About Us

Preserving Our Legacy. Protecting Our Future.

For over three decades, the Bayside Residents Association (BRA) has served as the Guardians of Bayside — dedicated to preserving our historic heritage and cultivating a thriving, cohesive community where every neighbor feels valued, connected, and proud to call this place home.

Since 1986, BRA has stood watch over our neighborhood’s future. More than a governing body, our Board is made up of volunteer neighbors who deeply love and cherish Bayside, embodying the pioneering spirit that defines this unique community.

From the start, early BRA leaders secured Bayside’s historic district designation, championed end-of-street closures to calm traffic, and protected the land that became Baywood Park — saving it from being turned into a marina parking lot.

Today, our Board members continue to safeguard Bayside’s rich history as a reflection of Miami’s growth, while thoughtfully embracing progress that enhances our quality of life and tackling everything from traffic calming measures and beautifying our greenspaces [parks, medians and dead-end closures] to organizing crime watch programs and neighborhood socials. We believe in the power of collaboration, where neighbors support one another with kindness and understanding.

Together, we foster a spirit of unity, mutual respect, and inclusivity — celebrating the diversity that shapes our twelve blocks and the architectural beauty of our historic homes.

Above all, we are committed to building a strong, welcoming community — rooted in trust, shared responsibility, and a collective vision for a neighborhood that cherishes its historic roots and inspires belonging for generations to come.

Bayside: An Historic Gem of Miami

Stretching from NE 60th to NE 72nd Street east of Biscayne, Bayside is the oldest intact historic community in Northeast Miami.

Once the heart of Lemon City’s* bustling port in the 1800s, our neighborhood evolved into a showcase of diverse architecture — from Frame and Masonry Vernacular cottages to Mediterranean Revival estates to Mission and Florida Ranch-Style homes to Streamline Moderne, Art Deco and MiMo (Miami Modern) treasures.

Today, Bayside stands as Miami’s third most historic neighborhood, a living reminder of the city’s colorful past.

*Lemon City was founded in 1869, predating the city of Miami by 27 years, and was named for the wild sweet lemon trees that grew in the area.

Bayside Through the Years

Lemon City Port & Picnic Islands

In the late 1800s, NE 61st & 62nd Streets — once Lemon City Road — were major arteries to Miami’s first port on Biscayne Bay. Large vessels anchored offshore while smaller schooners shuttled goods to docks at today’s Legion Picnic Islands.

The arrival of the FEC railroad in 1896 shifted commerce to rail, but Bayside’s maritime spirit endures.

Lemon City Port Marker. Lemon City Port Historical Marker (hmdb.org)

Lemon City Port historical marker on NE 61st Street — commemorating Miami’s early shipping hub.

Our Gallery and Photo Essays of Miami's Upper East Side - Miami's Upper East Side (uesmiami.com)

Legion Picnic Islands. Bird Key Map - Island - Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA (mapcarta.com)

Bayside South: Tee House Plantation & Legion Park

From NE 61st to 67th Streets stood the vast Tee House Plantation, owned by Baltimore native William B. Ogden. His 45-acre estate boasted tennis courts, groves of mango, avocado and citrus, and towering banyans still visible at Nirvana today.

The plantation’s original coral rock building now serves as the Legion Park Community Center — lovingly preserved in recent renovations championed by BRA.

Tee House Plantation 1921 Postcard

Tee House Plantation. https://www.flickr.com/photos/americanlegionpost29/304363644

The New Country Life: A Magazine for the Home-Maker in the Country. Doubleday, Paige, & Company. Garden City and New York. October 1917, Page 9

The iron fence embedded into Nirvana’s gorgeous front-entrance Banyan trees on NE 63rd Street was once part of the large 45-acre plantation known as the ‘Tee House Plantation’

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony in December 2024 after Historic Renovations of Legion Park Community Center Were Completed with Its Notable Coral Rock Façade Brought Back To Historic Splendor.

Bayside North: Our Historic Subdivisions and The Prescott Mansion

From NE 68th to 72nd Streets, Bayside blossomed into four distinctive neighborhoods:

Elmira/NE 68th Street (1909) – Frame Vernacular homes with touches of Dutch Colonial Revival, built by settlers from Elmira, NY. The Elmira Club still stands as a community landmark.
Acadia/NE 70th Street (1915) – Named for Longfellow’s poems, this enclave later grew into an elegant cluster of Mediterranean Revival homes.
Baywood/NE 69th Street and the South Side of NE 71st Street (1921/1924) – The only streets with sidewalks, Baywood gave its name to our beloved Baywood Park.
Washington Place/NE 72nd Street and the North Side of NE 71st Street (1925) – Once anchored by the grand Prescott Mansion and its private golf course, developed by D.C. builder Samuel Prescott.

The original Prescott House

Map of Greater Miami, Florida and Suburbs, G.M Hopkins Co., Philadelphia, PA 1925

1925 plat map showing Bayside’s unique subdivisions.

For more detailed information on the historical lore of our neighborhood, please click here to link to the City of Miami’s Legion Park Historic Designation Report in 2017 and click here to link to the City of Miami’s Bayside Historic District Designation Report in 1991 prepared by past BRA president & Bayside neighbor/historian, Miguel Seco. Due to the percentage of remaining historic contributing structures, Bayside Historic Designation was granted in November 1991 for the North section of the neighborhood from NE 68th to NE 72nd Street, which includes Baywood Park.

If you are preparing for a renovation on your historic Bayside home, please click here for the most recent version of the Bayside Historic District Guidelines and click here for an At-A-Glance Fact Sheet outlining the proper protocol for embarking on a renovation, addition, or new build.

How You Can Help

✅ Become a BRA Member — annual dues are just $40 (via Zelle to BaysideBeautiful@gmail.com)
✅ Join the BRA Board* or Committee**
✅ Attend Meetings & Meet Your Neighbors!

✅ Share Your Suggestions

* 2025 BRA BOARD: (link to contact list)

President: Will Arthur
Vice President: Mariella Lopez De Albear
Past President: Don Bell
Treasurer: Brandon Beretta-Paris
Secretary: Janna McConnell

Directors:

Allison Greenfield
Allison Head
Ana Miranda
Andres Osorio
Carlos Guzman
James Sanderson

** 2025 BRA COMMITTEES:

Projects/Budgets (Chair: Brandon Beretta-Paris)
Communications (Chair: Brandon Beretta-Paris)
Welcoming/Membership (Chair: Janna McConnell)
GreenSpaces – Parks/Medians/Street Closures (Co-Chairs: Allison Greenfield & James Sanderson)
Resiliency (Chair: Ana Miranda)
Architecture & Historic (Chair: Mariella Lopez De Albear)
Neighborhood Crime & Traffic Watch (Chair: Andres Osorio)
Social (Chair: Allison Head)

Your support keeps Bayside’s historic charm intact for future generations.