The country's most expensive home sells for $238 million

220 Central Park South, a 953-foot-tall luxury multifamily tower that overlooks Manhattan’s Central Park, is the new location of the most expensive home ever sold in the United States. Ken Griffin, the Founder and CEO of the global investment firm Citadel, made the record-setting purchase, plunking down $238 million for a 24,000-sf penthouse. The previous record was held by a home that sold in the Hamptons in 2014 for $137 million.

The penthouse occupies four entire floors (50 through 53) in the 70-story, Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed building. The palatial unit contains 16 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms, five balconies, and a Central Park-facing terrace. In addition to the penthouse, Griffin will be able to take advantage of such building amenities as a porte-cochère, a wine cellar, a swimming pool, private dining rooms, an athletic club, a juice bar, a library, a basketball court, and a golf simulator.

The $238 million price tag accounts for 17% of 220 Central Park South’s $1.4 billion cost to build. It also breaks down to about $9916.66 per square foot. Vornado Realty Trust owns the building. In addition to Romert A.M. Stern Architects, the build team also included Thierry W. Despont (interiors) and DeSimone Consulting Engineers (structural engineer).

Despite a disruptive pandemic, investor demand for multifamily real estate was strong in 2020, according to a newly released Yardi Matrix Bulletin. Around 252,000 apartment units were absorbed last year. That’s about 1.7% of total market stock and down 12% from the 286,300 apartments purchased in 2019.