Brickell

Brickell Magazine is a magazine covering Brickell and Downtown Miami. Launched in 2008, it is published by TAG Media, Inc. Jorge Arauz is the editor-in-chief.[5]

Brickell is a dense, high-rise residential neighborhood with many upscale, luxury condominium and apartment towers. Brickell Avenue, Brickell's main north–south avenue and along Miami Avenue, home to many popular Miami restaurants, shops, and places of entertainment. A few hundred feet east of the northeastern side of Brickell is Brickell Key, a gated island of upscale, high-rise residential and hotel towers. As of 2009, over 190,000 office employees work in greater Downtown.[6] Today, greater Downtown Miami is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in Miami, booming from 40,000 residents in 2000 to 80,000 in 2010. Brickell is served by the Miami Metrorail at the Brickell station and by 5 stations of the Metromover's Brickell Loop.

Aerial of Brickell looking down Brickell Avenue from Icon Brickell.

A low lying spot in Brickell floods during exceptionally high tides.

Brickell and Brickell Key.

Brickell Avenue.

Brickell lies south of the Miami River, extending south to SW 26th Road (the Rickenbacker Causeway), and is mostly mixed financial and residential north of Broadway (SW 15th Road), and mostly residential south of Broadway. Brickell is home to 31,759 year-round residents.[8][9] The area of Brickell south of Broadway is mainly low and mid-rise residential buildings west of Brickell Avenue and high-rise residential to the east of Brickell Avenue. This area of Brickell includes the "Millionaires' Row" section of Brickell Avenue, home to many expensive residences, and home to many of Miami's most expensive apartments and condominiums, as well as some iconic Miami skyscrapers, such as the Atlantis Condominium.

Although Brickell has traditionally been known as a financial district, in recent years, construction of numerous condominium and apartment towers in Brickell, has extended the upscale residential neighborhood feel of lower Brickell into upper Brickell. Recent construction in Brickell has also enlarged the urban core of Brickell from Brickell Avenue west to the Metrorail line, with a new office and residential towers, such as Axis at Brickell Village. As of 2010, 80,000 residents live in Brickell, among them, famous celebrities such as José José, Luis Miguel, Clinton Portis, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.[10]

At the center of Brickell is Mary Brickell Village, with an assortment of restaurants, boutiques, services that create a gathering area for high-class retail and restaurants. Some of the best and most well-known names are leasing space in the project. The project is designed after a French-style village and attracts social gatherings and entertainment.

To the north of Brickell is Downtown, with most of the area's public elementary schools and Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus. Downtown is also home to the Miami Main Library, as well as various parks, theatres, museums, and sporting venues. South of Brickell is Coconut Grove, with Mercy Hospital, CocoWalk, Dinner Key, Villa Vizcaya, as well as many historic sites and parks. Coconut Grove also has many of Miami's best private schools, such as Ransom Everglades, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, and Immaculata-Lasalle High School.

West of Brickell is Little Havana, extending from SW 8th St westward. East of Brickell is Biscayne Bay, and eastward along the Rickenbacker Causeway, is Virginia Key and Key Biscayne. Both keys have many public beaches, nature preserves, parks, and various other cultural venues. Also east, along the MacArthur Causeway is South Beach.

An aerial of the Brickell area distinctly illustrating the boundaries.

Historically, all of Brickell was a wealthy suburb. As the downtown area expanded, the northeastern part of Brickell adopted high-density zoning that allowed high rise construction centered around Brickell Avenue, while south of 15th Street zoning remains highly limited with the exception of the very coastline east of Brickell Avenue. West of the Metrorail line, "west Brickell" melded with Little Havana until sweeping gentrification took place in the 2010s. The subdivisions of Brickell are recognized by the Downtown Development Authority.[11]

West Brickell

West Brickell in 2011 before a second high rise building boom in the 2010s

West Brickell is a sub-neighborhood of Brickell, west of the Metrorail line (SW 1st Avenue), and east of I-95, south of the Miami River, and north of SE 15th Road (Broadway). It is primarily a residential neighborhood, made up mostly of low to mid-rise apartment buildings. In the 2010s Miami condominium boom that began in 2012, interest in Brickell spilled over into West Brickell, with mid-century and prewar buildings being replaced by larger buildings. However, they included affordable housing and were generally non-luxury.

The Shops at Mary Brickell Village is a popular dining and shopping destination in Brickell.

As of 2010, the population of Brickell had 27,776 people, with a population density of 37,622 per square mile, making it one of the densest neighborhoods in the United States. In the 2010 US Census, the racial makeup of Brickell was 62.0% Hispanic of any race, 33.2% White (non-Hispanic), 1.6% Asian, and 1.4% Black. The zip codes for Brickell include 33129, 33130, and 33131. The area covers 1.084 square miles (2.81 km²). Many of its daily occupants work in banking, law, and finance.

