Some New York apartments are expensive because they’re big. Others because they’re in the right neighborhood. And then there are the rare ones that cost what they cost because they’re basically a piece of architecture-history-you-can-live-in.
That’s the case with a newly listed residence in West Chelsea, where a full-floor home inside architect Shigeru Ban’s iconic Metal Shutter House has hit the market for $5.895 million.
The listing, at 524 West 19th Street, Unit 4, is being offered by Jessica Chestler and Ben Jacobs of Douglas Elliman, and it checks a very specific set of NYC luxury boxes: a true full-floor layout, dramatic double-height volumes, a gallery-like open plan, and the building’s signature move — an enormous motorized bi-folding glass wall that retracts to fully connect the interior to a private terrace.
In other words, it’s not just a condo. It’s a showpiece.
A full-floor home listed at $5.895M in the heart of West Chelsea
The home is listed for $5,895,000 and spans approximately 2,695 square feet, with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
Even before getting into the design details, the full-floor aspect matters. In Manhattan, “full-floor” still carries a certain weight: privacy, separation, and a layout that feels more like a true residence than an apartment squeezed into a tower.
Inside Shigeru Ban’s Metal Shutter House, one of Chelsea’s boldest buildings
The building itself is the star here.
Metal Shutter House — also known as Metal Shutter Houses — was designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Shigeru Ban, and it’s widely considered one of the more striking modern residential buildings in West Chelsea.
Its defining feature, of course, is the kinetic façade: metal shutters that make the structure look like a sculptural machine, constantly changing depending on which apartments have opened or closed their outer “skin.”
It’s functional, dramatic, slightly industrial — and very Chelsea.
The curb appeal is pure architectural swagger
This building does not do “quiet.”
The exterior is intentionally industrial, built around materials and motion rather than ornament. In a neighborhood filled with galleries, glass towers, and design-forward buildings, Metal Shutter House still manages to stand out — which is saying something for West Chelsea.
It’s the type of building where passersby stop and stare, even if they have no idea who Shigeru Ban is.
Double-height volumes bring instant drama the second you enter
The apartment’s interior layout is organized around double-height ceilings, and that vertical scale is a huge part of what makes this residence feel special.
Plenty of condos can be renovated to look nice. But ceiling height? Volume? Those are the details that can’t be faked. Here, you get that true loft-like effect: airy, expansive, and built for art (or at least furniture that doesn’t look tiny).
A gallery-like open plan that feels curated, not cluttered
The listing describes an open, gallery-style layout, and that really is the correct vibe for this kind of architectural home.
The space is designed to be flexible and fluid, with clean lines and a restrained palette that keeps the focus on geometry and light rather than decorative noise.
This isn’t the kind of apartment where every room screams its theme. It’s more like an environment: calm, modern, intentional.
The signature moment: a motorized glass wall that fully retracts
If you’re buying into Metal Shutter House, you’re buying it for this.
The living area is anchored by a motorized bi-folding glass wall that retracts completely, turning the interior into an extension of the private terrace.
It’s one of those features that sounds like a gimmick until you see it — then it’s suddenly the only thing you want. It transforms the experience of the home entirely, shifting it from “cool Chelsea loft” to “indoor-outdoor Manhattan unicorn.”
Indoor-outdoor living, but make it West Chelsea
When people talk about indoor-outdoor living, they’re usually talking about Los Angeles.
But this apartment is the NYC version of that idea — where light, air, and openness are treated like luxuries (because in New York, they absolutely are). And it’s not just a balcony you can step onto for 30 seconds. It’s a terrace you can actually use as part of daily living.
This is the kind of apartment that makes a regular Manhattan living room feel… slightly tragic in comparison.
A minimalist white kitchen that reads like sculpture
The kitchen is described as minimalist and stark white, but not in a “boring modern condo kitchen” way.
It’s more like the kitchen was designed as an installation: clean, architectural, and integrated into the open plan. The listing highlights a cantilevered island with a sculptural curved base, which gives the room a design-object centerpiece without adding visual clutter.
Hidden integrated appliances keep everything sleek
A big part of the kitchen’s appeal is what you don’t see.
Integrated appliances are concealed behind floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, keeping the space looking streamlined and gallery-clean. In a home like this, visual quiet is the whole point; the less interruption, the more the architecture stands out.
Clean lines and restrained finishes let the architecture do the talking
This home isn’t screaming with statement wallpaper or trendy finishes.
Instead, it leans into the kind of minimal design that works best in a true architect-driven space. The finishes act like framing: they support the design rather than distract from it.
It’s the rare kind of listing where you can tell the building is the “wow,” not just the staging.
A primary suite with floor-to-ceiling glass and a private balcony
The primary suite opens to a private balcony through floor-to-ceiling glass, continuing the apartment’s emphasis on openness and natural light.
In West Chelsea, private outdoor space is always a big deal, but here it also works architecturally. It’s part of the home’s rhythm: interior flow, exterior extension, repeat.
Secondary rooms with flexible layouts for modern living
The secondary bedrooms are described as having flexible layouts, which is the real estate way of saying: these rooms can become whatever you need.
Guest room, office, studio, home gym, storage for your absurd number of coats — whatever. In a modern loft-like residence, flexibility matters more than rigid room definitions.
Bathrooms finished with uniform mosaic tile for a cohesive look
The bathrooms continue the home’s clean, consistent aesthetic.
Uniform mosaic tiling and custom-molded vanities keep everything cohesive, matching the overall “designed, not decorated” sensibility of the residence.
A home that feels like a private art space (in the best way)
The volume, the openness, the minimal palette, the clean geometry, all make it a perfect backdrop for art and design pieces, and it’s not hard to imagine it functioning almost like a private gallery.
And given the location, that feels especially fitting.
Just off the High Line in the West Chelsea gallery corridor
The location is arguably as strong as the architecture.
The building sits in West Chelsea, just off the High Line and near the neighborhood’s famous gallery district, an area known for art-world foot traffic, prime dining, and the kind of street-level cool that’s hard to manufacture.
It’s also moments from the Hudson River and waterfront paths, giving the home an extra layer of “New York lifestyle” appeal beyond the usual blocks-and-avenues grind.
The sell here isn’t “new.” It’s rare.
This listing isn’t trying to wow buyers by being newly renovated or stuffed with features.
It’s impressive because it’s rare — a full-floor residence in a landmark modern building by a world-famous architect, with a kinetic façade and a retractable wall of glass that changes the entire feel of the space.
It’s the kind of place that feels less like a generic luxury condo and more like a piece of downtown architectural history, except you can put your furniture in it, open the wall, and have dinner on your terrace like you’re in some extremely curated version of Manhattan.
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