28 West 38th Street
28 West 38th Street, New York, NY 10018
BBL 1008390063 · BIN 1015975
- Year built
- 1910
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 22
- Floors
- 12
- Subletting
- Subject to cooperative board policy
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not stated
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, 2026 to date
- $852
- floor-adjusted, 2 sales
- Listing discount
- 4.2%
- Recorded sales
- 34
- On record
- 2004–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 28 West 38th Street 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.
28 West 38th Street is a boutique prewar loft cooperative on the Midtown South block of 38th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues — a stretch that sits at the meeting point of the Garment District, NoMad, and the lower Midtown commercial corridor. The building was constructed in 1910 as a commercial loft structure, part of the dense early-20th-century build-out of the blocks just north of Madison Square that housed the city's apparel, millinery, and wholesale trades. Like many of its neighbors, it was later converted to residential cooperative use, and today holds 22 apartments across 12 floors.
The appeal of the building is the appeal of the prewar loft co-op generally: large floor plates, high ceilings, generous window lines, and an apartment count low enough that the building reads as a small, owner-occupied community rather than an institution. It offers loft-scale interior volume and prewar architectural character to compare with the Flatiron and NoMad new-development tier using matched prices and charges, in a central location with fast access to Bryant Park, Herald Square, Grand Central, and the Fifth Avenue retail spine.
The building's location is genuinely transitional, and that is part of its character. The immediate blocks remain a working commercial district by day; the residential register has grown steadily as loft conversions and ground-floor improvements have continued across Midtown South. For the right buyer, the trade is straightforward: a quieter, more affordable foothold in a central, well-connected part of Manhattan, in a building with real architectural bones.
Architecture and unit composition
The original 1910 structure is a classic Manhattan commercial loft building — a masonry-and-terra-cotta facade organized around large windows and column-free or lightly-columned floor plates, built to carry the loads and admit the daylight that the garment and wholesale trades required. The firm Starrett & Van Vleck, associated with several commercial and department-store buildings of the era, is credited with the design; buyers who care about original attribution should confirm the architect of record against building filings.
In residential use, the building's prewar loft DNA produces the qualities buyers seek: ceiling heights and window lines well above the postwar norm, deep and flexible floor plates, and apartment configurations that range from loft-style open layouts to more conventionally partitioned homes depending on how individual units were built out at and after conversion. With 22 units across 12 floors, the building runs to roughly one to two homes per floor — boutique scale that supports larger, lower-density apartments than a typical mid-block elevator building.
Apartment-level features — ceiling height, exposure, window count, and the degree of original detail versus renovation — vary unit by unit and are the primary drivers of value within the building. Evaluate each home on its specific configuration rather than on a building-wide average.
Building operations
28 West 38th Street operates as a self-contained residential cooperative under the 26-30 West 38 St Owners Corp. As an elevator building of its size and vintage, it carries the operating profile typical of the boutique prewar loft co-op: a resident or live-in superintendent, central building services, and the shared-equity governance structure of cooperative ownership.
The building is pet-friendly. The board's policies on pied-à-terre use, subletting, financing percentages, and alterations are set by the board and the proprietary lease. Prospective buyers should confirm the variable financial rules, the building's financial profile, recent assessments, and any planned capital work directly against current materials during due diligence; the cooperative's board financial specifics should be confirmed at offer stage.
Pets and in-unit washer/dryer
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not statedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- In-unit washer/dryer
- Not verified
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to confirm the pet and washer/dryer rules for that apartment.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Maintenance, per room
- $677 per room a monthMedian of 5 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Maintenance, per square foot
- $1.63 per square foot a monthMedian of 5 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
Maintenance as recorded with each sale. A co-op's maintenance already covers the building's real estate taxes and the building's own mortgage, if it has one; add your own loan payment for the monthly outlay. A summary of recorded sales, not a current bill; charges change.
Building staffing and amenities
- Live-in superintendent
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- Storage, laundry roomSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $12/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $0
- Modeled exposure split equally across 22 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. A filed Safe grade is not a guarantee of current condition: owners still maintain the facade and, where required, observe parapets each year. Future inspection timing (Local Law 49 of 2025 changed the cycle framework from October 1, 2026), repair and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
Recent sales
Compare 28 West 38th Street sales using total price, room count and reliable measured area, adjusting for apartment configuration, condition and charges; ownership form does not determine the metric. Compare the building’s Garment District-edge location and limited service package with Flatiron and NoMad new-development condominiums and Park- and Fifth-Avenue cooperatives using matched closed sales; those characteristics alone do not establish a price ranking.
