635 West 42nd Street (The Atelier)
635 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036
Hell's Kitchen
BBL 1010907501 · BIN 1087539
- Year built
- 2007
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 478
- Floors
- 46
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Condominium framework; verify current rules with the managing agent
Every recorded sale at this building, 2004–2026
Price-per-square-foot over time, the line- and floor-premium curves, and every recorded sale.
- Median $/sf
- $1,343
- Listing discount
- 3.0%
- Recorded sales
- 1238
- On record
- 2004–2026
The Atelier was the building that called far West 42nd Street's future early. When the Moinian Group and MacFarlane Partners broke ground in 2004, the blocks west of Eleventh Avenue were parking lots and rail-yard edge; when the tower opened in 2007, it delivered 478 glass-walled apartments with a 12,000-square-foot amenity floor, a sky-lit pool, and Hudson River panoramas — years before the 7-train extension, the Javits renovation, and the Hudson Yards towers turned the corridor into one of the city's largest concentrations of new residential capital. Costas Kondylis's design — a slender slab with alternating two-story facade projections, conceived as a glass ship's bow honoring the ocean liners that once docked at the West 40s piers — remains, per architectural records, among the best-regarded of the corridor's residential towers.
The market proposition has been consistent since opening: full-amenity Manhattan condominium ownership at pricing meaningfully below both the Hudson Yards towers to the south and comparable-vintage product to the east. The unit mix — overwhelmingly studios, one-, and two-bedrooms, most with balconies — has made the building a perennial entry point for first-time condo buyers, pied-à-terre purchasers, and investors, and the rental market in the building is correspondingly deep.
A building profile that ignored the Atelier's governance history would not be doing its job. The condominium's disputes are a matter of extensive trade-press record: the board sued the Moinian Group in 2012 over alleged construction defects, as reported by The Real Deal; unit owners filed a $100 million suit in 2016 alleging the sponsor retained ownership of common and amenity spaces after selling the sponsor units, also reported by The Real Deal; in October 2018 the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement raided the building over illegal short-term rentals and issued 27 violations; and Habitat Magazine covered 2021 litigation by a homeowners' group seeking to oust the board over "illegal hotel" allegations. The building also produced one of the era's most covered trophy listings — a combined full-floor penthouse marketed at $85 million with extras including a yacht, two Rolls-Royces, and tickets to space, which drew international press before being pulled from the market in 2019, as reported by The Real Deal. None of this history changes the quality of the physical asset; all of it belongs in a buyer's diligence file.
Architecture and unit composition
The tower rises 46 stories with glass curtain-wall corners and the alternating two-story projecting bays that give the north and south facades their notched, high-tech rhythm — a slab so slender (roughly 9-to-1) that most lines capture light and view from multiple directions. Apartments at the offering numbered 478 — studios, one-, and two-bedrooms, with select combinations since (city records currently tally 400 residential units) — finished with floor-to-ceiling glass, white-oak floors, quartz and marble finishes, Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances, and in-unit washer/dryers per architectural records. Wraparound balconies on many lines are the building's signature: corner units carry outdoor space measured in tens of feet of frontage, with Hudson River, skyline, and harbor exposures that improve floor by floor. The river-facing west lines remain the premium stack.
