The 121-year-old Dr. James M. Jackson Medical Office cottage won't arrive in Coconut Grove until the city's Historic and Environmental Preservation Board signs off on a relocation plan, a step that could come as soon as Tuesday, Sept. 1.
The Miami City Commission voted 5-0 on Thursday, July 23 to sell the 6,000-square-foot Brickell parcel and its 1,200-square-foot wooden cottage to an entity connected to billionaire Ken Griffin for $2.98 million. But as the Biscayne Times reported, Griffin must first develop a relocation plan that the HEPB will accept.
Commissioner Damian Pardo, whose District 2 covers both Brickell and Coconut Grove, told CBS News Miami that if the board rejects the plan, the proposal returns to the full commission for further review.
Sea-level rise drives the move
Dade Heritage Trust Executive Director Christine Rupp said flooding and storm exposure at the current bayfront site made relocation urgent. She recalled a storm roughly six or seven years ago when "Brickell Bay Drive turned into a river," and said moving the building addresses "sea level rise potential and, obviously, hurricane impact."
Under the deal, Griffin will acquire a Coconut Grove property on behalf of Dade Heritage Trust, deed it to the organization and cover all relocation costs. For the first time in its nearly 50-year history, DHT would own both the building and the land beneath it.
"It actually allows Dade Heritage Trust to flourish," Pardo said at the commission's July 23 meeting. "They will own their land. They don't pay anything for the relocation of the property."
The exact Coconut Grove address has not been disclosed. DHT says it cannot reveal the location until the property transaction closes, and Griffin's team has also declined to name the site.
Opposition from preservationists and Brickell descendants
Not everyone supports the move. Becky Roper Matkov, a former DHT executive director now representing The Villagers Inc., urged commissioners on July 23 to defer the vote until the public could review structural safety details of the relocation plan.
Beatrice Brickell, great-granddaughter of Miami pioneer Mary Brickell, submitted a letter asking that the cottage be moved instead to Mary Brickell Park, less than a quarter mile from its current location, where a reversion clause would protect it from future development.
Rupp rejected that alternative, saying the park is still bayfront and would leave the building exposed to the same flooding risks. She also noted the city would remain DHT's landlord under that scenario.
Historian Paul George of The Museum of Miami, who worked in the Jackson Office in 1980, warned that moving a structure this old carries real risk: "There is always the danger of moving something that was built in 1905. You must be ultra cautious."
What's next
The HEPB meets the first Tuesday of every month except August at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive. According to the board's public portal, the next meeting falls on Tuesday, Sept. 1. If the relocation plan appears on that agenda, residents can attend in person to comment.
