After $1.1B Wynwood sale, Moishe Mana isn’t done with the neighborhood yet

Billionaire businessman Moishe Mana, once the largest private landowner in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, recently sold the majority of his property in the area.

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The land Mana sold will soon become Carnegie Mellon University’s new Miami campus.

But even though Mana’s footprint in the neighborhood is now about a third of what it once was, he still has plans in Wynwood, a one-time gritty warehouse district that’s now better known for its colorful murals, galleries and trendy restaurants. Mana, who began buying land in Wynwood in 2009, still owns about 15 acres in the area.

Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin bought the property from Mana for $1.1 billion and is donating it to Carnegie Mellon for its tech-focused Miami branch. The campus will take over Mana Wynwood, a 30-acre venue that’s known for hosting events like the alternative music festival III Points.

But Mana told the Miami Herald in an interview that he still plans to build two office buildings in Wynwood. He thinks these offices will be part of the tech ecosystem that will surround the new university campus.

Mana said he’s largely turning his focus away from Wynwood and toward his projects downtown, but he wants to execute his plans for the office buildings in the next year.

“It’s going to be a supportive building for everything they’re doing” at Carnegie Mellon’s new campus, Mana said in the interview.

He described the twin mid-rise buildings as “very Wynwoody” in design. Renderings show a brown building and a white building that are irregularly shaped and accented with colorful murals and awnings.

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The pair of office buildings had initially been part of Mana’s plans for the future of the Mana Wynwood site at 318 NW 23rd St. He wanted to build out an international trade and entertainment hub with offices, hotels and event space. In 2016, Mana got approval from the city for a mixed-use special area plan spanning about 10 million square feet in Wynwood.

But for years, the plans didn’t develop. Mana said the project first stalled in 2016 because of President Donald Trump’s election, and later because of the pandemic. Despite the delays, Mana said he had still planned to redevelop the site.

That changed about three years ago, when Griffin’s representatives approached Mana. It wasn’t the first time someone had offered to buy Mana Wynwood, and Mana said he initially refused because of his plans for the site. But he weighed the billion-dollar offer for three days and ultimately decided to go through with it. He said he believed Griffin had an “incredible” vision.

Mana told the Herald he was both “relieved” and “excited” when he sold Mana Wynwood. He said he thinks the property is now in “better hands” because of Griffin’s greater wealth and influence. Griffin, the 33rd richest person in the world, is worth an estimated $57.1 billion.

Now that Mana has sold Mana Wynwood, he said he plans to build the office buildings on some of the remaining land he owns near the planned Carnegie Mellon campus.

Aside from these buildings, Mana said he’s ready to turn his focus to downtown Miami, where he owns around 80 properties, mostly along Flagler Street. Once the city’s bustling main street, the corridor is now largely lined with shuttered storefronts.

“I’m focusing in downtown and what I’m doing in downtown,” Mana said. “It’s question of energy, and I need to focus and get this done.”

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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 5:10 AM.