Freedom Tower, Miami

The Freedom Tower was built in Mediterranean revivalist style in 1925. It once housed the offices and printing facility of a major local newspaper The Miami News. The design closely resembles that of the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain. It has a height of 78 meters and the cupola once had a decorative beacon.

The Miami News offices relocated in 1957 and the US Federal Government used the tower as a processing center for refugees fleeing from the communist regime in Cuba during the 1960s. Many of these refugees were fleeing the oppressive regime of Fidel Castro, and the Freedom Tower became a symbol of hope and freedom for those who had been forced to leave their homes and families behind.

In fact, the tower was such an important symbol of hope and freedom for Cuban refugees that it became known as the "Ellis Island of the South," and it remains a powerful symbol of the American Dream for immigrants to this day.

Jorge Mas Canosa, the founder of the Cuban National American Foundation, purchased Freedom Tower and converted it into a monument for Cuban refugees in 1997, incorporating a museum, library, convention center, and the offices of the Cuban National American Foundation.

Today, the Freedom Tower belongs to Miami Dade University and is used as a cultural and educational center. The university has plans to house permanent exhibitions commemorating The Miami News and relating to the days when the Tower served as a major Cuban refugee processing center.