Billionaire hedge funder Ken Griffin smashed real-estate records Wednesday with his $238 million purchase of a New York City penthouse.
The 24,000-square-foot apartment is at notoriously secretive luxury condo 220 Central Park South, which is set to wrap up construction this year.
Not only does the stratospheric sum mark the highest price ever paid for a New York City home, but it also sets the record for the priciest property ever purchased in the US, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The previous New York City record belonged to Dell Technologies CEO and founder Michael Dell, who splashed out $100.5 million for a spread inside Midtown’s One57 in 2014. That same year, investor Barry Rosenstein shelled out $137 million for an estate in East Hampton, which took the national title.
Here are the details of the latest buy, as well as the other extravagant homes Griffin — who, as the founder of Citadel, is worth some $8.7 billion — has purchased. Many of them broke local records:
220 Central Park South
Griffin will join musician Sting, Sting’s wife Trudie Styler and another billionaire hedge-funder, Daniel Och of Och-Ziff Capital Management, inside this Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed building. Griffin’s massive unit there will span the 50th to 53rd floors and will reportedly be delivered as a white box so that his design team can customize its look. No other details of his penthouse are available, but the tony limestone structure will have a package of amenities to match, including private dining rooms, a juice bar, an athletic club and a play area for children. It’s just one of the tall towers transforming the Midtown Manhattan skyline. Vornado Realty Trust, the developer of 220 Central Park South, was represented by Deborah Kern of the Corcoran Group. Griffin was represented by Douglas Elliman’s Tal and Oren Alexander.
3 Carlton Gardens, London
Earlier this month, Griffin purchased another big-ticket home — this one in London. He reportedly spent about $122 million for a 20,000-square-foot, newly renovated townhouse near Buckingham Palace. While not the priciest, it is one of London’s most expensive home purchases ever. Luxury developer Mike Spink originally asked $163 million for the spread, which his Spink Properties outfitted with a number of over-the-top inclusions: a lap pool, a gym, high ceilings, new hardwood floors and big windows that look out to a private terrace. The Alexander brothers also represented Griffin in this deal.
No. 9 Walton, Chicago
Griffin also has a trophy pad in Chicago. He set a record in the greater Windy City area — where he’s based — when he bought the top four floors of the newly developed No. 9 Walton condominium for $58.75 million in 2017. The previous record belonged to Groupon co-founder Eric Lefkofsky, who shelled out $19.5 million for a 15,800-square-foot mansion on Lake Michigan in the suburb of Glencoe. Griffin’s assemblage there totals more than 25,000 square feet — and, like at 220 Central Park South, it was delivered as raw space. No. 9 Walton has amenities including an indoor lap pool, a fitness center, private wine storage and a covered dog run, according to its website.
Faena House, Miami Beach
In 2015, Griffin set a record for most expensive Miami condo ever purchased by nabbing a penthouse and a unit below it at Faena House, a condo in Miami Beach, for $60 million. The following year, Griffin listed those two homes separately, though they ultimately did not sell. At that time, the 8,270-square-foot, five-bedroom penthouse asked $55 million, while the smaller 4,420-square-foot, three-bedroom asked $18 million. According to listing descriptions, the penthouse has a 2,700-square-foot roof deck, a pool and a wraparound terrace that measures 7,300 square feet. Faena House, developed by Argentine luxury builder Alan Faena, made recent headlines with its newest residents, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. The two got a $14 million, 4,700-square-foot home with four bedrooms in December.