Is This the Jenga Tower? Clearing Up the Address Confusion
If you searched hoping to find the twisting glass condo tower with the stacked-box silhouette, that’s 56 Leonard Street, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, a few blocks away. The building at this address is a 21-story grey-brick rental tower at Church Street and Broadway, built in 2007 and designed by Costas Kondylis and Partners. The two share a street name and a neighborhood, nothing else: different architects, different decades of press coverage, and a different transaction type entirely.
Is 88 Leonard the same building as 56 Leonard Street? No. They’re separate buildings several blocks apart. This one is a 2007 rental tower by Costas Kondylis and Partners; 56 Leonard is a condominium designed by Herzog & de Meuron.
What You’ll Pay: Rent Ranges by Layout
Current listings put studios between $3,788 and $4,931, and one-bedrooms between $5,595 and $8,475, depending on floor, view, and lease term.
| Layout | Recent rent range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $3,788 to $4,931 | StreetEasy listing #1211, #202 |
| One-bedroom | $5,595 to $8,475 | Apartments.com units #1216, #1509, #1709 |
| Liberty Bond studio (income-restricted) | $2,381 flat | StreetEasy #1AB |
| Two- and three-bedroom | Not consistently published | — |
Two- and three-bedroom pricing wasn’t published consistently enough across current sources to give a reliable range here. The building offers studio through three-bedroom configurations; the larger units are priced case by case rather than posted in a stable band, so check live listings directly for those.
The Liberty Bond Program: Discounted Studios With Income Caps
A small number of studios are set aside under the building’s Liberty Bond program at a flat $2,381 monthly rent, restricted to households earning between $75,350 and $95,250. The TriBeCa Trib reported on May 2, 2006, that this program traces to $112.5 million in tax-free Liberty Bond financing issued to original developer Leviev Boymelgreen, tied to 17 units capped for households earning under roughly $105,000 and a 421-a tax break worth more than $750,000.
How do I apply for the Liberty Bond affordable units? The program runs a separate wait-list from general leasing; applications go through a dedicated Liberty Bond email address rather than the on-site rental office.
Building Basics: Age, Size, and Who Built It
The building opened in 2007 as a 21-story, L-shaped rental tower with 352 apartments, a 200-space parking garage, 7,200 square feet of ground-floor retail, and a 4,200-square-foot community facility. Rose Associates has managed it for the long term, with Bozzuto Management appearing on more recent listings.
What lease terms and deposit should I expect? Listings from both managing agents advertise standard one- and two-year leases, with several current studios marked “no fee,” meaning the deposit structure follows typical Manhattan norms rather than a building-specific policy.
CityRealty’s Rating, Broken Down
CityRealty scores the building 63 out of a possible 119 points: 21 of 44 on architecture, 21 of 36 on location, and 13 of 39 on features, plus 8 editor’s points.
| Category | Score | CityRealty’s band |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 21 / 44 | Distinguished (20 to 29 range) |
| Location | 21 / 36 | Distinguished (18 to 26 range) |
| Features | 13 / 39 | Average (9 to 15 range) |
| Editor’s Points | 8 | Added flat, not banded |
The gap between the two “distinguished” categories and the “average” features score is the real story here: the building earns its reputation on address and design, and the amenity list lands closer to typical than exceptional for the price point.
Getting Around: Walk, Transit, and Bike Scores
The building posts a Walk Score of 99, a Transit Score of 100, and a Bike Score of 87.
| Metric | Score | Rating band |
|---|---|---|
| Walk Score | 99 / 100 | Walker’s Paradise |
| Transit Score | 100 / 100 | Rider’s Paradise |
| Bike Score | 87 / 100 | Very Bikeable |
A four-minute walk reaches the Franklin Street stop for the 1 and 2/3 trains, with J/Z/N/Q/R/6 service at Broadway roughly 0.24 miles out.
Amenities Actually Included in Rent
- 24-hour concierge and doorman, plus a live-in superintendent.
- Outdoor pool, fireplace, and sun deck on a landscaped roof terrace with grills.
- Residents’ lounge with a pool table and two flat-screen TVs.
- Fitness club access through Eastern Athletic, not a standalone in-building gym.
- On-site garage parking, 200 spaces, plus a bike room.
- In-unit washer/dryer in most layouts, with shared laundry as backup.
Pet Policy and Move-In Rules
- Weight limit: 45 lbs per pet.
- Cat limit: 2 cats maximum per unit.
- Dogs: allowed within the same weight cap.
Are there breed restrictions on dogs? None were published in the building’s available pet policy documentation; only a 45 lb weight cap and a two-cat limit appear in current listings.
Where Comparisons to Other Tribeca Rentals Go Wrong
The most common mistake is treating “Leonard Street” as a single building when comparing options, folding 56 Leonard’s condo pricing or press into a search meant for this rental tower. The second is judging the building purely on its amenities list against newer Tribeca towers. The CityRealty breakdown puts that list in the average band while location and architecture sit a tier higher.
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