Brickell is one of Miami’s most dynamic neighborhoods — its Financial District, high-rise residential core, and evolving cultural and economic center. Its evolution from indigenous settlement through family homesteading into the dense urban neighborhood it is today is a story of land, development, and transformation.
Early Inhabitants: The Tequesta
Before European settlement, the area now known as Brickell was inhabited by the Tequesta people. Archaeological evidence shows they lived along the Miami River and Biscayne Bay for over 2,000 years.
One of the key sites is the Miami Circle, located at the opening of the Miami River to Biscayne Bay at Brickell Point. It is an archaeological site of a Tequesta structure (a hut) with post holes and is associated with a burial mound.
William Barnwell Brickell and Mary Brickell
The Arrival of the Brickell Family & Early Development
The Brickell neighborhood is named after William Barnwell Brickell and Mary Brickell (née Mary Adelaide “Mama” Bulmer). William Brickell purchased over 600 acres in what would become Brickell in 1870.
In 1871, the Brickells moved to the mouth of the Miami River, establishing a home, trading post, and acquiring large land holdings that stretched south toward Coconut Grove. Their land included current Brickell and surrounding areas.
William Brickell died in 1908; Mary Brickell then managed and developed their extensive real estate, including areas known as Millionaire’s Row and Brickell Hammock.
Millionaire’s Row & Early 20th Century
In the early 1900s through the 1910s, Brickell Avenue was lined with large winter estates owned by affluent northerners. This stretch became known as Millionaire’s Row.
Among notable residences were estates belonging to William Jennings Bryan and others. Many of these mansions were built for seasonal use. Over time, most of them were removed, replaced by denser residential and commercial structures.
The Brickell Apartments, built and opened in January 1917 by Charles Brickell, are an example of early denser housing. The building was designed in the Moorish style; it offered modern conveniences of the time (private baths, electric lights, elevator) and occupied land that had been created by shoreline fill.
Mid-Century Changes
After World War II, many of the single-family mansions and estates on Brickell Avenue and adjacent areas were gradually replaced by denser development—apartments, offices, retail. The area began to transition away from the exclusive winter homes toward more permanent, mixed uses.
Some historic structures were demolished during this time. For instance, the Brickell Apartments (1917) were eventually razed in 1961 after being sold and left vacant.
The Modern Era: Financial District & High-Rise Boom
Beginning in the 1970s and accelerating in the 1980s, Brickell evolved into a major financial district. Tall office towers, banks, international finance companies, and corporate headquarters brought increased commercial presence. In the 1980s, Atlantis on Brickell – known for its glass façade and 5-story palm court cut out of the building – became one of the most recognized condo buildings in Brickell thanks to hit TV show Miami Vice, which debuted in 1984.
Simultaneously, residential towers, mixed-use complexes, hotels, and retail spaces multiplied, especially south of SE 15th Road (Broadway) and along Biscayne Bay.
Major mixed-use developments include Mary Brickell Village (opened mid-2000s), and Brickell City Centre, which opened in 2016, spanning over 9 acres with shops, restaurants, lodging and residential components.
Preservation & Archaeology
The Miami Circle and associated Tequesta archaeological sites remain important. They provide confirmation of ancient habitation and have been the subject of preservation and sometimes of controversy as urban development presses up against them.
The Brickell Mausoleum (located at 501 Brickell Avenue) is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Brickell Today: Density, Identity, and Urban Growth
Brickell is now one of the densest neighborhoods in Miami.
It is anchored by high finance, foreign consulates, international business, luxury residential tower developments, and strong retail/restaurants.
Newer office towers like 830 Brickell (completed in 2023) are evidence of ongoing growth.
Key Dates & Timeline
Period
Key Events in Brickell History
~2500+ years ago
Tequesta inhabit the area; Miami Circle site established.
1870
William Brickell purchases large land parcels in area.
1871
Brickell family establishes trading post at south bank of Miami River.
1896
Florida East Coast Railway extension to Miami; greater growth begins.
1910-1920
Development of Millionaire’s Row; early apartment buildings like Brickell Apartments.
Mid-20th century
Mansions give way to more dense residential and commercial uses.
1970s–1980s
High-rise boom; Brickell emerges as financial district.
2000s-2010s
Mixed-use developments; retail, restaurants, and large residential towers. Mary Brickell opens in May 2006; Brickell City Centre opens in November 2016.
2020-Present
Completion of Class-A office tower 830 Brickell brings relocating major financial, legal, and tech firms. Branded luxury condos launch sales (St. Regis, Baccarat, Mercedes-Benz).
Why Brickell Matters
Brickell’s evolution illustrates the transformation of Miami from a frontier settlement to a modern global city.
Its geography—on Biscayne Bay, immediately south of the downtown core—made it ideal for early estates, then for financial and commercial investment.
It also encapsulates tensions common in cities: preservation vs. development; ancient heritage (Tequesta, Miami Circle) vs modern vertical growth.
It will be exciting to see what the next 20 years have in store for the Brickell neighborhood!
