- Year built
- 1910
- Type
- Cooperative
- Units
- 42
- Floors
- 7
- Landmark
- No
- Amenities
- Elevator, live-in superintendent, central laundry, common roof deck, interior courtyard and garden, video-intercom / virtual-doorman security, bike room, storage; pet-friendly, renovated lobby. No full-time doorman or parking
- Financing
- Approximately 20% minimum down per building records; 1.5% flip tax paid by seller per building records — verify against current board policy at offer stage
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2025
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 1BR median
- $781K
- Recent range
- $650K – $837K
- Listing discount
- 4.2%
- Recorded transfers
- 60
49 East 12th Street is the prewar loft co-op at its most Village-specific: a 1910 building converted to a 42-unit cooperative in 1979, wrapped in an L around its own interior courtyard, a half-block from Union Square between University Place and Broadway. In a corridor where prewar loft character and outdoor space rarely arrive together, this building carries three distinct outdoor spaces — a common roof deck, the interior courtyard, and a garden — around a stock of loft apartments with exposed brick, decorative fireplaces, and a meaningful share of duplex and combination layouts.
The format is the thesis. This is a loft conversion, not a purpose-built apartment house — meaning genuine loft proportions, exposed brick, and the irregular, character-rich layouts that come from carving residences out of a 1910 commercial structure. The building's low-rise, seven-story profile and courtyard massing keep light reaching the interiors, and the co-op's per-foot pricing sits below the neighborhood's new-construction condos.
For buyers, the pull is location and loft character together. The address sits within a short walk of the Union Square subway hub, the Greenwich Village and NoHo retail and restaurant fabric, and the Broadway design corridor — with a courtyard-facing calm most Union Square-adjacent buildings can't offer.
Architecture and unit composition
The building rises seven stories in prewar brick, L-shaped around an interior courtyard, converted in 1979 into 42 residential co-op units plus a ground-floor commercial unit. The apartments read as genuine loft product: exposed brick, decorative fireplaces, and a substantial share of duplex and combination layouts, some with private balconies or terraces. One-bedrooms run roughly 600 to 750 square feet; larger two- and three-bedroom duplex and combined lines reach 1,300 square feet and beyond. This is a co-op sold the traditional way, on ask and maintenance subject to board approval, and the loft character plus the three-way outdoor-space program are the differentiators.
Building operations
This is prewar loft co-op ownership with an unusually deep outdoor-space program for the format: an elevator, a live-in superintendent, central laundry, a common roof deck, the interior courtyard, a garden, video-intercom security, bike room, and storage, with the common budget spread across a small owner base and no full-time doorman payroll. The building carries a 1.5% seller-paid flip tax. Cooperative governance here is intimate and owner-occupancy-oriented — the escalating sublet fee schedule signals a board that permits but actively discourages long-term subletting. The financial statements, house rules, flip tax, and sublet policy should be reviewed carefully during diligence, and we obtain current building documents from the managing agent for clients at offer stage.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 14, 2025 | 2B | 1 BR · 2 BA · 750 sf | $785,000 | $1,047/sf | off-mkt |
| Dec 4, 2024 | 5A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 750 sf | $790,000 | $1,053/sf | -4.2% |
| Aug 22, 2024 | 3E | 1 BR · 1 BA · 600 sf | $660,000 | $1,100/sf | -2.2% |
| Jun 17, 2024 | 4C | 1 BR · 1 BA | $782,000 | -6.5% | |
| May 10, 2024 | 5F | 1 BR · 1 BA | $780,000 | -2.4% | |
| Jan 22, 2024 | 5D | 1 BR · 1 BA · 700 sf | $650,000 | $929/sf | +8.5% |
| May 11, 2023 | 4F | 1 BR · 1 BA | $739,500 | -5.1% | |
| May 10, 2023 | 2A | 1 BR · 1 BA | $837,000 | -5.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2025) cleared a median $1,031/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 2.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2022 | 4A | $812,000 |
| Jan 4, 2019 | 3C | $735,000 |
| Aug 15, 2018 | 6D | $1,050,000 |
| Jun 30, 2017 | 4G | $795,000 |
| Jun 15, 2012 | 3A | $749,000 |
| Dec 30, 2008 | 4C | $750,000 |
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 1-00564-0020) 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
The outdoor-space program is the standout. A common roof deck, an interior courtyard, and a garden is a rare combination for a building this size and this close to Union Square. Weigh it into value.
Loft layouts vary sharply. Duplex, combination, and single-floor lines differ meaningfully in proportion, light, and price. Walk the specific unit; the layout is the product.
This is an owner-occupancy co-op. The escalating sublet fee schedule signals a board that permits but discourages long-term subletting, and a 1.5% seller flip tax applies. Confirm the current sublet policy, fees, and flip tax against the board and by-laws at offer stage; run the True Monthly Carrying Cost Calculator.
The historic-district status is worth tracking. The building sits within a proposed South of Union Square historic district that has not been landmarked. Designation, if it advances, would affect exterior alterations — note it in diligence.
Mansion tax applies at the top of the building. Larger duplex and combination units cross the $1 million threshold — run the Mansion Tax Calculator at the intended price before offering.
What to know if you’re selling
Market the loft character and the three outdoor spaces. Exposed brick, fireplaces, courtyard, garden, and roof deck a half-block from Union Square is a specific and marketable story — lead with it.
Layout defines the comp. With duplex, combination, and single-floor lines, generic per-foot pricing misleads. Anchor to the closest layout comparables, adjusted for floor, light, and outdoor space.
Be precise on the policy stack. Buyers price the sublet fee schedule and flip tax into their offer — present them accurately up front.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 49 East 12th Street, also evaluate:
- 111 East 14th Street — full-service building on the Union Square edge; the amenity counterpoint
- 45 Fifth Avenue — prewar co-op on the Lower Fifth Avenue corridor a few blocks west
- 3 West 13th Street — prewar-loft condominium on the Village edge; a close format comparable
- 1 Astor Place — prewar co-op at Astor Place, downtown
The Roebling Team at 49 East 12th Street
The Roebling Team at Compass works Greenwich Village, the Union Square edge, and the broader downtown co-op market as a core practice area. We publish this building profile because prewar-loft co-op buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — loft-layout variation, outdoor-space value, and the policy stack that shapes pricing — not generic neighborhood commentary.
If you're considering a transaction at 49 East 12th Street, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Greenwich Village — read The Roebling Team Guide to Greenwich Village.
Get the full picture on this building.
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