Midtown Penthouse Breaks US Sales Record After $238M Sale: Report

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A billionaire hedge fund manager set the record for the most expensive home bought in the United States when he purchased a Midtown Manhattan penthouse for $238 million, according to reports.

Ken Griffin, founder of the Citadel investment firm, recently closed a deal to buy the 24,000-square-foot penthouse at 220 Central Park South, the Wall Street Journal first reported. The Robert A. M. Stern-designed super-tall residential development overlooking Central Park is still under construction and is being developed by Vornado Realty Trust.

The sale more than doubles New York City's previous record, which was set at $100.5 million for a 2014 duplex apartment purchased in the nearby One57 "Billionaires Row" development. The previous national record was set that same year at $137 million in East Hampton, the New York Times reported.

The 220 Central Park South purchase is the latest purchase in a luxury real estate shopping spree for Griffin. The Chicago-based hedge fund founder also bought a $122 million apartment in London this month, Bloomberg reported. The finance giant also holds records for the most expensive apartment purchases in Miami and Chicago, according to the Times.

Griffin, who doesn't live in New York full-time, bought the new Central Park South apartment so he will have a place to stay while in the city for business, Bloomberg reported. Citadel recently negotiated an office lease at the new skyscraper 425 Park Avenue, which is expected to open sometime in 2020, according to the report.

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