285 Lafayette Street
285 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012
BBL 1005107501 · BIN 1007931
- Year built
- 1900
- Type
- Condominium
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Leasing by owners
- Permitted with conditions
- Pets
- Pets permitted with conditions; species not stated
- Washer/dryer
- Permitted
- Flip tax
- 2% of the purchase price, paid by the seller
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2002–2025
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf, 2025
- $3,205
- floor-adjusted, 1 sale
- Listing discount
- 4.3%
- Recorded sales
- 33
- On record
- 2002–2025
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 285 Lafayette 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.
285 Lafayette Street is one of the great industrial-to-residential conversions on the SoHo/NoLIta seam. The building began life as the Hawley & Hoops chocolate factory, a turn-of-the-century manufacturing loft, and in 1999 it was reborn as a 30-unit condominium — the kind of small, high-ceilinged, full-floor loft building that defines downtown's most coveted ownership stock. Reimagined by WYS Design Partnership with interiors by Costas Kondylis, the conversion kept what made the factory special — cast-iron columns, exposed timber, oversized windows, and ceiling heights that climb toward 26 feet in the upper homes — and added the systems and finishes of a contemporary luxury building.
For buyers, the appeal is scarcity. Thirty residences across nine floors is genuinely boutique; many homes are full-floor or near-full-floor lofts with industrial volume and exposures to compare directly with alternative apartments. It is the SoHo loft ideal in its purest form, in condominium ownership, on one of downtown's best blocks.
Architecture and unit composition
The building's character is industrial and authentic: a masonry loft with the heavy proportions of early-twentieth-century manufacturing, an oversized-arched facade, and the deep floor plates that make full-floor living possible. The 1999 conversion preserved the structural drama — cast-iron columns, exposed timber beams, and the original window openings — and married it to refined modern finishes.
The 30 residences run from large multi-bedroom lofts to dramatic full-floor and penthouse homes, the most spectacular of which carry ceilings as high as 26 feet. This is space measured in volume, not just square footage: open layouts, abundant light from multiple exposures, and ceiling heights to verify in the particular unit; these features can be compared with new construction without assuming they are impossible to reproduce.
Building operations
285 Lafayette runs as a boutique full-service condominium. As a condominium, there is no co-op board package or interview; purchases run through the condominium's application and right-of-first-refusal process. Leasing by owners is permitted with conditions; confirm financing, pied-à-terre and ownership-entity rules, and resale terms, in the current declaration, bylaws and house rules.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of September 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
- Terms
- 2% of the sales price
- Rate
- 2% of the purchase price
- Paid by
- Seller
Source: building management's published schedule, as of September 2026
Purchase
5 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $650 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Credit Check FeePer applicantRequired | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $150 per applicant (Note: International credit checks may cost more. | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Capital Contribution | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount 2 Months common charge | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move In Deposit | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $1,000 | Refundable Refundable |
| Move Out Deposit | Paid by Seller | When With the application | Amount $1,000 | Refundable Refundable |
Rental or lease
5 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $600 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Credit Check FeePer applicant | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $20 per additional applicant after free credit check and any occupant 18 or older residing in the unit (International credit checks may cost more. | Refundable Non-refundable |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move Out Deposit | Paid by Landlord | When With the application | Amount $1,000 | Refundable Refundable |
| Move In Deposit | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $1,000 | Refundable Refundable |
Lease renewal
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $300 | Refundable Non-refundable |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the building's costs and purchase requirements.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Sublet and pied-à-terre policy
A condominium owner leasing a unit and a co-op shareholder subletting are different rules, and a building-wide rule is different from a restriction on one apartment. This is the building's rule; confirm it for the specific apartment.
- Leasing by owners
- Permitted with conditionsApplication required for Board approval and waiverSource: building management's published schedule, as of September 2026
- Pied-à-terre ownership
- Not verified
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the sublet and pied-à-terre rules for that apartment.
