Miami Today | 80-story condo can replace part of First Presbyterian Church

FULL STORY FROM MIAMI TODAY HERE

Apr 16, 2025 By Genevieve Bowen

City commissioners rejected an appeal last week to restore historic protections around First Miami Presbyterian Church as originally designated, clearing the way for partial demolition and a proposed 80-story condo tower despite strong pushback from residents.

Brickell residents packed city hall on April 10 to urge commissioners to let them challenge the city’s decision to shrink the historic boundaries around the First Miami Presbyterian Church, a move that opens the site to redevelopment. But after hearing arguments from residents, city staff and attorneys, commissioners unanimously denied the appeal on grounds that the neighbors lacked legal standing to intervene.

With roots dating back to 1896, the First Miami Presbyterian Church at 609 Brickell Ave. has long been a fixture of the downtown neighborhood. The entire property was designated as a historic site in 2003, but the church has since sought to amend the designation, focusing only on the sanctuary building constructed in 1949 while allowing the demolition of a later-added educational annex and parking lot.

In July 2024, the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board considered the request. Though the historic preservation office initially recommended denial, they suggested the church’s school annex and parking lot, deemed non-contributing, could be excluded from the historic boundary. In a unanimous vote, the preservation board approved this preliminary amendment. After further review, the board approved a final version in December 2024, narrowing the historic boundary to the 1949 sanctuary building alone.

Church leaders say they plan to preserve the original sanctuary building while expanding the ministry by adding 100,000 square feet of new space. The move also enables a redevelopment plan, led by developer 13th Floor, to build a parking garage and 80-story condo tower on the newly de-designated portion of the property.

However, the plan has drawn intense pushback. Thousands of residents mobilized under the name Brickell Stronger Together, joining local groups like the Brickell Homeowners Association to protest the change. They argue that the high-rise will worsen traffic, congestion and pollution in an already dense neighborhood and could lead to the loss of one of Brickell’s few remaining green spaces.

At the April 10 hearing, dozens of speakers urged the commission to overturn preservation board’s decision. However, city staff maintained that the neighboring Icon Brickell Condominium II, which led the appeal, lacked legal standing.

“The commission ruled that Icon II lacks standing to appeal the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board’s (HEPB) decision to deny intervenor status to Icon II as a matter of law, silencing more than a thousand residents seeking only a fair hearing,” reads a statement from the Icon Brickell Condominium II Association. “In so ruling, the commission prevented residents from presenting crucial evidence against the proposed historic de-designation of significant portions of First Miami Presbyterian Church and all of the land behind it – which the HEPB designated as historic more than 20 years ago.”

The statement continued to say the association is considering all options, including challenging the commission’s 4-0 vote denying the appeal, which the association believes was incorrect.