- Year built
- 1845
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 19
- Landmark
- Designated
- Pets
- Confirm current house rules at offer stage
- Subletting
- Permitted on the sponsor units
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
Every recorded sale at this building, 2021–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $949K
- Recent range
- $525K – $999K
- Listing discount
- -8.5%
- Recorded transfers
- 12
458 West 20th Street is one of Chelsea's oldest buildings, sitting mid-block between Ninth and Tenth Avenues on one of the neighborhood's most historic streetscapes — near Cushman Row and the General Theological Seminary. Built around 1845, it predates almost everything around it, and today it operates as a repositioned sponsor cooperative of roughly 19 units in a low-rise elevator building.
The proposition here is unusual for a co-op. Because the residences are gut-renovated sponsor units, purchases avoid board approval, and both pied-à-terre use and subletting are permitted — a distinctive feature that sets these apartments apart from the typical Chelsea cooperative. That flexibility, paired with a landmarked block and an all-under-$1M price point, makes the building a rare entry into one of Manhattan's most walkable historic districts.
Building operations
The cooperative runs at a sensible scale: an elevator, a renovated lobby and hallways, and superintendent service, with no doorman — appropriate for a building of this size and era, and a factor in keeping carrying costs contained. Chelsea Piers fitness is nearby for residents who want a full gym.
The defining feature is the ownership structure. Because these are sponsor units, purchases avoid board approval, and pied-à-terre and subletting are permitted — flexibility rarely available in a traditional cooperative. Confirm the current pet policy, financing maximum, any flip tax, and the exact sublet terms at offer stage.
Recent sales
Co-op pricing is read on a per-room basis, and 458 West 20th trades as an accessible sponsor cooperative — all of the sponsor pricing sits under roughly $1M. Studios run approximately $389K–$480K and one-bedrooms approximately $550K–$824K. With only about 19 units and a studio/one-bedroom mix, resale volume is thin. When underwriting a purchase or a list price, capture the room count, the floor, the exposure, and renovation condition rather than relying on a neighborhood average. Genuinely variable financial figures should be confirmed at offer stage.
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 | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 5D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $525,000 | -12.4% |
| Aug 16, 2024 | 4D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $895,267 | -3.2% |
| Oct 13, 2023 | 2B | 1 BR · 1 BA | $981,469 | -10.8% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 2D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $949,717 | +8.5% |
| Mar 27, 2023 | 5A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $999,014 | +11.6% |
| Jan 6, 2023 | 3A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $948,633 | +15.1% |
| Jan 6, 2023 | 4C | 1 BA | $537,144 | +13.1% |
| Nov 30, 2022 | 4A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $977,564 | +15.1% |
Market read. Median listing discount -11.6% over ask.
Other recent transfers
| Date | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2023 | 1C | $536,795 |
| Dec 22, 2022 | 5C | $518,297 |
| Sep 22, 2021 | 1B | $3,100,000 |
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 1-00717-0073) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
The headline is flexibility. Because these are sponsor units, you buy without a board package or interview, and you can hold the apartment as a pied-à-terre or sublet it — a rare combination in a Chelsea co-op. Read the current house rules on the points that matter to you — the pet policy and financing terms — and review the co-op's reserve and any planned capital work given the building's age. The reasons to buy are the flexibility, the landmarked block, and the price: a gut-renovated home in one of Chelsea's oldest buildings for under $1M.
What to know if you’re selling
The story is a rare one: one of Chelsea's oldest buildings, on a landmarked block, offered as gut-renovated sponsor co-op units without board approval. The pied-à-terre and subletting flexibility, the historic streetscape near the seminary and the High Line, and the sub-$1M entry point sell to a specific buyer. Pricing is an apartment-specific exercise: room count, floor, light, and condition drive the number more than any block average. We position the sponsor-unit flexibility, prepare the buyer for the streamlined path, and benchmark against the right comparable tier of boutique Chelsea residences.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 458 West 20th Street, also look at these nearby Chelsea buildings:
- 366 West 15th Street — architecturally notable West Chelsea condominium
- 550 West 29th Street — boutique West Chelsea condominium
- 241 West 19th Street — full-service central Chelsea condominium
The Roebling Team at 458 West 20th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Manhattan's pre-war cooperative and condominium market. We publish this profile because buyers and sellers of boutique Chelsea residences deserve building-specific intelligence — the architecture and neighborhood context, the cooperative structure, the staffing and amenity reality, and where pricing sits against the right comparable tier.
If you're weighing a purchase or sale at 458 West 20th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Chelsea — read The Roebling Team Guide to Chelsea.
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