Feeling BLUE: When architectural swagger meets 2025 pricing logic

Today in Up, Down, or Sideways? we go Blue…and that’s to review 105 Norfolk Street #PH within Bernard Tschumi’s iconic BLUE building

You’ve seen it. You’ve probably pointed at it. And from the inside?

This penthouse delivers major square footage, with 2,500 sq ft across 7 rooms—plus floor-to-ceiling privacy-tinted glass and views that stretch all the way from the Williamsburg Bridge to the downtown skyline .

BLUE was built in 2007 and still flaunts architectural swagger.

The building offers:
Concierge + doorman
In-building storage (deeded)
Bike room
Built GREEN, with sustainable materials throughout
Steps to the F/J/M/Z lines, Essex Crossing, and LES nightlife

105 Norfolk Street #PH

Zooming in on the unit:
List price: $2,995,000

2 beds | 3 baths | 7 rooms
2,500 sf | $1,198 per sq ft

Price change: ↓ $605K (–16.8%) on 5/13/25
Days on market: 247

Here’s what the abridged listing history shows:

• 2025: started at $3.85M → dropped to $2.995M across 3 cuts

• 2013 sale: closed at $2.875M

Market math:

• Compared to its 2025 list peak of $3.85M: now down 22.2%

• Compared to its 2013 sale price of $2.875M: current ask is up just 4.2% on paper

• But factor in inflation, and that $2.875M in 2013 = ~$3.9M today—meaning this unit has actually lost real value over the past 12 years . Oof.

Takeaway
This penthouse has the square footage and the starchitect cred—but it’s also a time capsule. BLUE’s aesthetic still turns heads, but the interiors and window systems are now pushing two decades old. And buyers seem to be pricing that in.

At ~$1,200/sq ft, the current ask reflects the recalibration. It’s not a fire sale—but it is a signal that even architectural trophy units aren’t immune to a market that’s gotten a lot more value-conscious .

If you want to stretch out across 2,500 sf of LES skyline and don’t mind living in a glass box with a past, this might be your move.