50 West 15th Street
50 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011
BBL 1008167503 · BIN 1087941
- Year built
- 2008
- Type
- Condominium
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Pied-à-terre
- Permitted
- Pets
- Pets permitted; species and limits not stated
- Washer/dryer
- Permitted with conditions
- Doorman
- Full-time doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2008–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf, 2026 to date
- $1,777
- floor-adjusted, 5 sales
- Listing discount
- 2.2%
- Recorded sales
- 98
- On record
- 2008–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Oculus 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.
The Oculus is the rare new-millennium condominium that chose masonry over glass. Completed in 2008 by Alchemy Properties to a design by FXFowle Architects, the ten-story building wears a terracotta façade detailed in a register that nods to the pre-war loft stock of Sixth Avenue and West 15th Street rather than the curtain-wall towers going up around it at the time. The result reads as if it belongs on the block — which on this stretch of the Flatiron–Chelsea seam, a few steps from both Union Square and the Sixth Avenue retail spine, is exactly the point.
For a buyer, the building's appeal is its position and its scale. Forty-seven residences across ten floors make for a manageable condominium with real services, set on a side street that is quiet by Flatiron standards yet within a two- or three-block walk of the L, F/M, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, and W trains at Union Square and Sixth Avenue. The condominium structure — financing latitude, ownership flexibility, a light right-of-first-refusal rather than a co-op board — sits on top of all of it.
Architecture and unit composition
The exterior is the building's signature: terracotta and brick massed to mediate between the masonry warehouses of the block and the contemporary residences inside. The 47 homes range from studios to three-bedrooms, roughly 600 to 2,300 square feet, and a large share — about twenty of them — carry private outdoor space, from balconies to setback terraces. Interiors were delivered with a high-specification sponsor finish program: wide-plank or Brazilian cherry floors, Poggenpohl kitchen cabinetry, Viking appliances, and marble baths with radiant-heated floors. Ceiling heights and window proportions reflect the ground-up construction; the planning leans toward the loft-like open layouts the neighborhood's buyers expect.
Building operations
The Oculus runs as a full-service condominium. A full-time doorman staffs the attended lobby, with a live-in resident manager and porter handling day-to-day operations and an advanced video-intercom system at entry. The amenity set is calibrated to the building's boutique size rather than padded: a landscaped roof deck with open Manhattan and Empire State Building views, a planted common courtyard at the rear, and private storage available to residents. The condominium permits washer/dryers in residence — many homes were delivered with them — and is pet-friendly. As a condominium, financing is flexible and there is no admissions board; purchases clear through the standard right-of-first-refusal.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of August 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.
Purchase
8 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $700 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Credit Check FeePer applicant | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $200 per applicant | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Move-in Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $1,500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Waiver of Right of First Refusal | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $750 | Refundable Not stated |
| Waiver of Right of First Refusal Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $350 | Refundable Not stated |
| Closing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $225 | Refundable Not stated |
| Closing Fee | Paid by Seller | When At closing | Amount $225 | 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 |
Rental or lease
7 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waiver of Right of First Refusal | Paid by Landlord | When With the application | Amount $750 | Refundable Not stated |
| Credit Check FeePer applicant | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $200 per applicant | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Move-in Fee | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $1,500 | Refundable Not stated |
| Processing Fee | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $350 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Waiver of Right of First Refusal Fee | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount $350 | Refundable Not stated |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move-in Deposit | Paid by Tenant | When With the application | Amount 1000 (Refundable) | Refundable Refundable |
Lease renewal
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Processing 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
- Not verified
- Pied-à-terre ownership
- PermittedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
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; species and limits not statedSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- In-unit washer/dryer
- Permitted with conditionsSome apartmentsSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to confirm the pet and washer/dryer rules for that apartment.
Monthly carrying charges in recent sales
- Common charges + taxes, per room
- $866 per room a monthMedian of 7 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges + taxes, per square foot
- $2.74 per square foot a monthMedian of 8 recorded sales since October 2023Source: recorded sales, refreshed October 2026
- Common charges alone, per square foot
- $1.31 per square foot a monthMedian of 13 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
- Real estate taxes alone, per square foot
- $1.37 per square foot a monthMedian of 13 listings since October 2023 that give the annual taxSource: listing records, refreshed October 2026
Common charges plus real estate taxes, combined into one monthly figure the way New York condominium listings show them. Add a mortgage payment for the monthly outlay. The split into common charges and taxes comes from the listings that also give the annual tax, a different sample, so the two lines need not add up exactly to the combined median; a tax abatement can hold taxes below the full amount until it expires. A summary of recorded sales and listings, not a current bill; charges change.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Full-time doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Concierge
- YesSource: recent listing records
- Attended lobby
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Virtual or video entry
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Live-in superintendent
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- Roof deck, garden, storageSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
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
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $31,117/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $55
- Modeled exposure split equally across 47 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).
