Moishe Mana is opening up about his blockbuster $1 billion-plus sale of Mana Wynwood to billionaire Citadel founder Ken Griffin — and why he initially told Griffin’s team the property wasn’t for sale.

In an interview with The Real Deal South Florida Bureau Chief Katherine Kallergis, Mana recounts how Griffin’s team approached him nearly three years ago about buying his massive Wynwood assemblage. Mana says he rejected the idea outright before reconsidering just three days later.

The deal will pave the way for a major new Carnegie Mellon University campus in Wynwood, part of Griffin’s multibillion-dollar investment in the university and Miami. For Mana, that potential impact helped convince him to give up a property portfolio he spent years assembling.

Mana also discusses why he sees the transaction as “passing the torch,” what the deal means for Wynwood’s future and how he plans to deploy the proceeds across his investments in Downtown Miami, technology, fashion and other ventures.

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