Upper Eastside

This article is about the neighborhood in Miami. For the neighborhood in New York City, see Upper East Side.

Upper East Side
Neighborhood of Miami
A MiMo restaurant on Biscayne Boulevard in the Upper Eastside. The Upper Eastside is famous for its mid-20th century MiMo architecture, and is home to the MiMo Historic District.
Nickname(s):  The Northeast, The Boulevard
The Upper East Side neighborhood within the City of Miami
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Miami-Dade County
City	Miami
Subdistricts of the Upper East Side	Neighborhoods list Bay Point Estates Bayside District Belle Meade El Portal Magnolia Park MiMo Historic District Morningside Palm Grove Shorecrest
Government
• City of Miami Commissioner	Marc Sarnoff
• Miami-Dade Commissioners	Audrey Edmonson
• House of Representatives	Cynthia Stafford (D)
• State Senate	Gwen Margolis (D)
• U.S. House	Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R)
Population  (2010)
• Total	12,525
• Density	6,509/sq mi (2,513/km2)
Time zone	UTC-05 (EST)
ZIP Code	33137, 33138
Area code(s)	305, 786
Website	Upper East Side neighborhood

The Upper East Side (alternatively spelled Eastside and commonly referred to as Northeast Miami) neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States. It is north of Edgewater, east of Little Haiti, south of the village of Miami Shores, and sits on Biscayne Bay. In geographical order from south to north and east to west, it contains the subdivisions of Magnolia Park, Bay Point Estates, Morningside, Bayside, Belle Meade, Shorecrest, and Palm Grove. The MiMo District in the area is host to many art galleries, shops and and restaurants.

The Upper East Side is primarily a residential neighborhood, composed largely of historic single-family homes from the 1920s, with Biscayne Boulevard running along the center of the neighborhood with mid-rise and high-rise office towers, hotels, and apartments. The MiMo Historic District runs along Biscayne Boulevard, and includes a large number of MiMo hotels from the 1950s and 1960s, that have been preserved, and have recently begun to be renovated, and turned into stores, restaurants and boutique hotels.

Geography

Magnolia Park lies east of Biscayne Boulevard between NE 37th Street (next to the Julia Tuttle Causeway) and NE 39th Street. Bay Point is east of the Boulevard, north of NE 39th Street and south of NE 50th Terrace. Morningside lies east of the Boulevard from NE 50th Terrace to NE 60th Street. Bayside is east of the Boulevard from NE 61st Street to NE 72nd Street. Belle Meade is east of the Boulevard from NE 72nd Terrace to NE 77th Terrace. Shorecrest is east of the Boulevard from NE 78th Street to NE 87th Street. Palm Grove is west of Biscayne Boulevard between NE 54th Street and NE 77th Street Road (i.e.: south of the Little River).

The area between NE 37th Street and NE 54th Street from Biscayne Boulevard westward one block to Federal Highway is not officially part of any of these neighborhoods but is nevertheless part of the UES. Similarly, the area from the Little River north to the city limits and between Biscayne Boulevard on the east and the Little River and the Village of El Portal on the west is not part of any of the aforementioned neighborhoods but is part of the UES.

Belle Meade

Belle Meade is a sub-neighborhood which lies within the larger enclave of the Upper East Side. It is a private, gated community and the southern part contains a smaller subdivision known as the Bayside District. The northern part contains Belle Meade Island. It is bounded by the Little River to the north, northeast 66th Street to the south, Biscayne Boulevard to the west, and Biscayne Bay to the east.

Demographics of Belle Meade

As of 2000, the population of Belle Meade had 2,149 people. The zip code for Belle Meade is 33138. The area covers 0.433 square miles (1.12 km²). As of 2000, there were 1,248 males and 900 females. The median age for males were 35.2 years old, while the median age for females were 35.5 years old. The average household size had 2.0 people, while the average family size had 2.8 members. The percentage of married-couple families (among all households) was 26.8%, while the percentage of married-couple families with children (among all households) was 9.0%, and the percentage of single-mother households (among all households) was 3.6%. The percentage of never-married males 15 years old and over was 31.6%, while the percentage of never-married females 15 years old and over was 13.1%.