Within that register, value tracks the usual co-op variables — floor, exposure, light, ceiling height, apartment size and layout, and renovation condition. Larger, higher, better-lit, and recently renovated homes command the building's premium; lower-floor and dated units price below it. Review the dates and comparability of in-building sales, supplementing them with the broader Midtown South prewar co-op market where useful; unit count alone does not establish turnover. Recent specific transactions should be confirmed against current public records at the time of any inquiry.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | 2W | 2 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,860 sf | $1,450,000 | $780/sf | -19.4% |
| May 28, 2026 | 9E | 3 BR · 2 BA · 2,000 sf | $1,970,433 | $985/sf | -12.4% |
| Aug 14, 2024 | 5E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 2,000 sf | $1,450,000 | $725/sf | -3.0% |
| Jul 26, 2024 | 3E | 3 BR · 2 BA · 2,000 sf | $1,570,000 | $785/sf | -7.6% |
| Jun 7, 2024 | 4E | 2 BR · 1 BA · 1,800 sf | $1,485,000 | $825/sf | -4.2% |
| Apr 16, 2024 | 10W | 3 BR · 2 BA · 2,000 sf | $1,800,000 | $900/sf | -4.3% |
| Jun 28, 2023 | 6E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,900 sf | $1,758,000 | $925/sf | -9.8% |
| Sep 11, 2019 | 6W | 3 BR · 2 BA · 1,950 sf | $1,985,000 | $1,018/sf | -13.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $852/sf (floor-adjusted) across 2 sales. Floor-adjusted means each sale is restated to a constant mix of floors, so the figure can differ from the plain median of the sales listed above. Median listing discount 4.2% 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.
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 1-00839-0063). 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.
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What to know if you’re buying
This is a prewar loft co-op — price and underwrite it as one. Value here is a function of room count, configuration, light, and condition, not a single square-foot number. Build your comparable analysis on a price-per-room basis and on apartment-specific features.
Confirm the board's financing, sublet, and pied-à-terre policies before you commit. Boutique co-ops vary widely on permitted financing percentages, post-closing liquidity expectations, and sublet rules. These policies materially affect both your purchase and your future flexibility. Confirm them at offer stage.
Diligence the building's finances and capital plan. Review the most recent financial statements, the reserve position, any current or anticipated assessments, and the status of building systems — a prewar structure of this vintage will have an ongoing capital agenda.
Location is central but transitional. The block is a working Midtown South commercial district by day, with excellent transit and a fast walk to Bryant Park, Herald Square, and Grand Central. Visit at multiple times of day to confirm the daily-life environment fits you.
Closing timelines are co-op-standard. Plan for board application and approval, and a longer timeline than a comparable condominium purchase.
What to know if you’re selling
Foreground the loft-scale interior and the central location. The building's structural selling points are prewar volume — ceiling height, window lines, floor plate — and a genuinely central, transit-rich Midtown South address. Apartment-specific marketing should lead with the home's exposure, light, ceiling height, and renovation condition.
Price on apartment-level comparables. With a small in-building sample, pricing should triangulate recent comparable co-op sales in the building and across the Midtown South prewar co-op market on a price-per-room basis.
Prepare the buyer for board review. Cooperative purchase requires board application and approval; a well-prepared board package and a financially qualified buyer are central to a clean closing.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 28 West 38th Street, also evaluate:
- 36 West 35th Street — a comparable boutique prewar co-op a few blocks south, on the Herald Square / Garment District edge
- 372 Fifth Avenue — a larger Midtown South loft cooperative with a department-store-to-residential history, at Fifth Avenue and 35th Street
- 30 West 15th Street — a 1908 loft cooperative of similar boutique scale on the Flatiron / Union Square edge
- 33 East 30th Street — a NoMad prewar cooperative of comparable vintage
- 1182 Broadway — a NoMad condominium for buyers weighing the ownership-structure trade-off in the same broad area
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 28 West 38th Street?
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646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com