Billionaire Ken Griffin has found a willing partner to help him relocate the historic bayfront home he bought in 2022. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has agreed to make Villa Serena a part of Vizcaya Village, if local officials approve the move.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, new to Miami but already a power player in terms of local philanthropy, has donated $20 million to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens to support the restoration of the estate’s historic farm village.
Vizcaya announced the gift on Friday, describing it as a “defining moment” for the future of the Miami landmark, but the collaboration doesn’t end there.
Griffin wants to uproot and relocate Villa Serena, a historic home he owns nearby that is part of a waterfront estate he acquired from Adrienne Arsht in 2022 for $106.9 million.
Vizcaya has agreed to support that move – by placing Villa Serena inside Vizcaya Village, opening the house to the public, and maintaining the structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a $5 million endowment from Griffin.
The 1913 Spanish Mediterranean-style house, built by legendary orator William Jennings Bryan, overlooks Biscayne Bay south of the Rickenbacker Causeway. Bryan was a towering figure in American politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Vizcaya said Griffin’s $20 million gift for Vizcaya Village is not contingent on the relocation of Villa Serena, which must be approved by Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami, and which is likely to invite intense public scrutiny.
When Griffin first floated the idea of moving Villa Serena in 2022, local historians and preservationists were appalled, the Miami Herald reported at the time. Historian Paul George called the idea “ludicrous,” and Dade Heritage Trust, the historic preservation organization, went on record in opposition.
The reception may be more nuanced today. Local historian Iris Guzman Kolaya, a Spotlight contributor, said her position has evolved since 2022 when she opposed relocation in an opinion piece published in the Spotlight.
In a note she sent to Vizcaya’s executive director and shared with the Spotlight, Kolaya expressed tentative support for the proposed move.
“As you are aware, I have been vocal in the past about my opposition to relocating the home, and I still believe that, in an ideal world, it would remain in its original setting, where its historical integrity is closely tied to its place atop the Miami Rock Ridge, overlooking Biscayne Bay,” Kolaya wrote.
“However, I recognize the reality of the current preservation landscape and the lack of political will to protect historic structures. In that context, moving Villa Serena to Vizcaya appears to be a pragmatic solution that may prevent the loss of the home altogether.”
The proposed move will be vetted by Miami’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB), where the public will have an opportunity to challenge the plan.
“That’s the hurdle for them. They will have to go before the HEPB and plead their case,” said Chris Rupp, executive director of Dade Heritage Trust.
Rupp said the trust is withholding judgment, for now.
“We have not, as an organization, discussed this at all,” Rupp said. “To me, there are still so many unknowns.”
Vizcaya said it welcomes the scrutiny.
“We look forward to rigorous review by HEP staff as we and our partner are committed to doing this project in an exemplary manner,” Vizcaya said in a statement shared with the Spotlight. “We believe that this project will, in the short and long term, elevate dialogue on the preservation challenges and opportunities our community faces.”
Vizcaya said it began exploratory discussions with Griffin several months ago. The master plan for Vizcaya Village has been updated as a result to make room for Villa Serena, and is ready to be shared with the Miami-Dade County Commission.
In announcing the proposed move, Vizcaya emphasized the potential public benefit, saying Miami residents would have access to the home for the first time in 111 years.
“If approved, Villa Serena would become a public asset—owned by Miami-Dade County and managed by Vizcaya — ensuring its long-term preservation and public benefit,” the museum said.
Vizcaya said the cost of the move would be covered by Griffin, and that the effort would be undertaken and overseen by nationally recognized professionals.
Vizcaya also touted its ability to place the house in the context of its time period, and interpret the life and politics of its original owner. William Jennings Bryan and James Deering, the industrialist who built Vizcaya, were contemporaries.
“Vizcaya would provide a rigorous framework for interpreting Bryan’s multifaceted legacy – his visionary civic ideals alongside his deeply complicated views on issues such as imperialism and war, science and religion, and race relations,” the museum said.
Vizcaya is currently engaged in a multi-phased plan to restore the historic buildings, gardens and grounds of the 12-acre working village that supported the main estate.
Read More: The Village that Fed Vizcaya
Griffin’s $20 million gift will support the creation of the Center for Learning and Discovery, while kick-starting a larger fundraising campaign in support of the restoration, Vizcaya said. A spokeswoman said the restoration is expected to cost “upwards” of $100 million.
“This is a transformative moment for Vizcaya,” Joel Hoffman, the museum’s executive director, said in a statement. “Ken Griffin’s extraordinary $20 million gift will accelerate our vision for Vizcaya Village as a center for education, history, and community engagement.”
If the city and county both approve the relocation, Villa Serena would be moved across South Miami Avenue to “a prominent entry point” into Vizcaya Village,” the museum said.
An updated rendering of a restored Vizcaya Village shows the proposed location of Villa Serena on the southeast corner of the village property, to the south of Vizcaya’s gatehouse and historic garage and close to South Miami Avenue.
This is another classic Miami scenario. A rich guy comes to town and grease$ the locals to get what he wants.
People fall over themselves getting in line to lick his boots.
Why wasn’t Richard Heisenbottle interviewed for this article? Was it because he spoke the truth in the Miami Herald article – that moving this house makes a mockery of true historic preservation?
Why move Villa Serena? So Mr. Griffin can build a bigger house in its place? How many homes does he already own? How many homes are enough?
My prediction: key people, especially elected officials, will be saying whatever it takes to rationalize compromising their integrity in yet another example of how little Miami values and protects its own history.
Elvis Cruz
Morningside
Elvis, you certainly have a point: the reality that money, lots of money, get things done in Miami… but thats always been true, historically, especially in the time when Miami began, thanks to James Deering, Flagler, Carl G. Fisher. I for one would like to see this old piece of architecture up close and preserved for posterity. If this is how it will happen, a gift from I guy who can make that happen, I support the move.