Zygi Wilf, son of Holocaust survivors, chairs Garden Homes, a New Jersey real estate company managing over 25 million square feet, and co-owns the Minnesota Vikings since 2005.
The Builders | Olam.business
Zygmunt "Zygi" Wilf, born April 22, 1950, in West Berlin to Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors, chairs Garden Homes, the New Jersey real estate company his father and uncle founded in 1954. The family firm manages more than 25 million square feet of residential, retail and commercial property across the United States. In 2005, Wilf and his brother Mark led a group that purchased the Minnesota Vikings for 600 million dollars, a franchise Forbes valued at 6.25 billion dollars in its 2025 rankings.
Who Is Zygi Wilf?
Zygi Wilf is an American real estate developer and chairman of the Minnesota Vikings, whose family business, Garden Homes, has built and managed real estate across the northeastern and southeastern United States since 1954.
At a Glance
| Born | April 22, 1950, West Berlin, Germany, to Joseph and Elizabeth Wilf, Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors |
| Education | Bachelor's in economics, Fairleigh Dickinson University; Juris Doctor, New York Law School |
| Garden Homes | Founded 1954 by Joseph and Harry Wilf in Short Hills, New Jersey. Manages more than 25 million square feet of retail, commercial and residential property, plus roughly 90,000 apartment units nationally |
| Minnesota Vikings | Purchased in 2005 with brother Mark Wilf and other partners for approximately 600 million dollars. Forbes valued the franchise at 6.25 billion dollars in its 2025 NFL rankings, roughly ten times the purchase price |
| U.S. Bank Stadium | Wilf oversaw its construction, opened 2016, and hosted Super Bowl LII in 2018 |
| 2013 fraud judgment | A New Jersey court found Wilf and his partners liable for defrauding two former business partners in a 1980s real estate deal, initially ordering 84.5 million dollars in damages; a 2018 appeal reduced the award to roughly 32 million dollars |
| Other sports holdings | Majority owner of MLS club Orlando City SC and NWSL club Orlando Pride; stake in Fulham FC |
| Net worth | Approximately 1.3 to 1.7 billion dollars in recent estimates |
How Did Garden Homes Become a National Real Estate Company?
Zygi Wilf's parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Wilf, survived the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland before immigrating to the United States and settling in Hillside, New Jersey, in the early 1950s. Joseph and his brother Harry began buying and renting apartment buildings, formally founding Garden Homes in 1954. The company started with single-family home construction in New Jersey before expanding into shopping centers, office buildings and large-scale residential development.
Zygi Wilf joined the family business after his education and eventually took over leadership alongside his brothers Mark and Leonard, and later his sons Orin and Jonathan. Garden Homes today manages more than 25 million square feet of retail, commercial and residential space across states including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, California and Florida, along with roughly 90,000 apartment units nationwide. In 2013, a New Jersey court found Wilf and his partners liable for defrauding two former business partners — Josef Halpern and Ada Reichmann — in a 1980s real estate deal involving a New Jersey apartment complex, and initially ordered 84.5 million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages. The Wilfs appealed; in 2018, an appellate court reduced the award to roughly 32 million dollars.
How Did Zygi Wilf Come to Own the Minnesota Vikings?
In 2005, Wilf led a group of investors, including his brother Mark, that purchased the Minnesota Vikings from Red McCombs for approximately 600 million dollars. As chairman, Wilf pushed for a new stadium to replace the aging Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and in 2012 the Minnesota legislature approved a 975 million dollar stadium plan combining public and private financing. U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016 and hosted Super Bowl LII in February 2018. Forbes valued the Vikings at 6.25 billion dollars in its 2025 NFL team rankings, roughly ten times what the Wilf group paid for the franchise two decades earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Zygi Wilf?
Zygi Wilf is an American real estate developer, chairman of the family firm Garden Homes, and chairman and co-owner of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings since 2005.
What is Garden Homes?
Garden Homes is a New Jersey-based real estate company founded in 1954 by Zygi Wilf's father and uncle, which today manages more than 25 million square feet of retail, commercial and residential property.
How much did Zygi Wilf pay for the Minnesota Vikings?
Zygi Wilf led a group that purchased the Minnesota Vikings in 2005 for approximately 600 million dollars; Forbes valued the franchise at 6.25 billion dollars in its 2025 rankings.
What was the outcome of the fraud case against Zygi Wilf?
A New Jersey court ruled in 2013 that Wilf and his partners had defrauded former business partners and initially ordered 84.5 million dollars in damages. An appellate court reduced that award to roughly 32 million dollars in 2018.
What is Zygi Wilf's net worth?
Recent estimates place Zygi Wilf's net worth between approximately 1.3 and 1.7 billion dollars, built primarily through Garden Homes and his stake in the Minnesota Vikings.
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מי הוא זיגי וילף?
זיגי וילף, יליד 1950 בברלין לניצולי שואה פולנים, משמש יושב ראש Garden Homes, חברת נדל"ן מנוו ג'רזי שאביו ודודו ייסדו ב-1954. ב-2005 רכש עם אחיו מרק את קבוצת הפוטבול מינסוטה ויקינגס תמורת 600 מיליון דולר. פורבס העריך את שווי הקבוצה ב-6.25 מיליארד דולר בדירוג 2025.
The Olam Editorial Team | The Builders / הבונים
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