As of 2000, there were 5,557 males and 5,972 females. The median age for males was 38.4 years old, while the median age for females was 40.6 years old. The average household size had 1.8 people, while the average family size had 2.6 members. The percentage of married-couple families (among all households) was 30.3%, while the percentage of married-couple families with children (among all households) was 8.5%, and the percentage of single-mother households (among all households) was 4.3%. The percentage of never-married males 15 years old and over was 20.2%, while the percentage of never-married females 15 years old and over was 16.0%.[12]

As of 2000, the percentage of people who speak English not well or not at all made up 27.7% of the population. The percentage of residents born in Florida was 17.1%, the percentage of people born in another U.S. state was 13.7%, and the percentage of native residents but born outside the U.S. was 3.9%, while the percentage of foreign-born residents was 65.3%.[12]

Brickell is a highly educated and affluent neighborhood. As of 2014, an estimated 75% of residents older than 25 hold at least a bachelors level degree with 34% holding an advanced degree. The approximate average household income of $125,500 is more than twice the average for the City of Miami.[13]

The Riverwalk Station in Downtown Miami is on the Metromover's Brickell Loop.

Brickell is served by Metrobus throughout the area, the Miami Metrorail, and the Metromover:

Metrorail:

•           Brickell (SW 11th Street and 1st Avenue)

Metromover:

•      Brickell Loop

Aon Benfield Inc., a company in Brickell.

Public Transportation in the Downtown/Brickell area is used more than in any other part of Miami and is a vital part of Brickell's life. Metrorail, Miami's heavy rail system, has one station in Brickell at the Brickell Station. In addition to Metrorail, the Metromover train system runs 3 lines throughout Downtown (the Downtown Loop, the Omni Loop, and the Brickell Loop). The Metromover connects with Metrorail and is free. Metromover stations can be found at roughly every two blocks in Brickell.

Metrorail has stops throughout Miami with connections to Miami International Airport, all Miami-Dade County bus lines, Tri-Rail and Amtrak. The main bus station in Downtown is located next to the Arsht Center at the Adrienne Arsht Center Station.

As an urban and pedestrian-friendly area with an extensive public transit network, Brickell (along with Downtown, Omni, and South Beach) is one of the areas in Miami where a car-free lifestyle is commonplace. Many Brickellites get around by foot, bicycle, Metromover or by taxi. The Metromover is a popular alternative to walking in the area, especially on rainy, hot or cold days, as the Metromover is free, and stations are located roughly every two blocks throughout the area.

Recently, the City of Miami, along with the Downtown Development Authority, has begun bicycle initiatives promoting citywide bike parking and bike lanes, which have made bicycling much more popular for residents. Bike lanes and bike sharrows are currently planned for the majority of Downtown streets to be painted by the end of 2010. Decobike, the popular bike-sharing program in Miami Beach, has announced a launch in Brickell/Downtown Miami in mid-2014. The Venetian Causeway is a popular bicycle commuter route that connects South Beach to Downtown. The Rickenbacker Causeway is very popular on weekends for recreational bicyclists, and often, bicycles can outnumber cars on the causeway.[15]

Simpson Park Hammock in Brickell

• Simpson Park Hammock- (nature preserve) S. Miami Ave and Broadway
• Alice Wainwright Park- (nature preserve) Brickell Ave and the Rickenbacker Causeway
• Southside Park- SW 1st Ave and SW 11th St
• Allen Morris Brickell Park- SE 10th St and SE 1st Ave
• Brickell Park- Brickell Ave and SE 5th St
• Miami Circle- Brickell Avenue Bridge (next to Icon Brickell towers)
• Brickell Key Park- 805 Claughton Island Dr

With rapid urbanization over the decades, very little remains of the original character of Brickell. Brickell was originally platted for mansions and large homes by Mary Brickell, which thus led to the name "Millionaire's Row." With the growth of the city, especially in the 1970s onwards, Brickell's character began to change with the construction of high-rise office towers along Brickell Avenue, and high-rise residential towers in lower Brickell, south of SE 15th Road (Broadway). A commercial boom in the 1980s brought mass construction of office towers to Brickell, and subsequent construction, would further change the neighborhood into the dense, urban, residential and commercial neighborhood it is today. Some of the historic buildings remaining in Brickell can be seen in the photos below. While not a registered historic landmark, Brickell is home to Tobacco Road, which claimed to be Miami's oldest bar, in business since 1912,[16] with a now-demolished building built in 1915.

• 
  Brickell Mausoleum at Brickell Park, built in 1921
• 
  Miami Circle, Tequesta Indian burial grounds, circa 310-10 AD
• 
  Dr. James M. Jackson Office, first physician's office in Miami, 1905
• 
  Southside School, 1900-1924
• 
  St. Jude Catholic Church, 1946
• 
  Fire Station No. 4, 1922
• 
  One of few remaining original Brickell buildings, in west Brickell, 1925

• 
  American Indian monument on bridge over the Miami River connecting Brickell with Downtown
• 
  Miami Avenue
• 
  View of Brickell
• 
  Club 50 on the 50th floor of Viceroy in Brickell
• 
  Four Seasons Hotel Miami
• 
  Asia on Brickell Key
• 
  Brickell Arch
• 
  Axis at Brickell Village
• 
  701 Brickell Avenue
• 
  Brickell City Tower
• 
  Plaza on Brickell towers
• 
  Atlantis Condominium
• 
  Brickell Avenue
• 
  Upper Brickell before recent construction boom
• 
  Lower Brickell before recent construction boom
• 
  The northern Brickell skyline at night as seen from the Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key
• 
  Brickell skyscrapers under construction in 2006
• 
  Cloudy day in Brickell, Summer of 2016.

• List of tallest buildings in Miami
• Brickell Avenue
• Downtown Miami
• Miami Circle

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Miami - Brickell.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brickell, Miami.

• Miami Downtown Development Authority
• Brickell Area Association
• Brickell Homeowner's Association