The Cortland: Brick and Limestone on the Chelsea Waterfront

The Cortland is a 26-storey condominium at 555 West 22nd Street, developed by Related Companies with Mitsui Fudosan America and designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, facing Hudson River Park across West Street.

Its first sales closed in 2022, with interiors by Olson Kundig and a brick and limestone exterior that references West Chelsea's industrial past. Here is what the building offers, how it sits on the waterfront, and what an overseas buyer should settle before signing.

1. What the Building Is

The Cortland holds the Eleventh Avenue frontage between West 22nd and West 23rd Streets, where Eleventh Avenue meets West Street. It was developed by Related Companies in partnership with Mitsui Fudosan America and designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with SLCE Architects as architect of record, on a site facing Hudson River Park.

Sales launched in April 2022 with 144 homes, from studios to five bedrooms plus penthouses, and the first closings were recorded that August. The city's tax roll now lists 141 residential condominium units across 26 storeys, the figure on the signed-off Department of Buildings filing, so expect to see both numbers in listings.

The interiors are Olson Kundig's first large-scale multi-unit project on the East Coast, and the building was the first collaboration between that firm and Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Olson Kundig designed both the residences and the amenity spaces, so a single design language runs from the lobby through to the apartments themselves.

The location is on Google Maps.

2. Brick, Limestone and Olson Kundig Interiors

The exterior is masonry rather than glass: more than one million handmade, hand-laid bricks, large slabs of LaSalle limestone, bronze metal detailing and riveted bay windows. The molded brickwork and rivets reference West Chelsea's industrial heritage, and Juliet balconies with glass fencing and dark metal railings mark the upper floors.

Arrival is through a limestone archway into a landscaped brick motor court, staffed 24 hours, with on-site private parking and valet service. The double-height lobby uses Italian marble and paldao wood around a kinetic wheel fireplace designed by Olson Kundig and Stratus, a light sculpture by the artist Markus Haase.

Residences have high ceilings, oak floors and floor-to-ceiling windows, and many corner exposures face the Hudson. Kitchens use Olson Kundig's custom Jackbox design, finishes include Statuario marble from Carrara, freestanding tubs and radiant floor heating, and select homes add marble fireplaces and private terraces.

Confirm each candidate unit's exposure and whether its river view is protected.

3. Amenities and the West Chelsea Waterfront

The amenity floors total nearly 20,000 square feet, most of it given to health and fitness. An 11,200-square-foot health club holds a 75-foot lap pool, infrared saunas, steam rooms, a treatment room, yoga and Pilates studios and a squash court that doubles for basketball, while the Crow's Nest lounge pairs a golf simulator with a bar.

Families have a two-storey children's playroom, a game room and a leisure pool, and there is an event lounge with a catering kitchen, a VR room, a screening room that doubles as a performance space and a rooftop terrace. Resident services and programming are run through Related's own Related Life platform.

Outside, Hudson River Park is directly across West Street, with Little Island at Pier 55 and the High Line close by and Hudson Yards a short distance to the north. West Chelsea's galleries are on the doorstep, including Dia Chelsea on the same block of West 22nd Street, and the park's riverside paths run north and south along the water.

If you commute daily, time the walk to the subway yourself before deciding.

4. Buying Here as an Overseas Purchaser

The Cortland is a condominium, so there is no co-op board approval, and foreign nationals can buy in their own name or through an entity. Mortgages for foreign buyers are available, but lenders usually want larger deposits and fuller documentation of income and assets held abroad, so line up financing before you bid rather than after.

At closing the buyer pays New York's mansion tax on residential purchases of $1 million or more, calculated on the whole price rather than the excess over the threshold. In New York City the rate is graduated, starting at 1% between $1 million and $2 million and reaching 3.9% at $25 million and above, so it belongs in the budget from the start.

When a foreign owner later sells, the buyer must withhold 15% of the gross sale price under FIRPTA unless an IRS withholding certificate reduces the amount. The US estate tax exemption for non-resident non-citizens is only $60,000 on US-situs assets, so agree the ownership structure with tax counsel before the contract is signed.

Bring your tax adviser into the deal before the contract, not after the closing.

Recorded Sales: What the Public Record Shows

NYC's Department of Finance records every sale with its address and price. Between January 2023 and September 2026 it recorded 97 sales of apartments at The Cortland, at a median price of $5.44 million. Half of them closed between $4.17 million and $7.76 million; the highest was $40.25 million.

A median across a whole building mixes small and large apartments, low floors and high ones, so it describes the building rather than any one residence. Use it to see how often apartments here change hands and where the building's prices sit. Price a specific apartment from recorded sales on the same line and floor range, which can be pulled from the deed records before you make an offer.

These are recorded deed prices, not asking prices, and none of them is a Reinvent NY transaction. A sale appears in the record weeks after closing, and a deed price can include a parking space or storage unit bought at the same time.

Final Thoughts: Masonry, the River and a Motor Court

The case for The Cortland rests on three things: the Hudson River Park frontage, a masonry building with a staffed motor court and on-site parking, and interiors by Olson Kundig. Buyers who value those over a glass-walled tower will put it on their shortlist, and the family spaces make it practical as a primary residence.

With closings since 2022, the building now has several years of operating history to examine. Ask for the latest budget, the reserve position, any assessment history and two years of board minutes, and compare closed sales on the same line and floor range rather than relying on building-wide averages, which mix very different homes.

Exposure and floor height will decide value here more than finishes. Prioritise the river-facing lines and any outdoor space, then weigh them against interior area and layout, and check how West Street traffic reads from the specific floor you are considering, at the hours you would actually be at home.

Ask the managing agent for the most recent audited financial statements.

Figures here describe the building, not any one apartment. Asking prices, monthly carrying costs, tax abatement status and sublet rules are established unit by unit from the offering plan, the most recent financial statement and the managing agent. Real estate services are provided through R New York.

Reinvent NY provides business consulting, operational support, and coordination services. Legal advice and immigration filings are handled by independent licensed attorneys. Real estate services are provided through licensed professionals and applicable brokerage relationships. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice.

More buildings worth knowing: 100 Eleventh Avenue, 111 West 57th Street, 130 William. The full set is indexed under New York building profiles.