In 2019 Griffin set the record for the most expensive residential sale ever closed in the US when he purchased roughly 24,000 square feet across three floors at 220 Central Park South for $238 million. The space was "raw space" meaning Griffin had to build it out. Several New York real estate experts have said that the purchase helped fuel legislation that increased taxes on luxury homes in New York. During an interview with David Rubenstein Griffin said that the purchase represented the possibility of making New York City his home in the future.