As of 2000, the percentage of people that speak English not well or not at all made up 6.5% of the population. The percentage of residents born in Florida was 20.4%, the percentage of people born in another U.S. state was 46.8%, and the percentage of native residents but born outside the U.S. was 4.1%, while the percentage of foreign born residents was 28.7%.

Morningside

Morningside is a residential historic sub-neighborhood within the Upper Eastside in an older part of the City of Miami, Florida, United States. It lies mostly to the east of Biscayne Boulevard from NE 50th Terrace to NE 62nd Street. Morningside is just north of and adjacent to Bay Point Estates, another more affluent but less historic residential enclave in urban Miami.

When Pope John Paul II visited the United States, he stayed at what was then the home of Archbishop Edward McCarthy on NE 53rd Street.

History of Morningside

Started in the 1920s as "Bay Shore," it prospered in the mid-20th century and fell on hard times along with most of Miami's other inner city neighborhoods in the 60's and 70's. More recently Morningside was the first historic area in central Miami to experience gentrification with an influx of more-affluent residents. It has now been fully restored. The Morningside Historic District (officially the Bayshore Historic District) runs from NE 55th Street to NE 60th Street; it was the first historic district to be designated as such in the City of Miami.

The Morningside Historic District is significant to the history of architecture, landscape architecture, and community development in Miami. Developed primarily between 1922 and 1941, Morningside contains a wealth of Mediterranean, Art Deco, and vernacular style houses that reflect the diversity and direction of architectural design during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Morningside is one of Miami’s best planned subdivisions, featuring wide, tree-lined boulevards that contribute to the character of the area. This neighborhood was envisioned as an exclusive, residential community, and its amenities and location on Biscayne Bay attracted many influential and prominent local residents. One of Miami’s most intact historic neighborhoods, Morningside is the City’s best remaining example of a boom-era suburb.

The Morningside Historic District stands today as one of Miami’s most intact historic neighborhoods. Despite the number of post-1941 buildings in the area, Morningside retains a high degree of historic and architectural integrity. This is due, in part, to the fact that most later buildings are not intrusive, but respect the earlier structures in scale, setback, materials, and workmanship. The majority of neighborhood residents recognize the special character of the area and desire its continued preservation.

As Miami’s population expanded during the lat 1920’s and early 1920’s, new subdivisions reached northward along Biscayne Bay. In 1922, a large, undeveloped bayfront tract near the northern city limits was platted. Called Bay Shore, this area was subdivided by the Bay Shore Investment Company and was the first of three phases that would be developed by the company between 1922 and 1924.

Architecture of Morningside

Houses constructed in the Morningside Historic District reflect the eclecticism popular in the early twentieth century. The earlier buildings in the district are predominantly Mediterranean Revival in style, while structures built in the 1930’s and early 1940’s are frequently Art Deco. Outstanding examples of both styles are found here. Morningside also features a large number of masonry vernacular buildings that frequently utilize elements of several styles. An unusual Tudor Revival style house and one of the City’s best examples of Mission style architecture add to the area’s architectural diversity.

Morningside Historic District

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Miami, Florida

Morningside Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Morningside Park in the Upper Eastside
Location	Upper East Side, Miami, Florida
Area	900 acres (3,600,000 m2)
NRHP reference No.	92001323
Added to NRHP	1992

The Morningside Historic District is a U.S. historic district (designated as such in 1992) located in Miami's Upper East Side neighborhood in the Morningside neighborhood along the Biscayne Bay with NE 60th Street to the north, Biscayne Boulevard to the west and NE 55th St to the south. The district includes 223 buildings, almost entirely of single-family homes dating from 1900-1924 and 1925-1949.

Bay Point Estates

Bay Point Estates is a sub-neighborhood within the Upper East Side neighborhood, in the City of Miami, Florida, United States. It is a gated community stretching from NE 41st Street to NE 50th Street alongside Biscayne Boulevard. The neighborhood streets are privately owned by the households, of which there are approximately 250. To maintain the streets and the neighborhood's 24-hour security, all residents must pay neighborhood dues that can total to as much as $1,200 a month.

