It's one of the few green spaces in Brickell, but it's locked up and surrounded by fences because it's been the center of a long legal battle.
Allen Morris Brickell Park is a green oasis in the middle of urban Brickell, on the corner of Brickell Plaza and Southeast 10th Street.
“I thought it was under construction until now,” said Brickell resident Eden Glick.
People who live and work in Brickell are puzzled by the park that no one can use.
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“It’s a shame, it’s a waste of space or a park. I never understood why it was closed all the time,” Glick said.
The Allen Morris Company gifted the land to the city of Miami in the 1970s. One of the terms of the deed was that it stays a park.
But in the late ’90s, the restaurant next door, Perricone’s Marketplace, asked the city to use a portion for outdoor seating. Allen Morris Company agreed.
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However, the company said in court that the restaurant eventually took over the entire park without consent. According to court documents, it was paying the city thousands of dollars for the use.
That upset the Allen Morris Company. So in 2014, the company filed a lawsuit. The company won the suit, but now the city is appealing the ruling.
“The City of Miami is committed to reopening the Allen Morris Brickell Park to the community," the city told NBC6.
Its statement said that while the appeal is pending given the “uncertainty of the future ownership of the property, the park currently remains closed.”
NBC6 asked the city directly why can’t it reopen the park in the meantime, since that appears to be the goal of both parties involved in the legal battle. The City of Miami has not responded.
“I would like it to be open for the public. I think it’s a cool area for people who work around here to relax during lunchtime or a break,” said Eduardo Mercante, who works in Brickell.
Allen Morris Company is not commenting on the ongoing litigation.
