MKDA is providing architectural services for Robert Finbarb Companies’ 2600 North Miami Avenue, a 13,500-square-foot adaptive reuse project transforming a long-vacant property in the heart of Wynwood into the neighborhood’s first upscale luxury hostel. Once an underutilized building with an uncertain past, the site is being repositioned as a new mixed-use hospitality destination designed to bring energy, activity, and community back to this prominent corner of the district.

The program calls for 25 units with 209 beds, supported by 3,000 square feet of ground-floor food and beverage offerings, a 1,300-square-foot rooftop dining terrace, and a 2,500-square-foot courtyard pool deck, creating a highly activated indoor-outdoor destination. MKDA intentionally designed the hostel around communal spaces rather than isolated rooms, which allows dining, outdoor gathering, and shared amenities to shape the experience. This approach aligns naturally with Wynwood’s vibrant culture and public realm, inviting both travelers and locals into the life of the building.

At the center of this experience is the courtyard pool, which serves as the project’s social heart while bringing light and air deep into the interior. The rooftop terrace extends this sequence upward, offering restaurant and lounge spaces that capitalize on Wynwood’s climate and skyline. Below, ground-level food and beverage locations activate the street, reinforcing the project’s role as a neighborhood hub rather than a closed, inward-facing hospitality property.

The project is fundamentally shaped by its adaptive reuse framework. Zoning restrictions limit the expansion of the building to no more than 50 percent of the existing structure; exceeding that threshold would have triggered classification as a new building and introduced parking requirements that would have compromised the project’s feasibility. In response, the design carefully maintains the original building envelope, working within the existing footprint while strategically opening it up with new storefronts, windows, and courtyard space to improve daylight, transparency, and pedestrian engagement.

Another key architectural intervention centers on the one-story southeastern portion of the building, which was found to be severely dilapidated and in need of a new roof. Instead of simply repairing it, MKDA is reconstructing this portion with a new live load roof and repurposing it to support the project’s rooftop food-and-beverage program. This move transforms a formerly compromised part of the building into one of its most active and valuable destinations.

To ensure this newly activated rooftop program is visible and accessible from the street, MKDA is introducing a prominent exterior stair along the side of the building. An angular wall adjacent to the stair creates sightlines and visual cues from the sidewalk, signaling activity above and drawing visitors upward. The geometry of this stair becomes the organizing principle for the architecture, expressed through faceted side walls, angled rooftop elements, and a distinctive saw-tooth roof profile that gives the project a bold, contemporary identity.

At street level, MKDA recesses the ground-floor F&B entry along North Miami Avenue, creating a physical separation that allows the building to read as two distinct buildings rather than a single, oversized mass. This approach reduces the building’s perceived scale and brings it closer to a comfortable, pedestrian-friendly experience along the street.

Building on this street-facing strategy, MKDA integrates art directly into the architecture as part of the project’s public presence. Inspired by the angular geometry of the stair and façade, a large-scale mural titled Desert Reverie translates architectural form into an abstract composition rooted in modernist influences, desert landscapes, and natural color palettes. The artwork is intentionally non-branded and contemplative, offering a quieter counterpoint to Wynwood’s high-energy art scene while adding depth and character to the streetscape.

The project has completed review by the Wynwood Design Review Committee and is now in the final stages of permitting, with groundbreaking anticipated in the first half of 2026. As it advances toward construction, 2600 North Miami Avenue is positioned to set a new benchmark for adaptive reuse in Wynwood, continuing the district’s evolution from industrial roots into a creative, amenity-rich destination.