538 Union Avenue
538 Union Avenue, near Withers Street · Williamsburg
BBL 3027417501 · BIN 3418365
- Year built
- 2013
- Type
- Condominium
- Landmark
- No
- Amenities
- Elevator, shared roof deck, parking and in-unit laundry
Every recorded sale at this building, 2016–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,949
- Listing discount
- 1.2%
- Recorded sales
- 24
- On record
- 2016–2026
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 538 Union Avenue 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.
538 Union Avenue uses brick, large windows and industrial-inspired interiors in a thirteen-residence condominium. Kutnicki Bernstein Architects designed the building, which includes compact apartments and larger duplex penthouses with private rooftop terraces. A shared roof deck and seven parking units supplement the residential space.
The development's construction and sales history stretches beyond the city's year-built entry. DOB issued the new-building permit in June 2008. The Attorney General accepted the condominium filing in April 2014, and the first closing occurred in February 2016. The new-building job was signed off the following month.
Architecture and unit composition
The inventory includes one- and two-bedroom residences, with smaller single-level apartments and larger homes approaching 1,200 square feet. Some conventional layouts have balconies or terraces. The upper duplexes arrange living space over two levels and add roof-level outdoor areas with wider views.
The brick façade and oversized windows carry through to interiors with open kitchens and broad living spaces. The original residential specifications included in-unit washer/dryers. Central air conditioning appears across documented layouts, while private outdoor area differs substantially by apartment type.
The distinction between interior and terrace area matters most at the top of the building. A duplex with an outdoor area on more than one level functions differently from a single-level apartment with a balcony, even when the bedroom counts are similar.
Building operations
The Attorney General filing identifies thirteen residential units and seven parking units. Parking is separately deeded in documented transactions, so a residence and a parking interest may form a combined sale. The common roof deck is separate from the penthouses' private terraces.
Public filing information recorded a nonsponsor-controlled board in September 2017. The common areas include an elevator. The condominium's 421-a benefit remains active on the 2027 tax roll, within the fifteen-year term that began in 2013.
Recent sales
Recent closings at this building, curated by The Roebling Team research desk. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13, 2026 | 3B | 1 BR · 508 sf | $990,000 | $1,949/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 28, 2024 | 2B | 1 BR · 508 sf | $1,008,067 | $1,984/sf | off-mkt |
| Oct 10, 2024 | 4A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 712 sf | $1,030,000 | $1,447/sf | -1.9% |
| May 4, 2023 | PHC | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,039 sf | $1,575,000 | $1,516/sf | -1.3% |
| Jan 18, 2023 | PHA | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,180 sf | $1,675,000 | $1,419/sf | -1.2% |
| Jul 8, 2022 | 4B | 1 BR · 1 BA · 700 sf | $999,000 | $1,427/sf | +5.3% |
| May 18, 2021 | 5B | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,180 sf | $1,700,000 | $1,441/sf | +0.3% |
| Dec 30, 2020 | 1A | 1 BR · 1 BA · 600 sf | $675,000 | $1,125/sf | -3.4% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,949/sf across 1 sale. Median listing discount 1.2% 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 3-02741-7501) 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; square footage from recorded condo declarations and offering plans.
At the recent median sale of $1.01M (3 sales since 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $46,130 to close, or 4.6% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $10,081
- Mortgage recording tax: $14,554
- Title insurance: $4,536
- Attorneys, lender, building fees, reserves and filings: $16,959
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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What to know if you’re buying
The fifteen-year tax benefit is approaching the end of its scheduled term. An apartment's current tax amount may therefore represent a temporary carrying cost. The remaining benefit and its phaseout should be reconciled to that residence's assessment, especially when a separately taxed parking lot is part of the purchase.
Comparable buildings
- The Decora: A similarly small condominium from the same broad development period.
- 211 North 5th Street: A smaller condominium for comparing the expenses and availability associated with a limited apartment inventory.
- 275 Manhattan Avenue: A nearby condominium of comparable residential scale in a lower building.
- Northpoint Towers: A taller small condominium for comparing upper-floor exposure and building form.
- Two12 Williamsburg: A larger condominium with more residences sharing its common building obligations.
More Williamsburg buildings
- 526 Union Avenue — 2023 condominium
- 532 Lorimer Street — 2019 condominium
- 535 Kent Avenue (525–535 Park Plaza Condominium) — 2001 condominium
- 55 Berry Street (Berry Street Lofts) — 1900 condominium by Karl Fischer Architects
- 555–557 Flushing Avenue — 2003 condominium
- 57–59 Maspeth Avenue — 2004 condominium
The neighborhood
For the full neighborhood — its buildings, character, and market — read The Roebling Team Guide to Williamsburg.
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.
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