The ultra-luxury Billionaires’ Row tower at 220 Central Park South — famously home to hedge-fund titan Ken Griffin’s record-breaking $238 million quadplex purchase in 2019 — is being sued by its next-door neighbor, Gainsborough Studios, for damage caused by years of heavy-duty construction.
According to the lawsuit, the developer of the supertall property had promised to pay for all such damage — but now the developer, Vornado Realty Trust, is refusing to honor its agreement, said Gainsborough Studios’ lawyer, Peter T. Salzler of Braverman Greenspun.
Gainsborough Studios at 222 Central Park South, a landmarked co-op dating from 1908, is suing for no less than $3 million worth of repairs.
The construction started more than a decade ago.
A “massive pit” was blasted through bedrock when excavation for 220 Central Park South began in 2014, the complaint, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, says. The colossal new edifice, which comprises an 18-story villa section plus the 70-story tower, wraps around two sides of Gainsborough Studios, on an L-shaped site. It replaced a nondescript postwar apartment house, demolished in 2012.
By the end of that year, the complaint adds, the 16-story Gainsborough Studios had twisted by shifting downward and eastward — moving nearly an inch at the top. The building later faced pricey repair costs for foundation cracks, broken windows, chipped skylights, clogged air conditioning and damage to its historic facade, the complaint says. The damage has now been fixed — at Gainsborough’s expense.
“I wish I’d never heard the name Vornado,” said Donald Denton, a 20-year Gainsborough resident. “They made a lot of money and left us with a lot of repairs, and they haven’t lived up to their end of the bargain.”
“220 Central Park South featured sales of some of the most expensive residential real estate in New York City’s history and netted [Vornado] nearly $3.5 billion in combined sales prices,” the complaint reads. Overall, the development cost nearly $1.5 billion to construct, according to the Real Deal.
The $3 million sought is “an infinitesimal fraction of the profits reaped by [Vornado], yet [Vornado] chose to abandon its contractual obligation to reimburse the Co-op for any damage caused by its construction,” the complaint further says.
In court papers, Vornado’s lawyer wrote in reply that Vornado was “not responsible.” If there were any damages, they “were caused by the intervening acts of third parties.” Vornado’s lawyer, Thomas Cerussi of Cerussi & Spring, did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment, nor did Vornado.
A developer in the city generally signs a legal access agreement allowing it to encroach upon adjacent properties while work proceeds. A negotiated payment usually includes compensation for assorted fees, damage and the inconveniences of living with the mess of construction.
Gainsborough Studios, originally built with living and working spaces for artists, granted such access for its towering new neighbor, which is the only Billionaires’ Row development actually located along Central Park. Agreements were signed in 2008 and 2014, the complaint says.
Vornado representatives were “extremely nice going into this,” Denton told The Post. “But these people have been nothing but hostile since they got to a point where they didn’t need us anymore.”
Department of Building records show 220 Central Park South has three underground levels, descending 50 feet below the sidewalk, which required an extensive excavation to penetrate through the dense bedrock beneath.
“I thought the hole was going to go to China,” Denton said. “It proceeded with pounding every day and blasting with the whistle going off.”
(The city requires several loud warning signals before the explosives are detonated — one long whistle for “preparing to blast,” two short whistles for “ready to blast” and three short whistles for “all clear.”)
What’s more, the workers for No. 220 used the Gainsborough roof as a staging area, according to the complaint, causing damage and leaks.
“We are just a small building and basically got molested by the whole thing,” Denton told The Post. “You would think that, with the success Vornado had, they would be a little compassionate. They could have never done their work unless we gave them the permission to do it, and that permission went with a guarantee from them.”
Denton, who is retired, ran an investment firm and also has a home in Florida. “Vornado basically twisted the whole building,” he said. “My doors don’t shut properly. I had a lot of work done to get them back to where they are usable, but they are nowhere near the way they were before.”
Since COVID, sales at Gainsborough Studios, which houses 20 units, have been in the $1 to $3.6 million range. The building, with double-height north-facing windows to let in light, was landmarked in 1988.
Its soaring next-door neighbor, No. 220, holds 118 luxury condominium units. A 6,000-square-foot home is currently listed for $87.5 million. Nine of the 20 most expensive New York City sales of all time were in the exclusive edifice, including the city’s top residential sale in 2025, for $82.5 million. Storage units cost up to $211,000 and wine cellars up to $287,000, as reported by City Realty.
Vornado claims that Gainsborough’s roof needed replacing anyway, according to Denton. “They say it was an old roof,” he said. “Gainsborough Studios has been impeccably maintained since it achieved historic landmark status. These people made a whole mess of the place. They have been totally disrespectful.”
“They are a good developer — no question about that — but they were disturbing us terribly,” said Tod Williams, president of Gainsborough’s co-op board. His architectural office — Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects — is on the ground floor. Though the building shifted less than an inch, he said, “it felt like a seismic shift.”
He and the architects in his studio suffered through the blasts that shook the building.
“The pounding and explosions and whistles were extremely unnerving,” Williams told The Post. “People were traumatized. It was very impactful and very difficult. For more than a year we had to use noise-canceling headphones.”
“We assumed Vornado would be honorable,” Williams said. “I was hopeful this would be a nice relationship and they would take care of the damages swiftly and without question, but enough is enough.”
https://nypost.com/2025/12/24/real-estate/neighbors-sue-220-central-park-south-over-construction/
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