Prices for homes in the Miami enclave range from approximately $1,100,000 for a decent, 3,000-square-foot (280 m²) home on a dry lot, to just south of $9,000,000 for a larger 6,500-square-foot (600 m²) home with widebay views. One reason for the neighborhood's desirability is its location. Centralized in the City of Miami, it is essentially a suburban contiguity located in the heart of the Miami area's urban core. It is less than ten minutes from downtown Miami and South Beach, and within twenty minutes away from most other major centers in Miami, such as Coral Gables, Hialeah, and Aventura, Florida. Much of the neighborhood's high real estate values are thanks not to the homes, but the property the house sits on. It is adjacent to Morningside, another affluent, historic residential neighborhood in Miami's urban core.

The resident's homes are lined along Sabal Palm Road, one of the most expensive streets to live on in the United States. The style of the homes varies. Most of the homes were built between 1940 and 1960, and exhibit architectural styles ranging from contemporary Floridian to ranch. Many of the neighborhood's wealthy residents are among the most prominent lawyers, doctors, and businessmen in Miami. Its most famous current and former residents include Enrique Iglesias, Liván Hernández, Willy Chirino, and DMX.

Demographics

The Upper East Side has a population of 15,056 of different ethnicities and races that includes high, middle and low income residents. Biscayne Boulevard is the central spine of this neighborhood. The neighborhood like the rest of Miami is quickly becoming composed mostly of artistic and bright colored homes and condos. The area has some of the highest crime rates in Miami for an area that has a substantial amount of middle- and high-income residents.

As of 2000, The Upper Eastside had a population of 15,056 residents, with 6,263 households, and 3,167 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $35,196.16. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 28.60% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 40.10% Black or African American, 25.09% White (non-Hispanic), and 6.21% Other races (non-Hispanic).

MiMo Historic District

MiMo District sign

Today, the area along Biscayne Boulevard is the designated MiMo Architecture Biscayne Boulevard Historic District or also known as "MiMo on BiBo", for "Miami Modern on Biscayne Boulevard". It MiMo Historic District runs roughly from 50th Street to 77th Street along Biscayne Boulevard, although MiMo can be found heavily in the Design District and Midtown. Many annual festivals are held to promote MiMo architecture, such as "Cinco de MiMo" a play on "Cinco de Mayo" in early May.

Biscayne Boulevard throughout the Upper East Side fell to urban decay after the 1980s, and experienced increased crime, prostitution and drug dealings. In the 2000s, preservation efforts began to bring development interest into the neighborhood, and Biscayne Boulevard began to improve. Today, the boulevard is in a fast upwards transition along with many other nearby neighborhoods such as the Design District, Wynwood and Edgewater, with strong preservation efforts to preserve the MiMo architecture.

Zoning and public projects

Under pressure from residents to keep undesirably large buildings out, The Miami City Commission considered new building codes and a 180 moratorium on February 26 of 2007. With many homes built in the late 1920s, the Upper Eastside encompasses some of Miami's oldest neighborhoods and residents desire to keep it that way. The proposed codes were looser on distance to low-density areas but stricter on building height.

A beautification and landscape project was recently completed on Biscayne Boulevard and Legion Park and Eaton Park recently received improvements such as new playground equipment. Construction on new Little River Canal and efforts to fight crime are currently being worked on.

Education

Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates area public schools:

• Morningside Elementary School
• Phyllis R. Miller Elementary School
• Design and Architecture Senior High School, magnet school

The Archdiocese of Miami operates:

• Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School, private/Catholic

Other private schools in the Upper East Side include:

• Morningside Montessori School
• The Cushman School

Libraries

Miami-Dade Public Library operates area public libraries:

• Lemon City Library

Parks

• Morningside Park
• Legion Park
• Baywood Park
• Pelican Harbour Park
• Military Trail Park

See also

• Neighborhoods in Miami
• MiMo Architecture