Faena Residences Miami: Location and Waterfront on the Miami River

Faena Residences Miami is a riverfront condominium project in Downtown Miami, set directly on the Miami River rather than on the ocean or open Biscayne Bay. That distinction shapes everything about the address. The water here is a working urban river, framed by the Downtown skyline, and the appeal is a city setting with the river as its front yard.

The Miami Herald lists the project at 24 SW Fourth Street, and the developer's materials describe a location in the mouth of the river area of Downtown's financial center. An October 2024 announcement of the Faena District expansion referred to a starting point at 90 SW 3rd Street along the Miami River Walk. Addresses can differ between marketing phases and parcels, so a buyer should ask the developer to confirm the legal address and the exact riverfront boundary of the parcel.

The project is the work of Fortune International Group and KAR Properties in partnership with Alan Faena. Rafael Viñoly Architects designed the towers, Bryan O'Sullivan Studio is responsible for interiors, and Sasaki handles landscape. The official Faena site describes it as the brand's first standalone residential project on Miami's riverfront, a point that matters because the water is part of the program, not just the view.

The Miami River flows through the center of Greater Downtown Miami and empties into Biscayne Bay. It is not a resort lagoon. Community descriptions of the river note that it remains an active route for cargo ships and smaller vessels doing business along its shores, which gives the waterfront a more industrial and historic character than the bay or ocean sides of the city.

MILLION's coverage of the project frames that heritage as part of the draw, describing a corridor increasingly positioned as a lifestyle destination as much as a maritime one. For a buyer, the practical reading is straightforward: expect boat traffic, a river with real commercial history, and a setting that feels urban. Anyone who wants open-bay horizons or a beachfront should weigh that against what a river address delivers.

The developer's own language leans on the water as an amenity. Its project site speaks of serene waterfront living with private boat rides, and its materials reference riverfront yacht access as part of the district. Ask the developer what that access physically consists of, who may use it, and how vessel size, berthing and any dock arrangements will be documented in the condominium paperwork.

The project is the anchor of a planned Faena District on the Miami River. According to the October 2024 announcement by the developers and Alan Faena, the district spans three blocks and more than 14 acres, beginning along the Miami River Walk. Faena's statement at the time described it as a community built around artistic expression, cultural immersion, wellness and design.

Landscape architecture by Sasaki is meant to connect the development to what Faena's journal describes as the natural rhythm of the river. Developer-linked materials also refer to private riverfront park access for residents. Those are design intentions for a project still in the pre-completion stage, so it is worth asking which green spaces will be private to residents, which will be open to the public, and how the river edge will connect to the public walkway.

One cultural element is also tied to the waterfront setting. Faena Rose, the patron-based cultural organization founded in Miami Beach in 2016, will debut its first purpose-built cultural destination at Faena Residences Miami, according to Faena. It is intended as the intellectual, creative and social center of the development, which gives the riverfront a programmed, gallery-and-events dimension that most condominium sites do not have.

The nearest bay-facing public space is Bayfront Park, which the developer's marketing places within minutes by car or on foot. The Pérez Art Museum Miami, also on the bay edge of Downtown, appears in the same list. For a resident of a riverfront tower, this is the practical answer to the question of bay access: the river is outside the door, and the open waters of Biscayne Bay and its public parkland are a short trip away.

The same materials name Brickell City Centre, MiamiCentral Station and Kaseya Center among the nearby destinations. Together they point to a location where transit, arena events, museums and shopping are all within a compact area. That makes the address a different proposition from a quiet island enclave. It trades seclusion for walkability and proximity to Downtown's cultural institutions.

Distances and walking times in marketing copy are approximate. A buyer who cares about a morning walk to the bay or a drive to an event should test the routes in person, at different times of day, since Downtown traffic and event nights change the experience considerably.

Faena Residences Miami's official site describes the location as just steps from restaurants, art galleries and entertainment, with seamless access to Brickell City Centre. Developer-linked materials also describe highway and Miami International Airport connectivity. The project sits at the point where Downtown and Brickell meet, and some coverage places it in Brickell, while others describe it in the Miami River District of Downtown. Both labels appear, so it helps to know that the address straddles two neighborhood identities.

Nearby residential projects are part of the conversation as well. MILLION's discussion of the development mentions Casa Bella by B&B Italia Downtown Miami and Baccarat Residences Brickell as other branded options in the area, and distinguishes Faena's approach as expressive and culture-led rather than restrained. That is an editorial reading, not a measurement, but it helps explain who the project is designed to appeal to: buyers who value collecting, entertaining and a staged environment.

Dining inside the development is part of the plan. Faena describes the project as a fusion of five-star hotel service and bespoke residential living, and developer-linked materials describe a broader ecosystem of service, dining and cultural programming. Specific restaurants, operators and opening dates have not been confirmed in the material reviewed here, so those are questions for the sales team.

Faena's first South Florida district is in Miami Beach, where it includes Faena House, Faena Hotel and Faena Forum. Reports in October 2024 described Faena Residences Miami as Alan Faena's second major South Florida venture, and said it looks to continue the legacy of the Miami Beach district. Buyers familiar with that beachfront setting should understand that the two locations are different in character: Miami Beach faces the Atlantic, while the new project faces a river in the middle of the city.

The site also has a longer history than the Faena name. The Miami Herald reports that the development goes back to 2015 as the One River Point project, planned with a members-only private club by hotelier Adrian Zecha, founder of Aman Resorts, with KAR Properties as original developer and Rafael Viñoly as the first architect. Fortune International Group joined KAR as co-developer in late 2022, according to an October 2024 report. The Faena version is a redesign of that earlier concept.

Published project details vary by outlet and date, including tower height, unit count and completion year. For that reason, the figures that matter should come from the developer's current offering documents. Ask for the confirmed number of residences, the current delivery schedule and the approved building heights before relying on any marketing page or news summary.

Because the project is still in the pre-completion stage, the most useful diligence on the water is specific. Ask what the riverfront yacht access includes, whether slips or dock space are offered to residents, how the private riverfront park will be operated, and how the project meets the Miami River Walk. Ask also how construction will affect river traffic and neighboring waterfront uses while it proceeds.

Ask where the sample views are taken from, and which residences face the river, the skyline or the interior of the district. Renderings show infinity pool and water views, but orientation differs by tower and floor. A site visit to the river edge on a weekday will also show the commercial vessel activity that comes with this stretch of water.

Denis Smykalov and the team at Wolsen Waterfront cover South Florida waterfront property across Miami-Dade and Broward, and can help compare a riverfront address like this one with bayfront and oceanfront alternatives.