The oldest condo building in the Lower East Side of Manhattan dates back to 1872. Most
condo developments in LES today are new construction buildings, and condo conversions are increasingly
rare. There are many other historic, pre-war apartment buildings in the Lower East Side,
however the vast majority of them are rental buildings, single or multifamily homes or
co-op buildings.
In today’s video we will introduce you to some of the oldest condo buildings in the
Lower East Side. I’m Nick at Hauseit. In case you’re not already familiar with Hauseit,
we are New York City’s largest reduced commission platform for buyers and sellers. Check out
our website www.hauseit.com to learn how to save up to 6% when selling and save up to
2% when buying here in New York City. So let’s get started!
215 Bowery
215 Bowery was constructed in 1872 and converted to condos in 1990. It was built as the New
Amsterdam Savings Bank, and it subsequently served as the headquarters of Germania Bank
from 1878 to 1989 before it moved to its newly-built headquarters at 190 Bowery.
Built on an irregularly narrow corner lot at Rivington Street and The Bowery, 215 Bowery
features an Italian Renaissance facade which was carved from sandstone quarried in Ohio
in the late 19th Century. Actor Nicholas Braun purchased #5R for $1,910,000 in December 2019.
184 Bowery
184 Bowery was built in 1887 and converted to condos in 1999. It features four, full-floor
loft apartments and a ground floor commercial unit. The Renaissance Revival style structure
was designed by William Graul and originally used as a commercial space.
Subsequently, the building was converted to a hotel in 1924 and artist lofts in 1969,
according to the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors. There have been no resales in over two decades,
and residents of the building have lived there for lengths of time ranging from 12 to 38
years.
115 Allen Street
115 Allen Street was built in 1889 and converted to condos in 2005. Floors two through five
are keyed-elevator, full floor units, while floors six and seven comprise a duplex penthouse
with over 2,000 SqFt of outdoor space. Apartment #3 went into contract in just 12 days in July
2020 asking $2,250,000.
2 Prince Street
2 Prince Street was built in 1900 and converted to condos in 1986. It is a boutique, walk-up
building with just 10 apartments. The building sits at the corner of Prince and Bowery, the
de-facto border between Nolita and the Lower East Side in the heart of Lower Manhattan.
The most recent sale was Apartment #4B which sold for $2,300,000 in December 2016.
195 Bowery
195 Bowery was built in 1900 and converted to condos in 2004. The former gaslight factory
was originally five stories, but 11 floors were added during the condo conversion to
make for a total of 16 stories with one apartment per floor accessible by keyed elevator. The
most recent apartment to change hands was Unit #11 which sold for $2,925,000 in September
2018.
15 Rivington Street
15 Rivington Street was built in 1900 and converted to condos in 2006. It is an intimate
building with only 5 apartments in total. The most recent sale was Apartment #4 which
sold for $2,765,000 in May 2019. The 2,300 SqFt Penthouse, which features a private roof
deck, lap pool and outdoor grill, was listed for rent in 2020 asking $16,000/month.
52 Rivington Street
52 Rivington Street was built in 1900 and converted to condos in 1988. It’s an intimate
building with just 5 units, one per floor, and there’s no elevator. While very few
apartments have changed hands over the years, Apartment #4 sold for $2,250,000 on 11/28/18.
75 Ludlow Street
75 Ludlow Street was built around 1900 and converted to condos in 2007. The 7 story building
contains 13 units and a keyed elevator. The most recent sale was #2C which sold for $1,925,000
in November 2019.
17 Orchard Street
17 Orchard Street was built around 1900 and converted to condos between 2009 and 2011.
The elevator building features one unit per floor and a total of 7 stories. The most recent
sale was Apartment #7 which sold for $2,200,000 in June 2019.
155 Henry Street
155 Henry Street was built in 1907 and converted to condos in 1986. The building abuts the
Captain Jacob Joseph Playground and is technically part of the Two Bridges neighborhood which
is considered to be an extension of the Lower East Side.
Initial sales in the 24-unit elevator building began in the early 2000s and ranged anywhere
from $90,000 to $276,000. While very few apartments have changed hands over the years, the most
recent sale was Apartment #201 which sold for $398,000 in February 2019.
345 Grand Street
345 Grand Street is a 5-story cast-iron facade building constructed in 1910 as The Grand
Street Museum. The building is one of only a handful in the Lower East Side with a cast-iron
facade which is much more common in SoHo. It was converted to condos in 2002. The most
recent sale was Apartment #2 which changed hands for $3,850,000 in June 2015.
175 East Broadway
175 East Broadway, known as The Forward Building, is a Beaux Arts style structure built in 1912
as the headquarters of the Jewish Daily Forward newspaper. It was converted to luxury condos
between 2001 and 2006. The most recent sale was Apartment #6D which changed hands in November
2019 for $2,375,000.
142 Henry Street
142 Henry Street, also known as The Garfield Building, is a loft building constructed in
1912 and converted to condos in 2005. The 9-story elevator building has just 13 units,
with several of the apartments consisting of entire floors. The most recent unit to
change hands was Apartment #3E which sold for $1,505,000 in June 2019.
18 Orchard Street
18 Orchard Street was built in 1920 and converted to condos in 1999. The five-story building
contains just 4 units, one of which is a duplex penthouse with a multi level outdoor space.
The most recent sale was Apartment #5 which changed hands for $3,910,000 in September
2014.
60 Orchard Street
60 Orchard Street was built in 1920 and is one of the more recent condo conversions in
the Lower Side, with sales commencing in 2010. As part of the conversion, several stories
were added and the facade was heavily modified featuring a composition of glass and steel.
The most recent sale was Apartment #8 which sold for $2,475,000 in December 2017.
165 Henry Street
165 Henry Street was built in 1928 as the original Rabbi Jacob Joseph School building,
and the first condos were sold between 1997 and 2003. The building made global headlines
in 2019 when several unit owners were busted for illegally splitting their apartments into
micro-units.
One owner was fined over $145,000 for subdividing her 634 SqFt condo into nine single occupancy
rooms, some of which had ceiling heights of just 4.5 feet.
20 Clinton Street
20 Clinton Street is a classic art-deco building which was constructed in 1930 and converted
to condos in 1999. With 38 units, it’s one of the largest pre-war condo buildings in
the Lower East Side.
Resales in the building are more common than with other pre-war condo buildings in LES
due to the larger number of apartments. The most recent unit to change hands was Apartment
#1G which sold for $840,000 on 9/6/19.
We hope you enjoyed this video, and if you did, please like, subscribe and leave us a
comment. We’d greatly appreciate it. I’m Nick at Hauseit, and we’ll seen you on the
next video!