338 Berry Street (The Williamsberry)

The Berry Street building keeps parts of the original structure. The offering plan says portions of the façade, floors, ceilings, support beams, windows and one elevator were to remain in place. On top of that frame, the alteration added a setback eighth floor with a sawtooth roof profile, per architectural press, visible from the street. The top of the building holds the penthouse and two residences the plan calls "Skyhouse" units (designated SHN and SHS in the tax lots), along with an amenity lounge with terraces. Department of Finance records put the penthouse at about 2,575 square feet and the two Skyhouse units at about 1,780 and 2,135. At the other end of the range, the smallest apartments on the lower floors are around 500 square feet.

The South 5th Street building has one apartment per floor, each about 950 square feet above the first. Units 201 through 601 have lot-line windows, per the offering plan. A lot-line window sits on or near a property line, and the neighbor can legally block it by building up. Buyers of those units should weigh that risk against the building's smaller scale and the tax benefit.

Several ground-floor and top-floor units have private terraces. The offering plan lists terraces on 1E, 101 and both Skyhouse units, plus the penthouse terraces.

The tax position is two positions. The Department of Finance exemption roll records 421-a exemption code 5118 on the six South 5th Street lots only (101 through 601), with a fifteen-year term, benefit start 2017, base year 2014, still at full value on the fiscal 2027 roll. The offering plan explains why the benefit is limited to this building. The site is in the 421-a geographic exclusion area, where a benefit requires affordable housing. The sponsor bought negotiable certificates (credits for affordable units built elsewhere) for the six new units rather than building affordable units on site. On the standard fifteen-year schedule, the full exemption runs through the eleventh benefit year and then steps down over four years. For these units that means full value through about fiscal 2027, a step-down across fiscal 2028–2031, and full taxes from about fiscal 2032. Confirm the schedule against the unit's current bill. The 54 residences at 338 Berry carry no exemption on any roll we reviewed.

The condominium owns the resident manager's apartment. The offering plan amendments record that the condominium bought Unit 1D from the sponsor in September 2017 and financed it with a 25-year mortgage. It is a modest obligation for a building this size, but it is a line in the budget, and a buyer's attorney should see it in the financial statements.

The sell-out is complete. Sponsor closings began in August 2016. The plan amendments record the sponsor holding 43 units at the end of 2016, 14 at the end of 2017, and 8 in September 2018, with at least one of those rented. The sponsor gave up board control in April 2018. ACRIS shows the last sponsor-held residence conveyed in June 2023. There is no sponsor inventory left.

House rules adopted in 2018 ban smoking in the common areas, with an exception for the 338 Berry roof deck. The current managing agent, budget, reserve level and any capital plan should be confirmed directly. None of it is in the public record.

Recent sales

Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 3-02442-7501) 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.

Know which building the unit is in. 101 through 601 are the South 5th Street annex, with 421-a and lot-line windows. Everything else is the converted Berry Street building, with full taxes. Model each on its own bill.

Price the 421-a burn-off. For an annex unit, the tax bill rises from fiscal 2028 and reaches full taxes around fiscal 2032. Run True Monthly Carrying Cost at both the current and the fully taxed number.

Read the lot-line window disclosure. For 201–601, ask what the adjoining lot could legally build and whether anything has been filed.

Ask for the financials. Confirm the reserve, the mortgage on the resident manager's unit, the staffing budget, and any capital work on the century-old envelope of the Berry Street building.

Plan for no parking. There is none on site.

Put the tax bill up front. Buyers will find the split. A seller who explains it, with the current bill in hand, controls the comparison.

Sell the service model. A resident manager and doorman coverage in a converted loft is the building's distinguishing feature on the Southside. Price against serviced buildings, not against walk-up conversions.

For annex units, disclose the lot-line windows early. A buyer's attorney will find them in the plan. Raising them first keeps the negotiation on price rather than trust.

If you're considering 338 Berry Street, also evaluate:

• The Esquire Building (330 Wythe Avenue) — another 1914 Southside industrial conversion, three blocks north
• The Gretsch (60 Broadway) — the Southside factory conversion by the bridge; volume over service
• Austin Nichols House (184 Kent Avenue) — the Northside warehouse conversion on the waterfront
• The Mill Building (85 North 3rd Street) — a Northside loft conversion of similar vintage
• The Rialto (150 North 5th Street) — a 1910 industrial conversion on the Northside
• 55 Berry Street (Berry Street Lofts) — a loft conversion on the same street, farther north
• 26 Broadway (Bridgeview Towers) — new construction with a garage, just south of the bridge
• The Oosten (429 Kent Avenue) — the 2016 South Williamsburg new-development alternative with a deeper amenity program