Articles by Casey Piket

Rivera Apartments in 1950s.

Rivera Apartments on Brickell Avenue

On land that was once part of Carl Fisher’s Miami property, there was a beautiful apartment building that stood on the east side of Brickell Avenue between Twelfth Terrace and Thirteenth Street. The property at 1299 Brickell Avenue was built…


Aerial of downtown Miami in 1921

Aerial of Flagler Street in 1921

The aerial photo of downtown Miami in 1921 provides a glimpse of what the area looked like on the eve of the great building boom of the mid-1920s. The photo was taken prior to the construction of most of the…


WTVJ Cameraman in 1949

WTVJ Eventful First Year in 1949

When there was a contraption added to the top of the Everglades Hotel in December of 1948, observant Miami residents were left wondering what it represented. The most common speculation was that the mooring for the Goodyear blimp was going…


Chief Tequesta welcomed Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1568.

Spanish Missions on Miami River – Part 2 of 2

Early in 1567, Father Juan Rogel, S.J., and Brother Francisco Villareal, S.J., returned to La Florida, the former moving to a military outpost near Charlotte Harbor in Calusa Indian country, while the latter settled among the Tequesta Indians near the…


Santa Lucia Steamer in 1899

Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1899

It is hard to imagine that a simple mosquito bite could lead to an epidemic that would quarantine an entire city for several months. If you live in South Florida, it is nearly impossible to avoid being bitten by the…