Notable Real Estate Developers Purchase the White House Inn Property in North Miami
Teddy Sagi and Jorge Pérez, Miami’s most notable real estate investors, have chosen their second South Florida property to invest in: the White House Inn at the gateway to North Miami. What once was a motel that opened its doors in 1969 later became a dilapidated building that saw many problems throughout the years, which later closed in 2014.
Along with BH Group, Pérez’s Related Group, and Sagi’s LabTech Investments Limited are teaming up to buy the waterfront property located at 2305 Northeast 123rd Street.
The 1-acre property is expected to be redeveloped into a luxury apartment complex that would cost around $85 million. Sagi and Pérez are expected to close on the $11 million sale next week.
The North Miami property was sold by a firm led by Mario Murgado, the owner of Murgado Automotive Group for $7.8 million in 2014. Murgado planned to demolish the White House Inn and replace it with a seven-story Ocean Cadillac dealership with a self-contained parking structure, top-floor showroom, and ground-floor restaurant.
Local residents were outspoken in their opposition to the dealership, fearing that it would bring a flood of traffic to the neighborhood. Later Murgado proposed an 11-story tower, Biscayne Harbour, that was approved by the city council but was never finished.
“One of those rare bayfront sites that’s gone underutilized for far too long,” and that the partnership plans to give North Miami “the entrance it deserves,” according to Pérez.
Not only is Pérez known for his work with the Related Group but he is a big player in the residential market as well. In July, he sold his Coconut Grovemansion for $33 million. Pérez also sold his Apogee Beach penthouse for $6 million.
La Casa Reposada To Villa Leone: The Story Behind 2100 South Miami Avenue
Along South Miami Avenue at 21st Street is a vacant lot the size of the entire block that is surrounded by a coral rock wall and majestic statues of lions covered by foliage. It is evident that there is an interesting story behind the land, although after thirty years of sitting vacant, new construction has commenced. For today’s Throwback Thursday, I want to share the story and then admire what is coming next.
According to the Miami History archives, the lot was originally purchased by a businessman for use as his family’s summer home in the 1935. The design was meant to emphasize the sun and fresh air of the area, and it was a grand home! The grounds included a rock garden with a fish pond, an island with a cypress bridge for access, a rose garden, reflection pool and a marble statue. The swimming pool was able to be electrically filled with either salt water or fresh water. Of course, the interior of the home was just as grandiose and designed for entertaining. The owner named it “La Casa Reposada,” since the family intended for it to be a haven of rest and tranquility.
La Casa Reposada Around 1955 From Miami History Archives
Shortly after his retirement in 1940, the owner died suddenly and his wife sold the property at an enormous loss, for just $50,000. The son of the owner recalls finding a listening device under one of the staircases, and presumed that the original owner had used it to eavesdrop on his guests in order to obtain the upper hand in business dealings. Savage!
After a few years, the family received an unsolicited offer for purchase from then Cuban President Carlos Prio Socarras, the last democratically elected president of Cuba. The son again recollects that the closing took forever. Prio’s representatives arrived at the house with suitcases filled with cash and it took from first thing in the morning until after lunchtime to count as armed guards stood by. Prio ended up spending much of the time he was exiled at La Casa Reposada before returning to Cuba in attempt to influence change.
From that point, the house changed hands several more times before being razed in the late 70’s or early 80’s. Aside from a cement-filled pool (that I had always assumed was the foundation of the previous structure) and the signature stone wall with lions, the property sat vacant for more than 30 years… until now.
Vertical construction has recently begun on a collection of 5 homes called “Villa Leone,” I imagine paying homage to the stone lions that looked over the property for the last 80 years. The homes have a contemporary design by Borges & Associates, who have been responsible for the designs of other popular buildings including Infinity at Brickell, The Carillon on Miami Beach and even the American Airlines Arena.
The designs maximize the buildable space, including underground garages and rooftop terraces with summer kitchens and pools. Sadly, it does not appear there is room on the lot to preserve the lions. Prices are available by request.
Dana Dorsey: Miami’s First Black Real Estate Developer
Image Courtesy of The305
In the spirit of Black History Month and Throwback Thursday, I wanted to highlight an interesting fact about Miami History. Before Fisher Island was the wealthiest zip code in the United States, it was sold to Carl Fisher by the South’s first black millionaire… Dana Dorsey.
Mr. Dorsey was born in 1872 and was the first in his family to not be born into slavery. Both of his parents were freed slaves and were only able to give him a fourth-grade education.
As an adult, Mr. Dorsey moved to Miami to work on Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad. While he was working, he recognized a shortage of housing for his fellow black workers. He purchased a lot in Overtown and built a house, using the rental income from that house to buy a second lot to build a second home, and so on.
In 1919, Carl Fisher was developing Miami Beach and purchased a barrier island from Dana Dorsey. That island was Fisher Island. Eventually, Mr. Fisher traded the island to the Vanderbilts for a 200ft yacht. Over the following years, the island served as a winter home until the 1960’s, when it was sold for development.
