In a $19 million deal, hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin has sold two of his four units at luxury Chicago high-rise condominium No. 9 Walton, the Wall Street Journal reports. The sale marks a 44% loss for the Citadel founder, who paid over $34 million for the penthouse residences in 2017. Though he spent a total of $58.75 million for the four units—breaking the record for the city’s priciest home sale that year—the Florida native reportedly never lived on the premises.
Griffin’s purchase, which included a deal with the building’s developer to expand the penthouses, was “delivered as a shell” so that it could be fully customized to the hedge fund manager’s preferences, per the WSJ. Griffin never began renovations, however, and the four units still sit empty and unfinished. Griffin’s other two units in the 38-story building have yet to sell.
Spanning roughly 15,000 square feet in total, the two recently-sold units feature 16-foot-tall windows, four terraces, a rooftop swimming pool, and a private elevator connecting them. Their new owner, who was not named, now has a blank canvas to make the penthouse duplex of their dreams. They also have access to some luxe amenities, which include a gym, a house car and driver, a golf simulator, a sauna, and a dining room with a catering kitchen.
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The sale comes two years after Griffin announced that he was moving Citadel’s headquarters from Chicago to Miami. “I am excited to have recently moved to Miami with my family and look forward to rapidly expanding Citadel in a city so rich in diversity and abounding with energy,” the businessman reportedly said in a statement to the hedge fund’s employees. Griffin owns numerous plots on Miami’s ultra-exclusive Star Island and is building a tower in the city’s Brickell neighborhood to house Citadel’s offices as well as a luxury hotel, spa, restaurants, and retail space.
