Ocean Drive, Art Deco district thoroughfare in South Beach, United States.
Ocean Drive is a busy street in South Beach that runs from the southern end to 15th Street, lined with hundreds of buildings in Mediterranean Revival and Art Deco styles. The road is packed with hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops, with the ocean just a short walk away.
Ocean Drive was developed in the 1920s and 1930s, when the street became the center of the Miami Art Deco District, now holding about 900 contributing buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Streamline Moderne, which evolved from Art Deco, dominates the street. On 15 July 1997, designer Gianni Versace was shot on the steps of his villa Casa Casuarina at Ocean Drive 1116.
Ocean Drive magazine takes its name from the street, and the British duo Lighthouse Family released a 1995 single called "Ocean Drive" that reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. Mango's Tropical Café serves Caribbean-inspired food with live dancers and singers, while the Palace Bar is known for cabaret and drag queen shows aimed at the LGBTQ community.
The most-visited stretch runs between 5th and 14th Streets, where Lummus Park and the sand beach lie on the eastern side of the road. Sidewalk seating under the awnings leaves a narrow walking lane, so expect crowds in the evening. Cars were barred from the street from July 2020 until traffic returned in January 2022.
The street was briefly converted into a pedestrian zone in 2020 before vehicle traffic returned in 2022. This change shows how the area adapts to tourist flow and continues to evolve.
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