Billionaire Ken Griffin is moving forward with his plans to build a new $1 billion headquarters for his companies, Citadel and Citadel Securities, in Miami's Brickell neighborhood.
The architectural firm Foster + Partners is designing the project, which will be one of the tallest towers in Miami. The building will even include a luxury hotel on the top floors. Environmental testing for the construction has already begun. This progress comes almost a year after Griffin decided to no longer work with Sterling Bay, the original co-developer for the project. According to reports, Griffin was concerned about Sterling Bay's ability to complete the project.
The new headquarters will be built on a 2.5-acre plot of land on the waterfront at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive. Griffin purchased this land for a record-breaking $363 million in 2022. There are height restrictions due to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, so the building will not be able to exceed 1,049 feet.
Griffin, who is originally from Florida, moved the headquarters of Citadel and Citadel Securities from Chicago to Miami in 2022. Until the new building is finished, employees are working in temporary office spaces. Some of these temporary locations include leased space at the Southeast Financial Center downtown and the future 830 Brickell Tower, which is still under construction in the Miami financial district.
Griffin's investment in South Florida goes beyond just commercial properties. He has also been buying residential real estate. In Brickell, he purchased the 1221 Brickell Avenue office building in 2022 for $286.5 million. That same year, he also bought an apartment building and a vacant lot next door on Brickell Bay Drive for a combined $20 million.