Edna Rickmers Home Prior to First Presbyterian

Rickmer Residence at 609 Brickell Avenue in 1940s

Rickmer Residence at 609 Brickell Avenue in 1940s

Prior to the First Presbyterian Church, the lot at 609 Brickell Avenue was the location of the home for Edna Rickmers. First Presbyterian purchased the lot at 609 Brickell Avenue in 1948. The church was built and opened in 1949.

Andre and Edna Rickmers bought the lot at 609 Brickell Avenue from Mary Brickell shortly after arriving in Miami. The couple arrived to Miami in 1905, a year after they got married in Pittsburgh. Edna was from Pittsburgh and her husband was a ship builder from Germany. He was listed as retired in the 1908 Miami City Directory.

The couple was listed at 1805 Brickell (later changed to 609 Brickell), as early as 1908. It is likely they built the home in the cover photograph between 1905 and 1907.

Andre and Edna were very active in real estate in the growing Miami area. The couple owned a fair amount of property in today’s Omni neighborhood.

They also owned the land where the Olympia Theater resides. It was actually Edna Rickmers that gave the building the name “Olympia Theater and Office Building” in 1926.

First Presbyterian Church at 609 Brickell Avenue

Figure 1: First Presbyterian Church at 609 Brickell Avenue

However, Andre was not alive to see the building of the Olympia. It isn’t clear the year he died, but Edna Rickmers was listed as a widow by the 1918 Miami City Directory.

The home at 609 Brickell Avenue was set toward the back of part of the lot. It was very common for homes on the east side of Brickell Avenue to be located closer to the bay and a distance from Brickell Avenue.

The picture (cover) was taken in the early to mid-1940s. The home was razed in 1948 to make room for the church.

Following the sale of the property to the church, Edna Rickmers moved a few blocks south to a mansion located at 1927 Brickell Avenue. She lived in this mansion until her death in February of 1956.

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Photos:

  • Cover: Home of Edna Rickmers in mid-1940s. Unknown Source.
  • Figure 1: First Presbyterian Church at 609 Brickell Avenue. Courtesy of Brickell Homeowner’s Association.