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Location: Miami, Florida
Developer: Goldman Properties
Designer: Tony Goldman and Jessica Goldman Srebnick, DNB Design Group, and Plusurbia
Site Size: 1.65 acres
Standing out in the urban core of Miami, Wynwood Walls is a collection of six privately-owned warehouses, whose exterior walls were transformed into an outdoor “Museum of the Streets” by legendary visionary and ULI 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award winner Tony Goldman. The Walls surround more than 1.5 acres of land, formerly parking lots and junkyards, which now provide multiple areas for the public to enjoy, free of charge. The Wynwood Walls is credited with igniting a once forgotten neighborhood, transforming it into one of the hottest global destinations while stimulating new business and job creation. The project includes 25,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space along with 40,000 sq. ft. of open and event space. The estimated total cost of the project is approximately $3.5 million.
Before the inauguration of the Wynwood Walls in 2009, the neighborhood was much like any other industrial urban neighborhood that had fallen on hard times. Failed manufacturing businesses, abandoned warehouses and crime were more common than pedestrians. Looking beyond the signs of decay and neglect, Tony Goldman envisioned a town center and a mecca for street art as a catalyst for positive change in Wynwood.
More than 30 masterpieces produced by internationally-acclaimed artists from more than 15 countries are now on public display as a prime example of creative placemaking. Wynwood has become the epicenter for the creative class in Miami, with start-ups, tech companies, co-working spaces, specialty realtors, and national and international real estate investors vying for space in close proximity to the Walls. New murals and installations for the public to enjoy are attracted to the Walls every year in addition to new retail components and evolving programming, including music, art, dance, and film. In just one year, more than 660,000 tourists visited Wynwood, with over 450,000 entering the Wynwood Walls. The concept and execution of the Wynwood Walls space has elevated the entire genre of street art, provided free access to world class art and given an international appreciation to the value of public art and neighborhood revitalization.