The city-owned landmark, home to Dade Heritage Trust, would be sold for $2.98 million — without competitive bidding — to a company controlled by billionaire Ken Griffin, completing his acquisition of an entire Brickell city block.
One of Miami’s oldest and most historically significant buildings — now home to the preservation advocacy group Dade Heritage Trust — could soon leave public ownership and become part of billionaire Ken Griffin’s expanding Brickell real estate holdings.
The Miami City Commission on Thursday will consider selling the city-owned Dr. James M. Jackson office and surgical facility at 190 SE 12 Terrace for $2.98 million to 1250 BB Asset Co. LLC, a company controlled by Griffin, under a City Charter provision that allows the city to bypass competitive bidding when it sells publicly-owned property to an adjacent property owner.
The resolution is sponsored by Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo.
The 121-year-old cottage is the last remaining property on the block between Brickell Bay Drive and Brickell Avenue that Griffin does not already control.
It sits immediately adjacent to the roughly 2.5-acre waterfront site where Griffin is building a new headquarters for Citadel, the investment firm he relocated from Chicago to Miami in 2022.
The acquisition would not be Griffin’s first involvement with a prominent historic property in Miami.
Griffin, who owns a home in Coconut Grove, is currently seeking city and county approval to relocate Villa Serena, the 1913 waterfront home built for three-time Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan, from his Brickell waterfront compound to nearby Vizcaya Village.
Read more: Vizcaya Village: A Major Gift and a Major Move
Griffin has pledged a total of $25 million toward that project — $20 million to support the restoration of Vizcaya Village and a separate $5 million endowment to support the long-term preservation of Villa Serena if its relocation is approved.
Under the proposal, Villa Serena would be moved across South Miami Avenue, incorporated into Vizcaya Village and opened to the public. The house would become the property of Miami-Dade County and be maintained by Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.
The proposal has generated debate among local preservationists, some of whom have questioned whether removing Villa Serena from its original waterfront setting would undermine its historical integrity.
The relocation is expected to undergo extensive public review, including consideration by the City of Miami’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board.
In an email exchange with the Spotlight, a Citadel spokesperson said that while it was premature to release details, the company is “in active discussions with the Dade Heritage Trust and City of Miami about a long-term preservation plan” for Jackson’s medical office.
The modest white wood-frame Jackson building stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding Brickell skyline.
Built in the early 1900s, it served as the office and surgical facility of Dr. James M. Jackson, Miami’s first resident physician and one of the city’s most influential early civic leaders. Jackson Memorial Hospital bears his name.
The building itself has survived decades of redevelopment pressure. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the City of Miami’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board, the property is currently leased to Dade Heritage Trust. Under the proposed agreement, Griffin’s company would assume the existing lease and all landlord responsibilities.
Dade Heritage Trust Executive Director Christine Rupp said the organization expects to announce additional details soon but emphasized that preserving the landmark remains its priority.
“DHT has been the proud steward of the historic Jackson Office since 1978, and the preservation of that building is our focus,” Rupp told the Spotlight in a statement. “We are working through details and do not have specifics to share right now but anticipate making an announcement soon about a good outcome. Our focus remains unchanged.”
The proposed sale would authorize City Manager James Reyes to convey the property for a price equal to the higher of two independent appraisals obtained by the city.
Under the City Charter, the city may sell certain non-waterfront parcels without competitive bidding when they are 7,500 square feet or smaller or otherwise non-buildable and are being conveyed to the owner of an adjoining property. City officials say the Jackson property qualifies for that exemption.
The agenda documents state that the city obtained two independent appraisals and established the $2.98 million purchase price at the higher of the two valuations.
The resolution would also earmark all net proceeds from the sale exclusively for the repair, rehabilitation, maintenance or possible replacement of the aging Brickell Key Bridge which has become a growing infrastructure concern for the city. Officials say it will require significant investment in the coming years.
Pardo did not respond to a detailed list of Spotlight questions about the proposed sale, including preservation of the historic building, the impact on Dade Heritage Trust, and the decision to dedicate the sale proceeds to the Brickell Key Bridge.
The commission records contain one unexplained discrepancy. The proposed resolution identifies the purchaser as 1250 BB Asset Co. LLC, while the agenda summary lists Miami RE Selection LLC as the prospective buyer. The agenda documents do not explain the difference.
