Residents were primarily working-class until the 1950s, when the construction of I-95 uprooted those families to the suburbs and Miami's version of Mayberry. Known as a garment district in the early 1920s, it was packed with massive warehouses and factories housing shoe manufacturers and button retailers. Wynwood has changed several times since its inception, perhaps more than any other neighborhood in Miami. "Once set a pin on the neighborhood, they're gonna get it. "I've never seen so many buildings coming in at once in Wynwood, and what is crazy is that they're building super fast - in a year the thing is built," says Philippe Kalifa, owner of El Patio and Mayami Mexicantina. Club owners, though, fear their reign will be short-lived and that they'll suffer a fate like that of the galleries before them: the cranes and towering constriction of more than a dozen condos foreshadowing perhaps the next iteration of Miami's fastest-evolving 'hood: residential. In the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns, the neighborhood has mutated into a flashy nightlife destination. These days locals and tourists flock to Wynwood to eat, drink, and, more recently, to party. Colorful murals still splay across exterior walls, a popular backdrop for selfies and photos. But of the 70 galleries, collections, and museums that were once based here, only 15 remain - long since outnumbered by the bars, clubs, and restaurants. Once just an aggregation of unassuming warehouses, Wynwood was intentionally reimagined to form one of the world's grittiest and most beloved art districts. Men in button-down tops and slacks vape while chilling in line, adhering to bouncers' "no shorts for men" mandate. Women in bodycon dresses and heels gleefully skip down 24th Street, only to be brought up short by entry lines that snake around corners. Thumping party buses clog traffic as passengers drape out of the windows with bottles of Champagne. Cars are bumper to bumper on NW Second Avenue, windows rolled down, blasting the communal soundtrack of reggaeton and rap. on a Saturday night, Wywnood's already bustling. The party starts late in Miami, but a little past 10 p.m.
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