Condo/Co-op of the Day Williamsburg

Williamsburg Loft Condo With High Ceilings, Terrace Asks $1.425 Million

Big windows and built-in storage are among the features of this one-bedroom with office and two bathrooms in a former factory building.

brooklyn condo living room with wall of windows, built-in shelves

Photo via Compass

by Susan De Vries

04/23/2026 0

In a converted factory building, this Williamsburg loft has the expected high ceilings and banks of big windows, but instead of steel and brick, the finishes are warm and modern with wide plank floorboards, wood cabinetry, and creamy walls. It is on the first floor of 242 South 1st Street, which was converted to condos in 2005.

Plans for the building were filed in June of 1911 by owner John O. Baldwin, and later the same year he was advertising the new four-story building for rent. Ads pitched it as a 20,000-square-foot building with high ceilings, plenty of light, and an electric elevator.

While the building is now described as a former cheesecake factory, a 1912 newspaper account reports that an early tenant in the building was S. E. & M. Vernon, manufacturers of blank books. By the time of the circa 1940 tax photo, the building had a sign for the Beacon Packing Corp.

The building got a rooftop addition as part of the 2005 conversion by Scarano & Associates Architects and the building now has 23 residential units. This duplex unit has living, dining, and kitchen on the main level and a bedroom and office on the lower level.

The kitchen is near the entry to the unit and the floor plan in the listing isn’t quite accurate here, perhaps reflecting a pre-renovation layout. Instead of a peninsula between kitchen and dining, the kitchen is open to the dining area with a plenty of slab front wood cabinetry as well as open shelving along three walls. Beyond the dining area is a wall of glass with a door leading to the terrace.

One wall in the living room has built-in shelves big enough to display artwork or a TV, and another bank of windows brings light into the space. Under the windows is built-in wooden seating and storage.

Downstairs, a bank of closets, including one that holds the laundry, is positioned under the stairs, and another wall of closets is in the sleeping area. The windows here look out at an enclosed light well under the terrace above. While there is a window that provides egress from the bedroom, it isn’t clear what means of egress there is from the light well.

The lower level has an additional windowless room with a glass pocket door; it’s large enough for an office space or a dressing room. The full bath has a large shower with a glass surround and there is a hit of color with green wall tile.

An old rental listing for the unit shows the lower level has its own a separate entrance.

There is another full bath on the main level with a tub. The apartment is cooled with mini-splits.

Taxes for the unit are $1,178 a month and common charges are $661 a month. It last sold in 2020 for $940,000.

Steve Halpern of Compass has the current listing, and the condo is on the market for $1.425 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 242 South 1st Street, Unit 1F | Broker: Compass] GMAP