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Billionaire John Paulson tells Page Six he’s bought the Princeton Club after reading in our column that the place was for sale — and what his big plans for the place are.
“I learned about the Princeton Club mortgage sale from Page Six,” said the hedge funder. “I was intrigued, looked into it and bought it.”
The Wall Street titan, 69, says of the 81,860-square-foot space at 15 W. 43rd St.: “It’s a fantastic club. It has so many potential uses.”
He adds, “We are exploring a sale” — or potentially turning the former Ivy League establishment into a private club for “vibrant 20- and 30-year-olds” as “their place to go.”
“Would be hugely popular. Stay tuned!” he said.
Bloomberg revealed that Paulson was the mystery buyer of the club, which hit the skids in 2021 during the pandemic and ultimately defaulted on a nearly $40 million mortgage.
The club — which had no financial association with the famed, well-endowed university — was reportedly seeking a lifeline, and unsuccessfully tried to find help in another billionaire, Google whiz and Princeton grad Eric Schmidt.
(Paulson graduated summa cum laude from NYU, and went on to Harvard Business School. He’s donated generously to both.)
The address was home to the Princeton Club for 60 years, but the club had three other homes over 160 years.
The space included two restaurants, a fitness center, squash courts and 58 guest rooms available to alumni, students and faculty.
Paulson — who was a potential nominee for Treasury secretary under Donald Trump — has previously invested in hospitality projects. His Paulson Puerto Rico arm began with a 2013 investment in the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort and now includes a portfolio of hotels.
He and his fiancée, Alina de Almeida, recently welcomed a baby, we reported.