Pets and in-unit washer/dryer
- Pets
- Pets permitted with conditions; species not statedOnly 2 domestic pets - see page 99 in Offering Plan for detailsSource: building management's published schedule, as of September 2026
- In-unit washer/dryer
- PermittedSource: building management's published schedule, as of September 2026
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to confirm the pet and washer/dryer rules for that apartment.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Full-time doormanSource: recent listing records
- Concierge
- YesSource: recent listing records
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of Buildings elevator records
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
- $147,411/yr
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $265,994/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $409 – $739
- Modeled exposure split equally across 30 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; condominium owners are typically charged by each unit's common-interest percentage.
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).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. 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 data last refreshed October 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of sales price (seller transfer fee)
- Sublet policy
- Allowed (application/board approval + waiver required)
- Policies and fees
- Sale: Application $650, Credit Check $150/applicant, Capital Contribution 2 months common charge; Lease: Application $600, Move-in/out deposits $1,000 each; App Admin 5% of total (the schedule does not list which charges the total includes; confirm with the managing agent)
Recent sales
Recent closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2025 | 3E | 3 BR · 3.5 BA · 3,175 sf | $7,850,000 | $2,472/sf | -12.8% |
| Dec 6, 2023 | 7AB | 6 BR · 4 BA · 5,350 sf | $14,950,000 | $2,794/sf | -19.2% |
| May 12, 2023 | 2E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 2,600 sf | $4,995,000 | $1,921/sf | -3.9% |
| Jan 18, 2022 | 4D | 2 BR · 1.5 BA · 2,750 sf | $7,075,000 | $2,573/sf | -1.7% |
| Dec 17, 2021 | 6B | 3 BR · 3 BA · 3,750 sf | $7,200,000 | $1,920/sf | -4.0% |
| Sep 20, 2021 | 7DE | 4 BR · 4.5 BA · 5,090 sf | $16,400,000 | $3,222/sf | -2.4% |
| Jul 22, 2020 | 2F | 1 BA · 1,040 sf | $1,950,000 | $1,875/sf | -7.1% |
| Jun 21, 2019 | 5E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 2,660 sf | $7,070,000 | $2,658/sf | +0.0% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $3,205/sf (floor-adjusted) across 1 sale. 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 4.3% 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 1-00510-7501; each condominium apartment is its own tax lot). 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 from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
What would your apartment rent for?
Enter your apartment and I'll send you what it would rent for, from comparable closed leases at 285 Lafayette Street and nearby.
Buying here? Condo closing costs with a mortgage typically run 3 to 6% of the price. See NYC co-op and condo closing costs, line by line.
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What to know if you’re buying
The condominium structure is a real advantage — no co-op board admission, with leasing by owners permitted with conditions; confirm financing and ownership-entity rules in the condominium documents. Within the building, the variables are ceiling height, floor, and exposure: the upper full-floor and penthouse lofts with the highest ceilings are the trophy inventory and price accordingly. This is a building you buy for the loft volume and the location — the SoHo cast-iron district, NoLIta's restaurant-and-boutique blocks, and the Broadway/Lafayette and Prince Street subways are all immediately at hand. Inventory is scarce enough that decisive buyers should be ready to move when a home appears.
What to know if you’re selling
A resale here can emphasize its documented features: authentic industrial bones, ceiling heights toward 26 feet, full-floor scale, and a boutique 30-unit building on a marquee downtown block. Benchmark to other premier SoHo/NoLIta loft conversions, not to glass-tower product. Confirm the condominium’s application requirements and deadlines. Assess supply and buyer response using dated sales and current listings; the 30-home count alone does not establish pent-up demand or a faster sale.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 285 Lafayette Street, also evaluate these downtown loft and boutique-condominium peers:
- 40 Bond Street — Herzog & de Meuron condominium nearby
- 25 Bond Street — BKSK Architects's 2008 Manhattan condominium
- 1 Bond Street — boutique downtown condominium
- 565 Broome Street — Renzo Piano Building Workshop's only Manhattan residential project, completed 2018. A 30-story twin-tower condominium
- 57 Thompson Street — SoHo loft-district peer
- 136 Sullivan Street — boutique SoHo building
More Nolita buildings
- 225 Lafayette Street — 1926 condominium
- 75 Kenmare Street — condominium
The neighborhood
For the full neighborhood — its buildings, character, and market — read The Roebling Team Guide to Nolita.
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 285 Lafayette Street?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com