by Lionel Bascom — August 12th, 2006 — No comments
All the recent headlines about renewed freedoms in Cuba amid rumors of Fidel Castro’s demise, brings to mind the rise of an earlier version of the Freedom Tower – this one in Miami more than 80 years ago.
Miami’s Freedom Tower is an office building completed in 1925 for the Miami Daily News and Metropolis. It was a majestic high rise then that was used as the newspaper’s office until the 1950s until 1974 when it was used as the Cuban Refugee Center. That’s when it was renamed the Freedom Tower, a symbol of the new found freedom Cubans sought political asylum and found it when they took refuge in the United States. The building was constructed in the Mediterranean Revival style with a 225 foot tower made in the style of the Giralda bell tower in Sevilla, Spain.
The twelve story tower has a long and cherished history in Miami. Designed by New York architects Schultz and Weaver to resemble the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain. In 1959 it was leased by the U.S. government as the primary processing center for Cuban refugees fleeing Fidel Castro. Not only is the treasure tower a monument to Old Miami, it is also a sentimental and emotional symbol of liberty for the members of Miami’s Cuban community.