Clay Lifflander, a former New York City Economic Development Corporation president who later moved into hedge-fund investing, is looking to cash out of his Central Park South perch. His top-floor co-op penthouse has hit the market with an asking price of about $20 million.
The apartment measures roughly 2,500 square feet and has two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The real showpiece is outside: three separate terraces that total about 1,200 square feet ring the unit. Monthly maintenance runs near $15,000, according to the sales materials. Lifflander, who purchased the apartment in 2007, is now seeking a buyer willing to pay up for park views and serious outdoor space.
Inside the listing
The price and unit details appear in the marketing packet and were reported by Crain's New York Business. That coverage notes that city-register records show the seller paid roughly $10 million for the top-floor apartment in 2007. Crain's also highlights the wraparound terraces and a windowed eat-in kitchen, complete with a wine refrigerator, as the penthouse’s headline amenities.
About the seller
Lifflander first became a public figure in the mid-1990s when Mayor Rudy Giuliani tapped him to run the city’s Economic Development Corporation. He stepped down from that role in August 1995, according to corporate disclosures. Unisys' proxy filing and other regulatory documents show that he later moved fully into private investing, leading Millbrook Capital and serving on corporate boards. That trajectory helps explain the “hedge-fund exec” shorthand attached to his name in real estate coverage.
Building backstory
The penthouse sits atop a 25-story prewar tower completed in 1927 that stands on leased land. The property was reshaped in the early 2000s by developer Anbau. As detailed by Crain's New York Business, Anbau bought the tower in 2004 and reportedly invested about $110 million to convert roughly 200 hotel rooms into 67 co-op units and to add three floors on top.
Where $20M fits in today's market
While a $20 million price tag does not quite rise to the splashy levels that dominate Billionaires’ Row chatter, it still lands this listing squarely in the upper tier of park-facing apartments. In that slice of the market, private outdoor space and Central Park frontage tend to command premiums. Recent market write-ups and listing pages show that buyers continue to prize terraces and direct park views, factors that can significantly boost value even for a roughly 2,500-square-foot layout, according to CityRealty and examples on listing platforms such as StreetEasy.
The penthouse is currently on the market, and the advertisement lists a broker with showings by appointment. For buyers who care more about prewar character and big terraces than the latest glass tower, the unit offers a park-side alternative with a serious amount of outdoor space.
