In the final days of 2025, just as Manhattan’s luxury market was settling into its usual year-end slowdown, downtown delivered a jolt that quietly redrew the city’s ultra-prime map: an unknown buyer signed a contract to purchase multiple residences at 80 Clarkson for a reported $129 million, a deal first disclosed by The Real Deal. If it closes at that whopping price, it would become the most expensive home ever sold below 14th Street and the fifth-most-expensive residential transaction in Manhattan history.
That ranking is notable not just for its price tag but for its location. Manhattan has seen only a handful of nine-figure home sales, nearly all concentrated in Midtown towers. For example, Ken Griffin’s $238 million purchase at 220 Central Park South has held the citywide record since 2019, while the other top sales, ranging from about $135 million to $188 million, are similarly clustered well above 14th Street. The potential addition of 80 Clarkson to that short list of nine-figure homes marks a true high-water moment for the downtown area.
The deal is also emblematic of a broader shift that defined the luxury market this year. According to figures cited byBloomberg, buyers signed contracts on 176 Manhattan homes priced at $4 million or more in November, a 25 percent increase from the month prior. While activity spanned the city, downtown neighborhoods stood out for their combination of scale, velocity, and ambition, with buyers increasingly favoring new condominium projects that deliver privacy, waterfront views, and the sort of white-glove experience once synonymous with Upper East Side trophy addresses.
Construction is underway at 80 Clarkson Street, which towers over the Hudson River.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
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Momentum has extended well beyond a single project. Earlier this year, a condominium at 150 Charles Street closed for $60 million, setting a downtown record at the time, while a duplex penthouse at 140 Jane Street later entered contract with an asking price of $87.5 million. In the Financial District, The Greenwich surpassed $150 million in total sales in 2025 and was earlier reported as one of the fastest-selling buildings in the city.
Taken together, the deals suggest that Downtown Manhattan is no longer simply benefiting from overflow demand. With nine-figure contracts, record absorption, and buyers choosing condos over even the most coveted co-ops and townhouses, 2025 may be remembered as the year Lower Manhattan fully claimed its place at the very top of New York’s luxury housing market.
Authors
Abby Montanez
Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…