Billionaire and hedge fund manager Ken Griffin just cemented the most expensive real estate purchase in the U.S. — a New York penthouse with a view of Central Park for $238 million.
Ken Griffin | Wikimedia Commons
As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the 220 Central Park South penthouse is now the most expensive real estate sale in America’s history. Griffin, who is worth $10 billion and officially the richest man in Illinois, bought it for his personal use when in New York.
Known as the Griffin Unit, the top-floor penthouse of a high-rise building designed by Robert A.M. Stern has 24,000 square feet and is left unfurnished for the new owner to design according to preference.
The building, which stands right across from Central Park on Broadway and Seventh Avenue, is known for its unobstructed views of Central Park and its uber-rich residents — singer Sting and hedge-fund manager Daniel Och each own one of its 118 units.
Even before Wednesday’s announcement, the sale has been a long-running rumor in luxury real estate circles.
220 Central Park South | Wikimedia Commons
While the purchase was made privately and has not yet been registered in official records, a Citadel rep confirmed the sale to the WSJ and also said that the company Griffin founded is expanding — so the penthouse will be a place for Griffin to stay when he’s in town.
This isn’t Griffin’s first go-round with high-price-tag real estate investments in 2019 — earlier this year, he bought several floors of a Chicago condominium for $58.75 million.
With such a high price tag, the New York sale also ranks high on some of the most expensive real estate purchases in the world — though it still falls below some listings in Hong Kong and France.