The Freedom Tower () is a building in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It was designed by Schultze and Weaver and is currently used as a contemporary art museum and a central office to different disciplines in the arts associated with

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (MDC) is a public university, public college located in Miami, Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1959, MDC operates eight campuses and numerous outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade Count ...

. It is located at 600 Biscayne Boulevard on Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus. On September 10, 1979, Freedom Tower was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. On October 6, 2008, it was designated a U.S.

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

for its role in hosting

Cubans Cubans () are the citizens and nationals of Cuba. The Cuban people have varied origins with the most spoken language being Spanish. The larger Cuban diaspora includes individuals that trace ancestry to Cuba and self-identify as Cuban but are n ...

as they fled communist

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

for Florida following the 1959

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

. On April 18, 2012, the

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Peñas de Aya, small mountain range in Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ...

's Florida Chapter placed the building on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places'' as the "Freedom Tower/Formerly Miami News and Metropolis Building". Freedom Tower is served by the Miami Metrorail at the Government Center Station and the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre station, as well as by the Metromover at the Freedom Tower station on the Omni Loop.

History

Originally completed in 1925 as the headquarters and printing facility for the newspaper ''

The Miami News ''The Miami News'' was an evening newspaper in Miami, Florida. It was the media market competitor to the morning edition of the ''Miami Herald'' for most of the 20th century. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called ''The Miami ...

'', the Freedom Tower is an example of a Mediterranean Revival styled structure with design elements borrowed from the Giralda in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Its

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

on a 255-foot (78 m) tower contained a decorative beacon. The

Federal government of the United States The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

used the facility in the 1960s to process and document refugees from the

and to provide medical and dental services for them. After the major era of refugees ended, in 1972, the federal government sold the building to private buyers in 1974. In 1979, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The New World Mural 1513 was painted in 1988 by The Miami Artisans: Wade S. Foy, John Conroy, William Mark Coulthard, Phylis Shaw, Gerome Villa Bergsen and Ana Bikic. The mural is situated in the Grand Hall on the second floor, however, it sometimes has limited access for the public. The mural is a recreation of the ruined original from 1926, originally commissioned by the tower's developer James Middleton Cox in 1926 and again in 1987 by architect Richard Hiessenbottle RA. The center poem by Edwin Markham, poet Laureate for the Lincoln Memorial address. In 1997, the building was purchased for US$4.1 million by the family of the prominent Cuban-American businessman and anti-Communist

Jorge Mas Canosa Jorge Lincoln Mas Canosa (21 September 1939 – 24 November 1997) was a Cuban-American businessman who founded the Cuban American National Foundation and MasTec, a publicly traded company. Regarded within the United States as a powerful lobbyist ...

. The Mas family then restored the tower to its original state and converted it into a memorial to the refugees who fled to the United States from Cuba. It housed a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, meeting hall, and the offices of the Cuban American National Foundation. Salsa legend Celia Cruz was memorialized at the Freedom Tower upon her death in 2003, with more than 200,000 turning out to show their respects. In 2005, Terra Group father and son, Pedro and David Martin, along with 600 Biscayne LLC and its members purchased the Freedom Tower from the Mas Family. This purchase eventually led to the Freedom Tower being donated to Miami Dade College, under the leadership of Miami-Dade College President, Dr. Eduardo Padron. As part of the donation agreement, the College was required to create a Cuban exile experience, and today it is used as a museum, cultural center, and an education center. The building has a heavy history and is reinventing itself once again as it lends itself to a new purpose. The building is gaining a significant amount of local recognition for its major exhibitions and growth as an institution of art, serving the community as a non-profit organization. The MDC Museum of Art + Design is on the second floor of the building and offers a wide range of exhibits, which are free and open to the public. The Freedom Tower is home to the Cuban American Museum. On April 13, 2015, Cuban-American Florida Senator

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

chose the Freedom Tower as the venue for the announcement of his presidential campaign, citing the significance of the location as a beacon representing freedom for Cuban-Americans. On September 17, 2015, His Majesty The King of Spain,

Felipe VI Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed For ...

, received the Presidential Medal, the highest distinction from Miami-Dade College, from its President Eduardo Padron. On May 10, 2022, Gov.

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

announced a $25 million investment to preserve, refurbish and enhance the Freedom Tower. The proposal will be considered during the upcoming legislative session, and will be included in Governor DeSantis’ legislative budget recommendation.

Gallery

File:Miami freedom tower for wikipedia by tom schaefer miamitom 0001.jpg, Miami Freedom Tower's cupola File:Freedom Tower Miami (top), NE view.jpg, Upper tower section with cupola File:Miami Freedom Tower by Tom Schaefer 5.jpg, Westside – back side File:Miami freedom tower for wikipedia by tom schaefer miamitom 0004.JPG, From the Port Bridge looking west, notice Miami Arena in background before demolition in April 2007 File:Miami Freedom Tower by Tom Schaefer.jpg, From the Port Bridge looking west File:Miami Freedom Tower by Tom Schaefer 2.jpg, Closeup view of the front in 2010 File:Freedom Tower, Miami, Southeast view 20160709 1.jpg, Front of building from Biscayne Blvd in 2016 File:Miami freedom tower night.jpg, Miami Freedom Tower at Night with Rich Purple Lighting, April 2, 2011 File:Freedom Tower, Miami, restoration-maintenance.JPG, Maintenance on the Freedom Tower in 2010/2011, viewed from the west File:Freedom Tower (Miami) restoration.JPG, Preservation and maintenance work being done on the tower in March 2011 File:Freedom Tower (Miami).jpg, The tower on a cloudy and rainy night File:Freedom Tower Miami.jpg, The Freedom Tower in

downtown Miami Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida, United States. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and ...

on November 26, 2016, the day after

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

had passed File:New World Mural 1513.jpg, "Freedom Tower Miami New World Mural 1513". The mural's center image presents Juan Ponce de León and the Tequesta Chief Freedom Tower Miami Mural 1988, painted by Miami Artisans in 1988. Wade S. Foy, John Conroy, W Mark Coulthard, Ana Bikic.

References

External links

National Park Services' National Historic Landmark description

Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
*
Dade County listings
*
Great Floridians of Miami

* Chronology of the tallest buildings in Florida {{authority control Office buildings completed in 1925 Mediterranean Revival architecture in Florida National Historic Landmarks in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Miami Skyscrapers in Miami Tourist attractions in Miami Museums in Miami Art museums and galleries in Florida University museums in Florida Miami Dade College 1925 establishments in Florida