Looking Back

Miami’s vibrant arts district, Wynwood had humble beginnings when Hugh Anderson, who developed Miami Shores and Venetian Islands, founded it on Jan. 7, 1917. It wasn’t until the 1920s when the area saw its first boom as the garment industry moved in and the Miami Fashion District was founded. The end of WWII changed things radically once again as residents moved to the exciting new suburbs. They were replaced by the newly arrived Puerto Ricans earning the area the nickname “Little San Juan”. Other new immigrant groups followed, and by the late 1970s, Wynwood was considered lower middle class with a large crime problem. Fast-forward to 2003 when the Wynwood Arts District was founded. A year later, the late Tony Goldman began buying up warehouses and invited artists from around the world to create what is now the world-famous Wynwood Walls. Today, the area is recognized globally as a premier destination for art, fashion, innovation and creative enterprise; WynwoodMiami.org.