The Revival of Overtown
It’s an exciting time to live in Miami as urban growth and self-awareness explodes within the patchwork of neighborhoods that make up its diversity. Overtown is one of those communities experiencing an invigorating rebirth.
Founded in 1896, Overtown served as home to the black men and women who arrived from the Bahamas, Georgia and other parts of the South to build the city of Miami. Over the years Overtown, known as “Colored Town,” served as a cultural, culinary and spiritual beacon for African Americans living under the suppression of the Jim Crow laws. The city thrived with churches, theaters and nightclubs that welcomed entertainers like Louie Armstrong and Lena Horne. It offered refuge to those like Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, who frequently performed in nearby iconic Miami Beach venues, but were barred from eating or sleeping there. In the late ’50s, the construction of I-95 sliced the city in half, dispersing many of its businesses and residents. For the next 30 years, the city would plummet to near destitution, overridden with abandoned lots and buildings that served as a safe haven for drug addicts and the homeless.
New hope and light are now shining on Overtown, once commonly referred to as “The Harlem of the South.” Businesses are revitalizing dilapidated structures and celebrating the community’s vibrant and important history. And Overtown’s location could not be more central. Trendy Wynwood, the AmericanAirlines Arena and the Perez Art Museum Miami are just some of the highlights nearby. The sleek Miami Central Brightline station, along with the soon-to-open Central Fare food hall, is new to the neighborhood, showcasing its history through colorful public artwork by Robert McKnight. The Urban, a Wynwood Yard-type gathering place for food, music, art and events had a sneak preview during Art Basel. Every July, the Overtown Music and Arts Festival attracts thousands of visitors. There’s talk about Harlem chef Marcus Samuelsson opening a restaurant. Look for plenty to explore now in Overtown, and lots more on the horizon.
The Copper Door B&B
copperdoorbnb.com • 439 NW 4th Ave.
Jamila Ross and Akino West opened up the doors to this charming, 22-room bed and breakfast in historic Overtown last summer. The space respects its historic roots as the Demetree Hotel and has carefully preserved details, like the white-and-seafoam terrazzo floors in the lobby. It’s no surprise that the meals, such as croquetas with broccolini and poached egg, showcase local, seasonal fare with sophistication and skill – the two, both under 30, have heavyweight culinary credentials. Ross studied at the acclaimed CIA in New York before continuing her education at Johnson & Wales, which is where the couple met. She opened restaurants like Katsuya and Bazaar Mar, while West worked with culinary trailblazers Michael Schwartz and Niven Patel. Wanting to start something on their own was always in the plan.
“The idea of doing what we love every morning, and then being able to be an advocate for a great city from a travel perspective – but then, [guests] go on about their day and we go on about ours – was very appealing,” Ross says with a gregarious laugh that fills the space of the bright lobby. Dishes are executed out of a cramped, residential kitchen tucked away in the back. Things will soon change when they add a café open to both guests and the community later in the summertime.
The Copper Door B&B celebrates local culture and art, most recently hosting an exhibit of the late, self-taught Overtown artist Purvis Young. Paintings framed with pieces of scraps and plywood characteristic to the artist’s style line the lobby’s white walls as Ross explains with the detailed precision of an art historian the reoccurring themes used by a man buoyed by hope despite his difficult life. The exhibit was such a success, the couple plans to regularly feature other local artists. They will also soon launch an artist residency program inviting artists to stay at Copper Door B&B and create an original piece that will become a permanent addition to the room. “We’d give them some historical notations with regard to the building and 50s and 60s Miami energy in Overtown. They’ll stay in the space that they will curate something in,” she says.
The Purvis Young Murals
NW 11 St. and 3rd Ave. on the Metrorail Overpass
These replications of Purvis Young (1943-2010) offer a glimpse into the artist’s celebratory and hopeful spirit despite a difficult and bleak life. Young experienced homelessness and incarceration, both of which fueled his art defined by his usage of primitive forms, bright colors, and scraps of plywood, metal and other tossed materials left on the streets.
Black Archives Historic Lyric Theatre
bahlt.org • 819 NW 2nd Ave.
Built in 1913 by Geder Walker, a Georgia entrepreneur who came to Miami before the turn of the century, the Lyric Theatre, as it was known then, was the entertainment heartbeat of Overtown. It served as a movie theater and performance space where both black and white came to see big-name stars like Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Count Basie and B.B. King. The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. acquired the Lyric Theater in 1988 and began a three-part restoration, with the building re-opening to the public in 2014.
The Urban
the urban • NW 10 St. and 2 Ave.
This new project, in a 58,000-sq-ft lot in the heart of Overtown, aims to be a Wynwood Yard-type gathering place with food trucks and containers customized for local retail and community events, once it fully debuts, says Keon Williams of Urban Philanthropies. “This is a space where the community can come after they get off work,” he says. Their Art Basel soft launch, “Welcome to the Afrofuture,” featured 20 musical and visual artists, plus local foods like rum cake, gumbo and po’ boys.
Lil Greenhouse Grill
lilgreenhousegrill.com • 1300 NW 3rd Ave
Karim Bryant and Nicole Gates began with a food truck in 2013, and opened the brick and mortar in 2017, offering a “healthier alternative to soul food.” Bryant, who began his culinary career at Fuddruckers and worked his way up to more upscale restaurants, features southern dishes with his own creative flair. Favorites include the smoked bbq ribs, dream fire shrimp, chicken and waffles, and seafood cake burger – and live entertainment, too.
Folk Life Fridays
experienceovertown.com • NW 9th St. and 2nd Ave.
On the first Friday of every month, this open-air market features local foods – jerk chicken, Bahamian conch salad, BBQ ribs, and conch fritters, plus artisanal jewelry, clothing, natural health products and local arts and crafts and live entertainment, all along the shady 9th Street Pedestrian Mall.
Dunns Josephine Hotel
dunns-josephinehotel.com • 1028 NW 3rd Ave.
Two historic buildings are being updated for this hotel, which will have 24 rooms named after stars from the Harlem Renaissance – guests can choose to sleep in the Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole or Cab Calloway rooms. The hotel has been plagued with delays but owner Kristen Kitchen is hopeful they’ll be able to open their doors early in the year.
Jackson Soul Food
jacksonsoulfood.com • 950 NW 3rd Ave.
This family-owned Overtown staple has been serving soul food to patrons since 1946. Founded by Jessie and Demas Jackson (originally as Mama’s Café), this family-friendly eatery is under the helm of Shirlene Jackson Ingraham, one of the Jacksons’ 12 children, where it continues to abide by the owners’ original ethos of hospitality and authentic Southern cooking.
Entrees include fried catfish, smothered livers, and oxtail stew and come with a choice of three sides with warm corn muffins. There’s an equally expansive breakfast menu that includes boiled fish and grits (weekends only), red velvet pancakes and homemade biscuits, eggs and sausage.
