- Year built
- 1900
- Type
- Condominium
- Units
- 26
- Floors
- 6
- Landmark
- No
- Pets
- Confirm with the board — listing information conflicts
- Subletting
- Generally permitted under condominium procedures
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
89 Avenue A — branded Bierman Court — occupies a hard corner at Avenue A and East 6th Street, in the heart of the East Village's most active avenue corridor. Avenue A is the neighborhood's commercial and cultural spine on its eastern side, and corner exposure at this vintage of building is a scarce configuration.
The building's defining structural fact is its tenure. Bierman Court is a genuine condominium — individual unit deeds, condominium financing rules, and the title and transfer flexibility that condominium buyers value. That is a meaningful distinction in the East Village, where a large share of the comparable pre-war masonry stock is held as cooperatives or operated as rental tenements. Buyers who want deeded ownership at pre-war scale, in this neighborhood, have a limited set of options, and Bierman Court is one of them.
The building carries a relatively high investor/rental ownership share. This is common among small East Village condominiums — the deeded-ownership structure makes individual units easy to hold and lease — and it is not a structural defect. It is, however, a fact that buyers should underwrite: a high rental share can affect the owner-occupancy ratios that certain lenders require, and it shapes the day-to-day character of the building. For buyers, Bierman Court represents a rare combination in the neighborhood: East Village corner exposure, pre-war masonry character, and condominium ownership.
Architecture and unit composition
89 Avenue A was built in 1900 as pre-war masonry construction — a six-story corner building at Avenue A and East 6th Street. The corner siting gives the building two exposures and street frontage on both Avenue A and East 6th Street, an advantage over the mid-block tenement stock that dominates much of the neighborhood. The building holds 26 to 27 residential units, several of which are marketed as loft-like configurations reflecting the pre-war floorplates.
The building sits at the northern edge of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District, designated in 2012. Whether this specific corner parcel falls inside the district boundary is not confirmed, and it materially affects the regulatory framework for any exterior work — inclusion in the district would subject facade and window alterations to Landmarks review. Buyers and sellers should confirm the parcel's designation status directly during due diligence.
Building operations
89 Avenue A operates as a condominium. The building runs a live-in superintendent and an elevator; there is no full-time doorman. Several units carry in-unit washer/dryer configurations. A common laundry room, roof deck, or gym is not confirmed in the building's amenity set — buyers who require those features should verify their presence with the managing agent.
Common charges, assessments, and reserve specifics should be confirmed at the unit level with the managing agent; building-level common-cost figures are not published in aggregated form.
The building's policy framework follows standard condominium procedures — pied-à-terre use and subletting are generally permitted — but the pet policy is reported inconsistently across listing information and should be confirmed with the board. Because the building carries a relatively high investor/rental share, buyers financing a purchase should confirm the current owner-occupancy ratio and the building's warrantability with their lender during due diligence.
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 | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2014 | 4D | 1 BR · 1 BA | $550,000 | -6.8% |
Market read. Median listing discount 6.8% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 1-00432-7502) 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 condominium structure is the value anchor. Bierman Court gives you deeded ownership — a condominium unit deed, condominium financing rules, and transfer flexibility — in a neighborhood where much of the comparable stock is cooperative or rental. That is the building's most important feature for buyers who specifically want a condo in the East Village.
Underwrite the high investor/rental share. A relatively high share of the units is investor-held and leased. This is common for small East Village condominiums and is not a defect, but it has two practical consequences: it can affect the owner-occupancy ratios certain lenders require, and it shapes the building's day-to-day character. Confirm the current ratio and lender warrantability during due diligence.
Confirm the historic-district status of the parcel. The building sits at the northern edge of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. Whether this corner is inside the district boundary is unconfirmed and affects the regulatory framework for exterior work. Confirm designation status before assuming either outcome.
The amenity set is modest. An elevator and a live-in super, with in-unit washer/dryer in several units. There is no full-time doorman, and a common laundry room, roof deck, and gym are not confirmed. Buyers who require staffed-lobby service or a fuller amenity package should weigh that.
No land lease, not HDFC. The building is a straightforward fee-owned condominium — no ground lease, and not an income-restricted HDFC. Confirm the reserve fund status, common-charge history, and any assessments with the managing agent at offer stage.
What to know if you’re selling
Lead with the corner exposure and the condominium structure. Corner siting at Avenue A and East 6th Street and deeded condominium ownership are the two strongest marketing anchors. Pre-war masonry character and the loft-like layouts reinforce the East Village lifestyle argument.
Address the investor/rental profile proactively. Because the building carries a high investor/rental share, an owner-occupant buyer's lender may scrutinize the owner-occupancy ratio. Surfacing the building's current ratio and warrantability posture early protects the closing timeline.
Clarify the historic-district and pet-policy questions up front. The parcel's designation status and the building's pet rules are both reported inconsistently. Resolving them before marketing prevents late-stage surprises.
Pricing requires line-level comparable analysis. Public resale data for the building is thin, and the inventory includes loft-like configurations that do not compress well into building-level averages. Price against the most recent comparable on the specific unit type and exposure being sold.
Comparable buildings
If you're considering 89 Avenue A, also evaluate:
- East Village pre-war condominiums — the small set of deeded-ownership pre-war buildings in the neighborhood; comparable ownership structure and vintage.
- Avenue A / Tompkins Square–area buildings — the broader inventory of small-to-mid-scale buildings along the avenue and near the park; a range of tenures and amenity levels.
- East Village pre-war co-ops — turn-of-the-century masonry cooperatives throughout the neighborhood; comparable vintage and scale, different ownership structure.
The Roebling Team at Bierman Court
The Roebling Team at Compass works the East Village and the Avenue A corridor as part of our broader downtown Manhattan practice. We publish this building profile because East Village buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — the condominium ownership structure, the investor/rental profile, and comparable analysis at the unit level — not generic neighborhood commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 89 Avenue A, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, schools, transit, and pricing across East Village + NoHo — read The Roebling Team Guide to East Village + NoHo.
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