Today, Fisher Island is the wealthiest zip code in the United States (according to the 2010 census data). The island is accessible only by ferry, boat or helicopter. Prices range from $1 million to more than $26 million. Late last year, we did a drone tour of Palazzo Del Sol, one of the the island’s new construction buildings.
By the time he passed away in 1940, Dana Dorsey was also the first African-American hotel owner, bank owner, and a philanthropist. He was passionate about the importance of education and still to this day has schools, libraries and parks that are dedicated to his contribution to Miami’s development.
Charles Brickell Offered Apartments To Veterans In This Building
Brickell Apartments via www.miami-history.com
Happy Veteran’s Day to all of our servicemen! Since it is also Flashback Friday, let’s have a look back at some of our neighborhood heritage. These are the Brickell Apartments that were completed almost 100 years ago to the day.
Back then, Miami was going through a building boom similar to the one that we’re finishing up right now. Charles Brickell (the son of Mary Brickell) built this state-of-the-art building on the piece of Brickell where the Four Ambassador is today. Even back then, developers were jockeying to see who could build the most advanced and beautiful building around. The Brickell Apartments had 24 residences with 1-4 bedrooms. The layouts were considered very spacious at the time and each residence had a private bath, hot water, electric lights and a balcony. The building also had an electric elevator, something nearly unheard of at the time.
In 1918, Charles Brickell offered special reduced rates for the servicemen returning from World War I, so that they could live in comfort and splendor after their tours. The Miami Herald referred to the apartments as, “one of the most elaborate and modern buildings in Miami.” If you ask me, I agree that the servicemen should have been first in line to live there. Thank you to all of the men and women who have served our country!
For more information on the history of The Brickell Apartments and other buildings in the area, you can find a treasure trove here.
Brickell Apartments Advertisement from www.miami-history.com
Quaint Buena Vista Building Becomes Unmitigated Historic Preservation Disaster
Instagram
Artist Oliver Sanchez’s Instagram post summed it up perfectly. An historic Mediterranean Revival store with upstairs apartment in Buena Vista that kept its graceful original facade intact for almost a century has become an unmitigated disaster, losing its character entirely while gaining a sloppy new look, that frankly doesn’t look like much. The result is an unmitigated disaster and historic preservation, if one dares even use that term here, at its very worst.
The worst part is, it was no secret this was happening. The redevelopment made the real estate blog/news website rounds when it was announced, with a big rendering that has turned into reality. It was there and nobody noticed. Nobody raised the issue. Called Upper Buena Vista, the project by BVM Development is going to be a ‘mini urban village’ of shops, apartments, and ‘creative-class’ types of stuff with an old warehouse aesthetic. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a case of a good old building being stripped of its authentic past and redone in an an entirely fake history.
A photo posted by swampspace (@oliverswampchez) on
Go Have Lunch at the Historic S & S Diner While it Still Exists
Photos by Sean McCaughan.
These are uncertain times for one of Miami’s most historic dining establishments, the art deco S & S Diner on North Miami Avenue and 17th Street, across from the old Miami City Cemetery. Due to a lease dispute with the property’s new owners the diner, which has been open constantly since 1938, was almost evicted, and the diner’s owner, Simon Elbaz, is fighting the hard fight in court. Although at one point last week, the S & S could have really been evicted at any time, the diner was granted a small reprieve, and its case is currently pending. Of course that means they may only have a few more months to go, but that’s enough time to check out the good ol’ S & S for breakfast or lunch while it’s still around. Fingers crossed it stays. We went for lunch on Friday.
Paco Martinez Has Appealed The Babylon Apartments’ Historic Designation
Photo via Flickr/ Phillip Pessar
Paco Martinez, short for Francisco “Paco” Martinez, the owner of the little red building on Brickell Bay Drive called the Babylon Apartments, is not happy about what’s happened to his plans to demolish. On July 5th the City of Miami Historic Preservation Board officially designated the Babylon in acknowledgement of its pioneering postmodernist design. Demolition was averted, almost. With only 15 days to appeal the decision before it became official, Martinez finally appealed yesterday, the day before the deadline, according to the Miami’s historic preservation office. Back in limbo, the appeal brings the Babylon in front of city commissioners, who will decide its destiny a few months from now.
Coconut Grove’s Ace Theater Placed on National Register of Historic Places
Photo via Google Street View.
The Ace Theater in the West Grove, which was built in the 1930s and one of the few movie theaters to cater to Miami’s black community in the intervening decades of segregation (Real Deal says it was the “only” one in the ’50s, which doesn’t sound quite right. For one thing, the Olympia had a black section.) has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places following a campaign by its owners, longtime Coconut Grove residents The Wallace Family. Following the designation, the Wallaces plan to preserve and restore the theater as a multi-use entertainment venue, taking advantage of tax credits and transferable development rights to make the project more appealing to investors. Although a similar project championed by many Grove-ites, the restoration of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, has been dormant for years, frustrating some people who see the similarities between the two, the restoration of the Ace could be absolutely fantastic for the West Grove, Miami’s oldest black neighborhood, and for the preservation of Miami’s black heritage as a whole.