Building operations
Full-service condominium: 24-hour door and concierge staff, live-in resident manager, and the amenity program across the fitness center, pool, sun deck, Sky Lounge, sport court, and landscaped terrace, plus a 100-car garage in the base. One diligence item is specific to this building: because of the litigation history over which entity owns and controls certain common and amenity spaces, buyers should have counsel confirm the current ownership, access rights, and fee arrangements for each amenity — and the current status of any board or sponsor litigation — rather than assuming the marketing-era amenity list. Common charges and taxes on the unit, and the building's financial statements, complete the picture.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $20,691/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $4
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 →Recent sales
Recent closings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 2026 | 18G | 3 BR · 3 BA · 1,600 sf | $1,600,000 | $1,000/sf | -5.9% |
| Apr 20, 2026 | 40F | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,040 sf | $1,600,000 | $1,538/sf | -15.8% |
| Apr 6, 2026 | 15L | 1 BR · 1 BA · 633 sf | $810,000 | $1,280/sf | -3.6% |
| Apr 1, 2026 | 28D | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,050 sf | $1,290,000 | $1,229/sf | -11.0% |
| Mar 20, 2026 | 14F | 1 BR · 758 sf | $990,000 | $1,306/sf | off-mkt |
| Jan 9, 2026 | 45K | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,100 sf | $1,975,000 | $1,795/sf | -1.3% |
| Jan 9, 2026 | 45A | 4 BR · 4 BA · 2,250 sf | $1,991,425 | $885/sf | -0.4% |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 31E | 2 BR · 1,100 sf | $1,400,000 | $1,273/sf | -9.7% |
Market read. Most recent trades (2026) cleared a median $1,343/sf across 7 sales. Median listing discount 3.0% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
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 1-01090-7501) 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.
What to know if you’re buying
Price the discount, and understand its sources. The Atelier's pricing gap versus the corridor's newer towers reflects vintage, the studio-heavy mix, the rental density, and the governance history — not the physical location, which has only improved as Hudson Yards, the waterfront parks, and the 7-train extension matured around it. Buyers who underwrite the gap knowingly have historically been paid for it.
Do real governance diligence. This is the rare building where the trade press has already written the diligence memo: sponsor litigation, amenity-control disputes, and the 2018 short-term-rental enforcement action are all on the public record. Have your attorney pull current board minutes, litigation status, and the financials before contract — and confirm amenity access rights in writing.
Balconies and river light are the product. Most of the building's premium lines carry wraparound outdoor space and west light off the Hudson. Walk the specific unit at different hours; the spread between a river-facing balconied corner and an interior low-floor line is the widest pricing variable in the building.
The investor framework cuts both ways. Condo mechanics, deep rental demand, and structural flexibility (LLCs, trusts, foreign buyers) make the building easy to own and easy to exit — but the same density of rentals means lenders will scrutinize owner-occupancy ratios. Confirm financing early. Run the Buyer Closing Cost Calculator on the specific deal.
Carrying costs are the second price. Common charges fund a large staff and amenity program. Run the True Monthly Carrying Cost Calculator on the unit before offering.
What to know if you’re selling
Differentiate against the rental towers. Your buyer is cross-shopping Sky next door and the corridor's other amenity-rich rentals. The pitch is ownership math: a balconied condo with a full amenity stack at the corridor's lowest ownership basis, in a location whose infrastructure has been rebuilt around it.
Lead with the line, not the building average. With hundreds of units and a wide quality spread, building-average pricing is noise. Same-line history — floor, exposure, balcony configuration — is the only anchor that survives negotiation.
Get ahead of the diligence file. Sophisticated buyers' attorneys will find the building's press history within an hour. Sellers who present current board financials, litigation status, and amenity documentation up front convert hesitant buyers that surprised ones walk away from.
Mind the mansion tax thresholds. Much of the building trades around the $1 million and $2 million cliffs. Run the Mansion Tax Calculator at the intended ask and price with the thresholds in view.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 635 West 42nd Street, also evaluate:
- 460 West 42nd Street — the MiMA tower's condo component up the block; the corridor's higher-amenity, higher-basis alternative
- The Orion (350 West 42nd Street) — the closest peer in vintage, mix, and buyer profile, closer to Eighth Avenue
- The Platinum (247 West 46th Street) — boutique-scaled Theater District condo of similar era
- 15 Hudson Yards and 35 Hudson Yards — the corridor's top-tier new condos; the price ceiling that frames the Atelier's value case
- Waterline Square — riverfront amenity-driven condos uptown; the lifestyle-program alternative
- One West End — Riverside Center condo; comparable glass-tower product at a different price point
- Sky (605 West 42nd Street) — the 1,175-unit rental neighbor; the rent-versus-buy comparison your buyer is already making
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across Hudson Yards — read The Roebling Team Guide to Hudson Yards.
Considering a move at The Atelier?
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Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at The Atelier 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.