In 2005, construction began on the “Midtown Miami” development between North 29th and 36th Street and Miami Avenue and the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) on what was historically an FEC rail yard. The project is a large-scale, urban development that was planned with 8 high-rise residential buildings, a hotel, two parks, and a major urban shopping area, “The Shops at Midtown”. Due to the collapse of the real estate bubble in 2007, only two residential buildings, and about 2/3 of “The Shops at Midtown” were built. In July 2011, plans were announced to begin construction on a new entertainment center at Midtown, including a hotel, and shops on the site of the current temporary park in the center of Midtown. Critics of Midtown state the lack of parks as a major issue.
Midtown has grown quickly, and is home to Shops at Midtown, an outdoor shopping area designed to mimic New York’s SOHO neighborhood, and home to many national and local stores and restaurants and an abundance of upscale apartments. A fair amount of office businesses have also taken up residence in Midtown in office buildings, in industries ranging from interior decor to marketing agency services, and more. At Büro Urbano urban workspace, office spaces are provided for small businesses. Midtown has also become home to Art Miami art fair, which takes place during Miami’s Art Basel week.
Bacardi‘s United States headquarters were located in the Bacardi buildings also near Midtown Miami. By 2007 Bacardi USA agreed to lease a complex in Coral Gables to use as its new headquarters. At that time, Bacardi had employees in seven buildings across South Florida. Bacardi vacated its former headquarter buildings. Miami citizens began a campaign to label the buildings as historic. Allan T. Schulman, a professor of architecture at the University of Miami, said “Miami’s brand is its identity as a tropical city. The Bacardi buildings are exactly the sort that resonate with our consciousness of what Miami is about.” In 2007 Chad Oppenheim, the head of Oppenheim Architecture + Design, described the Bacardi buildings as “elegant, with a Modernist [look combined with] a local flavor.”In late 2012, the National YoungArts Foundation purchased the storied Bacardi buildings and has converted them into their national headquarters.
