically want co-op ownership and the courtyard quiet that the plan provides.
Architecture and unit composition
Chelsea Gardens presents as a low-rise prewar masonry cooperative of the late-1930s Art Deco era — six stories, organized so that the 23rd Street and 24th Street wings frame a landscaped interior courtyard. Apartments of this vintage typically feature solid masonry construction, corner casement windows, and layouts organized around the room-count logic of their period — distinct foyers, separated living and dining spaces, and proper bedrooms rather than open-plan configurations. Some lines retain period features such as sunken living rooms; ceiling heights and original detailing vary by line and renovation history and are best assessed through an apartment-level inspection.
Because this is a cooperative, the apartment you are evaluating is described and priced by its room count, not by square footage. Prewar room counts — the foyer, living room, dining room or alcove, kitchen, and bedrooms — are the working unit of value here, and renovations over the decades may have combined or reconfigured rooms relative to the original plan. The roughly 150-unit, two-wing scale implies a real range of line types and exposures: courtyard-facing apartments read quieter and greener, while street-facing lines carry the avenue's light and activity.
Building operations
Chelsea Gardens operates as a full-service prewar cooperative. Day-to-day operations include a full-time doorman and attended lobby, a live-in resident manager, elevators, a central laundry room, a common roof deck, a bike room, resident storage, and an on-site garage, alongside the maintained central garden. The building is pet-friendly, with dogs permitted (a two-dog-per-apartment maximum is reported).
Maintenance at a co-op is quoted on a per-room basis and covers the building's operating costs, the underlying mortgage (if any), and the shareholder's pro-rata portion of real estate taxes — a key structural difference from condominium common charges, which are quoted separately from taxes. Buyers should review the building's financial statements, reserve position, any underlying mortgage and its terms, and recent and planned capital projects during due diligence. For a building of this vintage, the relevant items are the usual prewar ones: façade and Local Law 11 work, elevator modernization, roof and mechanical systems, courtyard and garage maintenance, and the reserve fund's adequacy relative to the capital plan.
Recent sales
As a cooperative, Chelsea Gardens prices on a per-room basis rather than per square foot, and its resale market behaves accordingly. Prewar Chelsea co-ops of this scale tend to trade within a per-room band that the building establishes over time across its various lines and apartment sizes; larger, renovated apartments with courtyard exposure and better light sit at the top of that band, while units needing work or with weaker exposures sit below it. The monthly maintenance — also expressed per room — is part of what buyers underwrite, because a lower asking price paired with a higher per-room maintenance can net to a similar total cost of ownership.
The building's prevailing per-room range is best read against current recorded transfers and the building's own financials. We do not publish specific transaction prices, addresses, or names here. (Source: NYC DOF recorded transfers for apartment-level history.)
Two factors specific to the co-op form shape resale velocity. First, board approval introduces a screening step that condos do not have, which can lengthen the path from accepted offer to closing. Second, the building's financing cap and minimum down payment — which vary by building and are confirmed at offer stage — define the buyer pool. Both are normal features of co-op ownership and are manageable with preparation.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 5FW | 1 BA · 525 sf | $542,500 | $1,033/sf | -3.0% |
| Feb 9, 2026 | 5GW | 1 BR · 1 BA | $999,999 | -4.8% | |
| Dec 18, 2025 | 1AE | 500 sf | $800,000 | $1,600/sf | off-mkt |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 2GE | 1 BR · 1 BA | $745,000 | -17.1% | |
| Aug 22, 2024 | 3GE | 1 BR · 1 BA · 697 sf | $995,000 | $1,428/sf | -4.8% |
| Aug 9, 2023 | 4CE | 1 BR · 1 BA · 850 sf | $998,750 | $1,175/sf | -28.7% |
| Jul 31, 2023 | 3DW | 1 BA | $580,000 | -2.5% | |
| Dec 8, 2022 | 5GW | 1 BR · 1 BA | $990,000 | -5.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,047/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 3.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2025 | 4HEAST | $1,250,000 |
| May 19, 2021 | 6DW | $625,000 |
| Nov 14, 2019 | 6EW | $825,000 |
| Feb 16, 2017 | 4FE | $592,500 |
| Feb 16, 2012 | 1BW | $745,000 |
| Jan 30, 2012 | 1GW | $900,000 |
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 1-00773-0012) 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
You are buying shares, and the board must approve you. A co-op purchase requires a board package and an in-person interview, and the board's approval is required to close. Build the package thoroughly and present it well; this is the single most consequential step in a co-op purchase.
Price the apartment on a per-room basis. Confirm the room count and the per-room maintenance, and underwrite the total monthly carry — maintenance plus any assessments — alongside the purchase price.
Financing and down-payment minimums vary. Co-op boards set their own financing caps and minimum down payments, and these define what offers are viable. Confirm the building's current financing cap and minimum down payment at offer stage.
Weigh the courtyard versus street exposures. A garden-plan building rewards careful attention to which way an apartment faces; courtyard lines read quieter and greener, street lines carry more light and activity.
Subletting and pied-à-terre use are typically restricted. Both are generally subject to board discretion. If your plan involves anything other than primary-residence occupancy, confirm the building's current policy before you commit.
Run the diligence a prewar building requires. Review financials, the reserve study, any underlying mortgage, and the capital plan — façade/Local Law 11, elevators, roof, mechanicals, courtyard, and garage are the items that matter most in a building of this vintage.
What to know if you’re selling
Position the apartment on its room count, exposure, and condition. The per-room frame is how the co-op market reads value here; a clean, well-presented apartment with a clear room count, good exposure, and a competitive per-room maintenance shows best.
Lead with the garden. The landscaped courtyard is the building's signature asset and a genuine differentiator in Chelsea; it should anchor the marketing of any courtyard-facing line.
Prepare your buyer for the board. The most common reason a co-op sale stalls is a buyer who is not ready for the package and interview. Screening for board-readiness — financials, down payment, and use plans consistent with house rules — protects your timeline.
Plan for a longer closing. Co-op timelines include board review; price your own next move around that reality.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering Chelsea Gardens, also evaluate these nearby Chelsea buildings. Several are condominiums rather than co-ops; we note them as corridor comparables, and your decision between co-op and condo ownership is itself part of the analysis:
- 100 Seventh Avenue — large prewar Chelsea cooperative nearby
- 252 Seventh Avenue (The Chelsea Mercantile) — large prewar conversion on Seventh Avenue
- 245 Seventh Avenue — nearby Chelsea building
- 125 West 21st Street — nearby Chelsea building
- 153 West 21st Street — nearby Chelsea building
- 219 West 25th Street — nearby Chelsea cooperative
For buyers specifically weighing co-op versus condo ownership, the comparison is less about the buildings themselves and more about governance, carrying-cost structure (per-room maintenance inclusive of taxes versus separate common charges and taxes), and use flexibility.
The Roebling Team at Chelsea Gardens
The Roebling Team at Compass works across Chelsea and the broader Manhattan market, including the neighborhood's prewar cooperative stock. We publish this building profile because co-op buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture, the operational reality, the per-room pricing frame, and the board-driven mechanics of a co-op transaction — rather than generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at Chelsea Gardens, 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 — board-package strategy, per-room comparable analysis, financing structure, and the pacing 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.
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