Addendum to BHA News Winter 2007
The Authentic History of Brickell Avenue
Historic Brickell Avenue, laid out by pioneer Mary Brickell as a grand entry to the Brickell family holdings and subdivisions south of the Miami River, is today a leafy four-lane boulevard of 1.5 miles in length and separated by the original landscaped medians conceived by Mary Brickell.
Due to its extraordinary position in the evolution of the city of Miami, from Tequesta Indian trading center to center of finance for the Americas, Brickell Avenue has developed and retained an historic character that is worthy of recognition. The resources that contribute to Brickell Avenue's special historic character are archaeological, natural, architectural, cultural, sculptural, as well as historical in nature.
Cultural/Historic
At its northern end, Brickell Avenue is bounded by the Miami River that is traversed by the unique Brickell Avenue Bridge. The bascule Brickell Avenue Bridge occupies an exceptional place in the inventory of the Florida Dept. of Transportation in that its design was the subject of an international competition and it is adorned with the bronze sculptures of Cuban master sculptor Manuel Carbonell. The centerpiece of Carbonell's Brickell Bridge work is the Tequesta Indian obelisk that rises 36 feet over the bridge and depicts at its apex a Tequesta Indian family and around its base a bronze narrative of Tequesta Indian village life. Other sculptures on the bridge are Carbonell's beautiful bronze renderings of Florida flora and fauna, and four bronze bas reliefs of the Florida pioneers, William and Mary Brickell, Julia Tuttle, Henry Flagler and DA Dorsey, and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas.
In the 500 block of Brickell Avenue, the Brickell family crypt is a white marble edifice that occupies a prominent spot within Brickell Park. In the next block to the south, the Brickell Avenue median contains a statuary bust of Mary Brickell, looking south at her neighborhood. Just to the east is historic First Presbyterian Church, Miami's oldest congregation. The main sanctuary building dates to 1948, but contains within it the Flagler Memorial Chapel with stained glass, mantle and contents dating to the original downtown church, donated by himself and home to bible class taught by William Jennings Bryan.
The other historic church on Brickell Avenue is St. Jude, the only Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Florida; the sanctuary was completed in 1946. The boulevard also retains a handful of its historic homes, which at one time lined the then "Millionaire's Row" of Brickell Avenue. These include the Henriette Harris home at 1548 Brickell Avenue, which is meticulously restored to its original 1925 look by the reintroduction of Corinthian columns along the front facade. The 1928 French chateau style Chateau Petit Douy is at 1500 Brickell Avenue; following a 1985 restoration, the Petit Douy has been doctors' offices. Also in use as offices is the 1925 Mediterranean-style home at 1432 Brickell Avenue; another of the former Brickell mansions at 1841 Brickell is derelict. However, the historic Ferre family home at the Santa Maria condominium, 1643 Brickell Avenue, remains and is restored and used as the resident clubhouse. On the bay front behind the Santa Maria is where Fort Brickell was located. During the Spanish-American War, this battery guarded Miami against Spanish invasion by sea via Cuba.
The 1800 block of Brickell Avenue also gives home to Brickell's other monumental sculpture, Manuel Carbonell's maternal New Generation. Additional public sculptures can be found on Brickell Avenue, including Jim Rosburg at 600 Brickell, John Raimondi on the bay walk at 701 Brickell and Alexander Calder in the lobby at 801 Brickell.
Archaeology/Natural Resources
Brickell Avenue is famously the home at its northeastern point of the Miami Circle, a Tequesta Indian archaeological find dated as some 2000 years in age and believed to have served social/ceremonial purposes. The Miami Circle was acquired for preservation by the State of Florida and is currently being assessed for possible inclusion in Biscayne Bay National Park or other means of conservation and display, including installation of a public bay walk which would then stretch from the Brickell Avenue Bridge to the Brickell Key Bridge. Plans are underway to complete the bay walk behind the Brickell Icon project, now under construction. The developer will also install the bay walk behind a significantly improved Brickell Park, the avenue's only public open space, and the First Presbyterian Church.
Tequesta Indian remains are a significant archaeological feature of the northern end of Brickell Avenue, for there the Tequesta were believed to have had a major village and trading center occupying both banks of the Miami River. Indeed, Tequesta human remains have been discovered in Brickell Park, ironically also the location of the Brickell family mausoleum, and on the site of the neighboring Brickell Icon project, where they will be subject to ceremonial re-internment. In addition to providing invaluable open space to the high-rise Brickell financial district, it is intended that the Miami Circle and Brickell Park be linked via landscaped bay walk in a way that meaningfully exposes the Tequesta Indian heritage.
Due to storm damage, Brickell Park today contains only a few extant native shade trees, although the Brickell Area Association, the City of Miami and private developers have caused coconut palms, mahoganies and other native species to be planted in the park from time to time. Another natural disaster that had a paradoxically beneficial effect on Brickell Avenue foliage was Hurricane Andrew. Following the storm, the Brickell Area Association worked with FDOT to select and plant the beautiful live oak allee that distinguishes the median from Fifth Street south to 15th Road. To the south, the median and sidewalks have a more free form landscaping that offers beautiful specimen trees, including banyan, mahoganies, oak and palms. Stucco walls remaining from former mansion occupants and limestone walls remaining from the original Brickell geography serve as accents.
Architectural
The exuberance of Brickell Avenue's high rise commercial and residential architecture has been the subject of post card and television trailer- the famous Atlantis condominium, with its palm-accented cut-out by Miami's own Arquitectonica, is a now iconic symbol of Miami. In addition to Arquitectonica's many buildings, Brickell is home to towers designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Hellmuth Obata & Kassenbaum and Luis Revuelta.
History courtesy of Arva Moore Parks, Brickell Area Association and Save Our Historic Brickell.