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
Management & transfer contacts
- Policies and fees
- Condo (47 units, The Oculus). Buyer app $700; credit $200/applicant; move-in $1,500 + $1,000 deposit; waiver of ROFR $750; closing $225; lease renewal $300
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2026 | 2C | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,549 sf | $2,600,000 | $1,679/sf | -1.3% |
| Jun 26, 2026 | 1E | 2 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,613 sf | $2,900,000 | $1,798/sf | +7.6% |
| May 11, 2026 | 7B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,055 sf | $1,820,000 | $1,725/sf | -4.2% |
| Apr 27, 2026 | 4E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,265 sf | $2,275,000 | $1,798/sf | -0.9% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 8B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,229 sf | $2,275,000 | $1,851/sf | -0.7% |
| Oct 15, 2025 | 1C | 1 BR · 2 BA · 1,061 sf | $1,435,000 | $1,352/sf | — |
| Sep 16, 2025 | 7E | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,265 sf | $2,300,000 | $1,818/sf | -8.0% |
| May 19, 2025 | 9D | 3 BR · 2.5 BA · 1,611 sf | $2,850,000 | $1,769/sf | -4.8% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026 to date) cleared a median $1,777/sf (floor-adjusted) across 5 sales. 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 2.2% 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 1-00816-7503; 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.
Closed rents at The Oculus, last 36 months
| Size | Leases | Median / month |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 | $4,847 |
| 2 bedroom | 4 | $10,825 |
6 closed leases, October 2023 to September 2026. Most recent lease July 2025. Sizes with fewer than 2 leases are not shown. Compiled by The Roebling Team at Compass from closed leases.
What would your apartment rent for?
The figures above are the building's closed leases. Enter your apartment and I'll send you what yours would rent for, from comparable leases at The Oculus and nearby.
At the recent median sale of $2.29M (8 sales in the past 24 months, since October 31, 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $95,698 to close, or 4.2% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $28,594
- Mortgage recording tax: $33,026
- Title insurance: $10,294
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $23,785
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
Keep up with The Oculus and its market
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What to know if you’re buying
This is a condominium, so the purchase path is a right-of-first-refusal in place of a co-op board package and interview. Pied-à-terre use is permitted; confirm financing, subletting, and trust, LLC and investment ownership in the current declaration, bylaws and house rules. The points that actually shape value here are unit-specific — which exposure, how much private outdoor space, what floor — and building-level: the roof deck and courtyard, the full-time staffing, the storage availability. We help buyers read the offering plan and financials, weigh common charges and taxes against comparable boutique condominiums, and benchmark a given line against recent trades.
What to know if you’re selling
The selling story is the building's design and its location. A terracotta-clad, full-service condominium on a quiet West 15th Street block — one with private outdoor space on a large share of its homes and Union Square transit at the door — differentiates a listing from the glassier post-war and new-construction inventory nearby. Closing mechanics are condominium-standard: a right-of-first-refusal rather than a board process. Because turnover is light, a well-positioned home benefits from scarcity within the building; pricing should be set against the boutique-condominium comparable set rather than the broader, larger-tower market.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering The Oculus, also evaluate nearby Flatiron and Chelsea condominium inventory:
- 141 Fifth Avenue — landmark Flatiron condominium a few blocks north
- 212 Fifth Avenue — pre-war tower condominium overlooking Madison Square Park
- 15 Union Square West — cast-iron-and-glass condominium on Union Square
- 125 West 21st Street — boutique Chelsea condominium nearby
- 55 West 17th Street — Flatiron condominium a few blocks away
More Flatiron buildings
- Madison Square Park Tower at 45 East 22nd Street — condominium by Hill West Architects
- 49 East 21st Street — 1913 condominium
- 50 Lexington Avenue (Gramercy North) — 1987 condop
- 54 West 22nd Street — 1897 condominium
- 55 West 17th Street — 2017 condominium by Morris Adjmi Architects
- 58 West 15th Street — 1920 co-op
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Flatiron — read The Roebling Team Guide to Flatiron.
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 The Oculus?
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