An Outstanding Monument In The Heart Of Downtown
The Freedom Tower is a rare historic constant in a city continually remaking itself. Reopening in 2025 for its centennial celebration, the new Freedom Tower galleries will inspire visitors through our shared history and our collective legacy of hope, courage, opportunity, and the quest for freedom. Built in 1925 as a new home for the city’s oldest newspaper and a grand architectural assertion of Miami’s urban ambition, the Freedom Tower became an emblem of the United States as a democratic haven for those seeking freedom and new beginnings.
From 1962 to 1974, it served as the Cuban Refugee Center, which helped hundreds of thousands of Cuban refugees seeking asylum. These immigrants would transform Miami. Following several decades of neglect, the Tower was rescued by Cuban American community leaders aiming to honor the Cuban legacy in Miami, who donated it to Miami Dade College in 2005.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2008, the Freedom Tower continues to serve the city as a hub for education, culture, and civic engagement that has taken its rightful place as a Miami icon. The Freedom Tower stands as a symbol of hope and success for the millions of immigrants who have made Miami their home. It reflects upon Miami’s origins and looks forward to the city’s future. The story of the Freedom Tower is the story of Miami.
Madeline Pumariega, Miami Dade College’s first female President, made the Freedom Tower restoration project her mission shortly after her appointment in November 2020. Under her leadership, the MDC Board of Trustees successfully lobbied the Florida Governor’s Office for $25 million in financial support for the capital project. Prestigious awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Florida Department of State have also been granted. Reopening in 2025 for its centennial celebration, the new Freedom Tower galleries will inspire visitors through our shared history and our collective legacy of hope, courage, and the quest for opportunity and freedom.
The Freedom Tower embodies Miami’s broad history, from its Native American origins to its unique character as an international city shaped by Latin American immigrants and cultures, and from its dynamic twentieth-century legacy as a city created from swamp to its contemporary status as a global metropolis.
MDC’s Freedom Tower, a National Historic Landmark, is undergoing renovations and will reopen in 2025.
Opened on July 26, 1925, the Freedom Tower will turn 100 in 2025! Read more about the history of the Freedom Tower. Visit the History of the Freedom Tower.
Yes, you can get involved by becoming a Friend of the Freedom Tower, sharing your story about what the Freedom Tower means to you, or by making a donation.
Your donation will help support new museum galleries occupying 36,700 square feet in the Freedom Tower. Best-in-class experience design will guide visitors through the Tower’s rich history as both a newspaper headquarters and a refugee assistance center. Housed in the “Ellis Island of the South,” these technologically advanced exhibits will allow museum-goers to reflect upon the waves of exiles that have transformed our city.
Yes. Help us spread the word by following us on social media and sharing our posts with your own friends and followers. Sign up for our newsletter and find out about upcoming Freedom Tower events you can attend.
Yes, share your story and add to the record of the building’s history as a welcoming refuge (El Refugio) for people fleeing oppression. Visit the Tell Us Your Story page.
Right now, we are not accepting donations to the museum. But we would love hear about what you have.
We are not hiring right now, but future job openings will be posted on the College’s Jobs at MDC web page.