A FiDi building steeped in rich New York City history
Almost smack in the center of New York’s Financial District is Liberty Tower, a 33-story, white terracotta-clad co-op. Completed in 1910, the New York City and national landmarked building was home to the law office of Franklin Delano Roosevelt before he set his sights on a political career. Despite being in the center of a bustling neighborhood, the area surrounding Liberty Tower is relatively serene, according to Richard N. Rothbloom, a 10-year resident of the building who happens to be a Brown Harris Stevens agent with a history of selling there. “It’s calming, relaxing…phenomenal,” Rothbloom says. “It's in a wide intersection where all four buildings are landmarked, and when you walk out the door, it just feels really special. It’s a very different feeling at this intersection than others in the neighborhood.”
The tower is just about a 10-minute walk in any direction from most of the district’s major points of interest, including parks, restaurants, and international and local retail shops. “It’s super convenient and that's probably why a lot of people choose to live down there," says Andrew Mak, an agent with real estate firm SERHANT.
“People like the classic architecture of the building too; it's different from your standard derivative,” Mak says of the 87-unit tower. Residents along with history buffs, preservationists and admirers of architecture appreciate Liberty Tower’s English Neo-Gothic design with its tall windows and terracotta gargoyles, eagles, lions and alligators adorning its surface. The tower was one of a small group of buildings that set a precedent for the city’s romantic skyscraper movement in the early part of the 20th century. Dreamed up by renowned turn-of-the-century architect Henry Ives Cobb — responsible for buildings of note like much of the University of Chicago’s original campus — Liberty Tower even briefly reigned as the city’s tallest building but was dethroned in 1913 when the Woolworth Building came along. Joseph Pell Lombardi, the architect who spearheaded the building’s conversion to lofts beginning in 1978, claimed a full floor — the 5,100-square-foot former board rooms of Sinclair Oil — as his own when he bought the building, and still lives there today.
Loft-sized units in first office-to-residential conversion offer unique floorplans and views
Lombardi bought Liberty Tower from the Sinclair Oil company in 1978, a time when economic hardship and blight plagued New York City. According to The New York Times, Lombardi was the sole bidder on the decrepit, outdated building, located in a section of the city where no one was willing to invest. “We were pioneers in the urban wilderness,” Lombardi told the Times.
Liberty Tower’s conversion to living quarters was the first attempt at adapting a large-scale office building to residences. Lombardi divided the property into 89 co-op apartments which included duplexes and triplexes, selling the raw spaces “as is.” “A lot of the apartments in the building are really big,” says Rothbloom. “When the building was converted from office to residential, people were buying different portions of the floor; some bought a full floor, so the apartments are not cookie cutter, they're all different sizes. And then, over the years, there's been combinations, or people may have sold off a portion of their apartment to create another apartment.”
The building has “units of every size — studios, ones, two, threes,” says Mak, who had a four-bedroom, four-bathroom penthouse with a mezzanine level and four exposures listed in the fall of 2024. “The co-op board, to my understanding, is relatively easy going, and they allow combinations. It’s the most combinations I’ve ever seen in a building,” he reiterates.
Many of the apartments have multiple exposures, providing views of either the Hudson and East rivers, the New York Harbor or Manhattan’s north-facing skyline. “If you're on a low floor, you still get light coming in from the south and east, there's no bad view,” Rothbloom says. “After living there 20 years there isn't a sunrise or sunset that doesn't impress me,” Lombardi told the Times in 2001 about views from his 29th-floor apartment.
Higher charges offset by below-average prices
Prices tend to be relatively low per square foot: currently, an approximately 725-square-foot one-bedroom cost $550,000 in fall 2024. However, due to a higher-than-average property tax rate, common charges can feel more on the steep end to many buyers, especially those attempting to purchase larger units. (A 1,350-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath, costs $850,000 but has monthly charges of $4,503.) As a result of the board’s lenient conversions policy, most units reflect a modern aesthetic. Owners are also allowed to rent out their units, but only after two years of residency, creating more of a sense of community. “You generally don’t get faceless investors; you get people that really live there,” Mak says.
A full-service building without the fluff
Liberty Tower has none of the extra trappings of some contemporary condo buildings (think indoor pool, gym, spa or finished rooftop) but there is laundry in each unit, a 24-hour doorman, a package room, the live-in super has been there for over 20 years, and a porter is available five days a week. Staff provide full service to residents and keep the building in pristine condition. “The amenities in the area are so overwhelmingly spectacular that even if they did have a gym or a pool, I'd still rather go to Equinox,” says Rothbloom. (There are three Equinox gyms in the neighborhood plus a Crunch Fitness across the street from Liberty Tower).
A quick walk to any of FiDi’s offerings
Liberty Tower’s central locale conveniently places residents in the middle of FiDi’s myriad dining and shopping options. Short strolls in any direction can lead to a high-end meal at places like Capital Grille, Harry’s, or Delmonico’s (the historic steakhouse established in 1837). From April through October every year, residents and tourists alike enjoy the international food trucks of Smorgasburg seasonally set up outside of the Oculus. At the Seaport on the neighborhood’s eastern edge, several waterfront dining options serving everything from seafood to farm-to-table fare can be found. Michelin-starred Jean Georges’ Tin Building is a buzzy spot that’s popular with locals and the thousands of tourists that flock there. “That place is always busy,” says Mak. The upscale food hall supplies gourmet groceries and 12 rigorously curated eateries offering quick eats like tacos and crepes, in addition to traditional Italian and French dishes. A vast array of indie boutiques and designer clothing shops are all in proximity, including discount designer megastore Century 21 which is only a block-and-a-half away. At night the Perelman Performing Arts Center comes alive with opera, dance, theater, and other performances.
Quick access to an exceptional number of transportation options
Residents of Liberty Tower easily choose from several subway lines, highways, and even water routes nearby. A two-minute walk north gives access to the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J, R, and Z lines at the Fulton Street station, Lower Manhattan’s most active transportation center. A six-minute walk west to the Cortland Street station adds the N and W to subway options, and the 1 train is a seven-minute walk south. Drivers can hop on the West Side Highway, FDR, or Brooklyn Bridge which are all less than half a mile away. Pier 11 provides a scenic river ride over to spots in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
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Quantarium
Current List Price
Sold Price
Area Factors
Low Crime
Crime Score®
4/ 10
Very Bikeable
Bike Score®
84/ 100
Walker's Paradise
Walk Score®
100/ 100
Rider's Paradise
Transit Score®
100/ 100
Sources: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Walk Score
Sources: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Walk Score
WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Powered by CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks. Walk Score® measures the walkability of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address.
Sound Score® measures the noise level of any address. Environmental risk data is provided by First Street Foundation® and is designed to approximate risk and not intended to include all possible scenarios.
Parks in this Area
Zuccotti Park
2 min walk
Albany Street Plaza
4 min walk
Picnic Area
Liberty Park
5 min walk
Picnic Area
DeLury Square
6 min walk
Trails
Queen Elizabeth II Garden
6 min walk
Picnic Area
Trails
Gwathmey Plaza
6 min walk
Picnic Area
City Hall Park
6 min walk
Picnic Area
Trails
Parking Lot
Mannahatta Park
7 min walk
Drumgoole Plaza
7 min walk
Trails
Parking Lot
Schools
Source:
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