Billionaire’s plan to move historic Grove home is a step closer. What’s next?

Billionaire hedge fund executive Ken Griffin wants to move the historic Villa Serena, which overlooks Biscayne Bay on his expansive Coconut Grove estate, to the grounds of the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens.

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And after Miami-Dade County Commission voted on Tuesday to allow Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava or someone she designates to begin negotiating with Griffin, he’s one step closer to getting his wish.

Villa Serena, the Mediterranean-style home of Progressive-era politician and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, sits on the estate Griffin bought from banker and philanthropist Adrienne Arsht in 2022.

Griffin paid nearly $107 million for the four-acre bayfront property shortly after he moved from Chicago to Miami along with his hedge fund Citadel’s headquarters. At the time, it was the most expensive home sale ever recorded in Miami-Dade. Griffin is worth an estimated $56.9 billion.

The historic home, which is more than 110 years old, had been meticulously restored and used as a guest house by Arsht. She built and lived in a larger mansion on the estate at 3031 and 3115 Brickell Ave.

Jennings Bryan, a Democrat known for his pro-labor positions, began spending his winters in Miami in the early 1910s. By the end of his life in 1925, he was living in Miami year-round.

Local historian Paul George said Jennings Bryan was one of Miami’s most famous residents during that era. He was a skilled orator and a devout Christian who often preached and taught Sunday school to massive crowds in Miami.

Not long after Griffin purchased the four-acre Coconut Grove estate, he began hatching plans to relocate Villa Serena, a designated historic site. After quietly looking for somewhere to move the home for several years, it was announced last year that he planned to move the building to the grounds of the Vizcaya, about a half-mile away. Griffin also pledged $20 million to the museum to revitalize its farm village.

Citadel spokesperson David Millar did not comment on the upcoming negotiations.

The Vizcaya, which was once the estate of businessman James Deering, is owned by Miami-Dade County and operated by the nonprofit Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust.

In a statement, Vizcaya spokesperson Charlotte Donn said the museum is “thrilled” that Griffin’s efforts to move the historic home are advancing.

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“There are still steps to take including approvals by other regulatory agencies,” Donn said. “We look forward to working with our partners, the county and others to advance this project.”

District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whose district includes both Griffin’s estate and the Vizcaya, did not comment on the commission’s vote. There was no information on the timeline for negotiations.

Villa Serena isn’t the only historic building Griffin wants to move.

Earlier this year, the Miami City Commission approved Griffin’s purchase of the 121-year-old Jackson cottage in Brickell, which is home to the offices of the Dade Heritage Trust, for about $3 million. The building, which originally stood in downtown Miami, housed the medical practice of James Jackson, the physician for whom Jackson Memorial Hospital is named.

The Jackson cottage sits directly across the street from the Brickell Bay Drive site where Griffin is building Citadel’s new global headquarters. Since 2022, Griffin has spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying up land between Southeast 12th and 13th streets in Brickell. After the purchase of the Jackson cottage, Griffin now owns the entire city block.

The cottage, currently at 190 SE 12th Ter., will be moved to Coconut Grove, where it will continue to serve as the Dade Heritage Trust’s office.

George, the historian, said he hopes the county will “be careful” as they move Villa Serena, pointing to the fate of the Charles Munroe Brown House, which collapsed on the MacArthur Causeway during an attempt to move the historic home to Watson Island in 1984.

He added that he generally doesn’t support moving historic buildings like Villa Serena or the Jackson cottage from their original sites.

“We don’t like to take things out of the original location,” George said. “That’s part of the context of the building — it’s here. Why was it here?”

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This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 3:29 PM.