37 West 12th Street
37 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10011
Greenwich Village
BBL 1005760025 · BIN 1077930
- Year built
- 1962
- Type
- Cooperative
Every recorded sale at this building, 2003–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median
- $2.8M
- Recent range
- $1.7M – $5M
- Listing discount
- 0.0%
- Recorded transfers
- 105
Butterfield House is one of the most admired post-war buildings in Greenwich Village — and one of the few mid-century cooperatives that earned the affection usually reserved for the neighborhood's pre-war stock. Completed in 1962 to designs by Mayer, Whittlesey & Glass, with William J. Conklin and James S. Rossant as the partners in charge, it was conceived as a modern building that would sit with the brownstones of West 12th Street rather than against them. In 1963 the Municipal Art Society of New York gave it an award for exactly that achievement — a rare civic endorsement of a new apartment house in a historic neighborhood.
The building takes its name from General Daniel Butterfield, the Union officer credited with composing "Taps," whose home once stood on the site. Today the name belongs to a co-op that occupies the prized Fifth Avenue end of West 12th Street — the so-called Gold Coast — within easy reach of the Flatiron, Union Square, and the rest of the Village's most walkable blocks.
Architecture and unit composition
The design is the building's signature. To respect the low brownstone scale of West 12th Street, the architects held the front wing to seven stories, then let the building rise to 13 stories on the quieter West 13th Street side — a clever section that gives the co-op its height without overpowering the block. The two wings are joined by a glazed central courtyard, a serene, glass-walled passage that doubles as the building's lobby experience and remains one of the most celebrated interior spaces in any Village apartment house.
The 102 residences are defined by the building's deep, projecting bay windows, which pull light and air into the apartments and animate the facade. Layouts run from one-bedroom homes to large family apartments, with the high-floor units on the West 13th Street wing carrying the longest views. Generous proportions, the courtyard outlook, and the floor-to-ceiling glass of the bays make these among the most sought-after post-war apartments in the neighborhood.
Building operations
Butterfield House is a full-service cooperative — a 24-hour doorman, porters, and a live-in resident manager keep it running — and the amenity package is unusually complete for a building of its era: a fitness room, central air with room-by-room control, a bicycle room, private storage, a basement laundry, on-site covered parking, and the landscaped courtyard at its heart.
The co-op's rules sit squarely in the established-building tradition. A flip tax of 2% of the gross sale price applies on transfer. Financing is capped at 60% of the purchase price, which positions the building toward the more conservative end of the Village co-op spectrum (the board temporarily lifted the cap to 70% during the pandemic before reverting). Buyers planning renovations should note the co-op's alteration process and its window-replacement standard. As with any cooperative, purchases are subject to board review, and prospective owners considering holding their shares in a trust should weigh how that affects the city's co-op/condo property-tax abatement before transferring.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- Per unit / month range
- —
Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. Facade inspections run on a fixed five-year cycle; future inspection, repair, and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
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 →Management & transfer contacts
- Flip tax
- 2% of gross sales price (buyer)
- Notable fees
- Max financing 60% (temporarily 70%); Window Replacement Deposit $20,000 if applicable; move-in/out deposits $500; closing fee $850
Recent sales
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2026 | 6G | 2 BR · 2 BA | $3,350,000 | +0.0% | |
| Jan 20, 2026 | 3D | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,500,000 | +9.2% | |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 7D | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,950,000 | -1.5% | |
| Apr 24, 2025 | 3A3B | 4 BR · 4 BA · 3,000 sf | $5,100,000 | $1,700/sf | -15.0% |
| Feb 27, 2025 | 5J | 4 BR · 3.5 BA | $4,895,000 | -2.0% | |
| Dec 17, 2024 | 2F | 2 BR · 2 BA | $2,400,000 | -3.8% | |
| Oct 22, 2024 | 1K | 1 BR · 1 BA | $1,700,000 | +0.0% | |
| Sep 5, 2024 | 6B | 2 BR · 2 BA | $4,025,000 | +0.8% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $1,700/sf across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 2.3% 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.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2024 | 3C | $2,600,000 |
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 1-00576-0025) 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
This is a board-approval co-op with a conservative financial posture. Budget for the 60% financing cap — buyers should expect to bring meaningful equity, and the board will scrutinize the full financial picture. Factor in the 2% flip tax when modeling resale economics. The reward for that discipline is a famously well-run, architecturally significant building in one of the Village's best locations. Apartments with strong courtyard or open-sky exposure and the signature bay windows are the ones to prioritize; renovation-ready homes can offer value for buyers prepared to work within the alteration rules.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the architecture and the courtyard. Butterfield House is one of a handful of post-war Village buildings with genuine design pedigree, and that reputation — the Municipal Art Society award, the glazed courtyard, the bay windows — is a marketing asset few competing buildings can claim. Price against the building's own history and the Gold Coast peer set, not the broader post-war field; the building consistently outperforms generic mid-century stock. Prepare the buyer for the board and the financing cap early — a well-qualified, well-prepared purchaser clears the process smoothly, and screening for that fit up front protects your timeline. Light, floor, and exposure are the levers that separate a strong sale from an average one here.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering Butterfield House, also evaluate nearby Greenwich Village and Fifth Avenue co-ops:
- 2 Fifth Avenue — Emery Roth & Sons's 1951 Greenwich Village cooperative
- 24 Fifth Avenue — pre-war Village cooperative near Washington Square
- 59 West 12th Street — West 12th Street cooperative steps away
- 101 West 12th Street — full-service West 12th Street building
- 45 Fifth Avenue — established Lower Fifth Avenue co-op
- 33 Fifth Avenue — pre-war Fifth Avenue cooperative nearby
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Greenwich Village — read The Roebling Team Guide to Greenwich Village.
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.
Considering a move at Butterfield House?
Request a private building brief with the relevant comparable sales, current and off-market availability, and an apartment-specific view of value.
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at Butterfield House 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.