Community Spotlight on … Modern and Majestic BRICKELL

By josephine on Aug. 13, 2008.

The name of the neighborhood known as “Brickell” comes from Brickell Avenue (named by William and Mary Brickell, the founding parents of Greater Miami and the Beaches). Brickell Avenue starts on the south end at SE 32nd Road, near the entrance to the Rickenbacker Causeway, which crosses over to Key Biscayne. From there, the neighborhood extends from I-95 on the west, to Biscayne Bay on the east, and goes north to the Miami River, which divides downtown proper from the financial district.

Brickell Avenue runs parallel to the shoreline, and, until you reach SE 15th Road, is the closest you can drive near the water. At SE 15th Road, take a water’s edge loop around the Four Seasons and up the length of Upper Brickell to Brickell Key Drive.

There, you can cross the bridge to the man-expanded island of Brickell Key, comprised of upscale, high-rise residential towers, a small shopping area with its own boutique grocery store, and the magnificent Mandarin Oriental, a “five-diamond” hotel. This area is in big demand by young professionals, international business people, and empty-nesters, who are choosing Brickell’s unique cosmopolitan lifestyle as a prime place to live.

Upper Brickell is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the U.S. It is Miami’s and South Florida’s financial district, as well as the site of a growing number of gorgeous new high-rise luxury condos and office towers: A growth spurt, unparalleled since the birth of the financial district the late 1970s, that is redefining the Miami skyline.

Adjacent to Brickell Key, inland, is the newly created “Mary Brickell Village,” a group of commercial complexes meant to attract social gatherings and entertainment, and offering restaurants, boutiques, and services. Once a depressed village of run-down apartment buildings and old wooden homes, the old buildings are rapidly being replaced by new larger apartment buildings and condos in keeping with the demand of an affluent, professional market. Serviced by the Metro Mover, residents have easy access to downtown, connecting to the Metrorail, all points south to Dadeland, and north to Tri-Rail, which takes you as far as Palm Beach . . . True city life via public transportation. Perhaps some of the area’s appeal comes from the intimacy created by the boundaries. The main area is about a mile square and residents enjoy walking or jogging the shady length of Brickell Avenue (about 2 miles).

Lower Brickell is rich in history, old and new. The new features some of Miami’s most recognizable high-rise, bayfront condominiums, like the “Atlantis” (the famous palm-tree-in-the middle building by Architectonica), which was featured in the opening credits of “Miami Vice”. Once the site of a row of beautiful old mansions, the last of the bayfront homes in Lower Brickell (pictured at left, circa 1948), was saved from the wrecking ball only just recently. In the enclave on the far end between Vizcaya Museum and Gardens and Alice Wainwright Park, “Villa Serena,” once the home of William Jennings Bryan, sits among homes once owned by Sylvester Stallone and Madonna.

Brickell’s future looks bright. Located midway between Coral Gables and Miami Beach, Brickell is convenient to all Miami attractions. Residents enjoy the amenities of city life, the beauty of Biscayne Bay, and the charm of old Miami mixed with the appeal of glittering new architecture.