The most important developers of the areas were the Tatum brothers, creators of the Lawrence Estate Land Company subdivision which represented a large segment of Riverside.

The Tatum brothers’ advertisements characterized the area as “The Beautiful Ridge” owing to its verdant, elevated terrain close to the river.

The Jewish presence continued to grow, and remained a major element of the population until the late 1950s, when an era of postwar prosperity brought another housing boom to Greater Miami.

Riverside’s population mix has undergone many changes in recent decades as huge number of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and other Caribbean and Latin American refugees poured into the area.

The area beneath I-95 close to the Miami River served as a temporary home in the summer and fall of 1980 for hundreds of Cuban refugees from the Port of Mariel.

Although Riverside has been transformed into a vibrant Latin Quarter and many of its historic buildings have been demolished, the Firestone structure still dominates the corner of Flagler Street and Twelfth Avenue.

After the building was sold to Walgreens, preservationists convinced the company to retain the old structure, thus guaranteeing its continued presence as a neighborhood icon.