Freedom Tower

Cool place to check out. Fun and educational for kids and adults. Like they they do free events from galleries to arts and crafts for kids. Parking isn’t terrible to find (there’s a lot N of the bldg, usually $ 5 for the day when I go)

Excellent exhibit. The first place my mother called home when she stepped off the plane close to 50 years ago. In the past it was called the Miami Daily News, the Ellis Island for Cubans, and now a Museum managed by MDC.

As driving around the city before our flight we saw this amazing building. The deco in South Miami is amazing and it would have been nice to see it up close.

The Freedom Tower is a building that many have seen coming off from a cruise ship or driven by countless times on your way to the beach. I admit, being a Miami native, I did not know the significance of it or frankly anything about the place. My adventure yesterday led me to get cultured on some Miami history that I wish more people took a interest in.
The Freedom Tower was first built as newspaper headquarters for The Miami Daily News, but it’s historical significance rises from the period between 1962 – 1974, when Cubans were exiled from their home during The Cold War making their way to the U.S. for a fresh start.
The first two floors are open to visitors, admission is free and donations are welcome. The first floor gives you a historical perspective on what the Freedom Tower meant to so many coming here. As it’s said before, it was the Ellis Island of the South. The second floor is split into two galleries, one gallery hosts more permanent pieces. I was surprised to see a piece by Salvador Dali and two pieces by Andy Warhol. The other had an exhibit by Sebastian Munoz, Swing Space Miami. Check online for any upcoming exhibit’s, they rotate frequently.
No, it’s not a huge place to take up more than two hours of your time; but yes, it is worth a visit for the historical significance.

Great family event! Very inspiring instructors and activity.
Highly recommend. We took three beautiful pottery.

This review is for the Cuban exhibition, «The Exile Experience: Journey to Freedom» which also includes Cuba out of Cuba: Through the lens of Alexis Rodriguez Duarte and Tico Torres.
The Freedom Tower for me and and most Cuban Americans living in Miami is symbolic of the struggles of our cuban exile peoples, an Ellis Island or Statue of Liberty sort of speak. It was the first landmark our parents, grandparents, and other family members came into once upon arriving the short 90 min plane ride into the United States. The tower is preserved with its high ceilings and historical Spanish Renaissance architectural design. I knew that I would be emotional upon entering the building.
The exhibit is located inside on the first floor, around the perimeter of the building. Imagery, photographs, and artifacts such as a suitcase, articles of clothing, and passport pictures are on display. Each with their own unique story to tell. A tale that is bittersweet. Sad to be leaving your country and all that you have known because of a new régime that you did not stand for and happy, excited, nervous, uncertain to be starting your lives, penniless in a foreign new country. All of these feelings were conveyed through the memorabilia in this exhibit as well as the stories of my parents and grandparents that I have heard throughout the years.
I can relate closely because I am of Cuban descent and my mother, aunt, father, granparents, and uncle all came this way and all alone on different flights in the early 60’s. I think we can all relate to a story of exile or immigration here in miami and in the United States.
The exhibit is worth checking out. It’s free, donations are accepted, and the other floors of the tower have modern art on display.

This is a cool little museum that is shows a small history of the Cuban immigration to Florida. There are also scattered paintings and abstract art around. Theres not much to see but enough to just go through quick and enjoy something for the hell of it. I suggest stopping by here with some friends for fun since it’s free of charge with a donation to help if you’d like. Theres isn’t much to do in downtown so coming here to the Freedom Tower is bullet point to stop in.

The Freedom Tower is a historic building in Miami Florida, that is currently used as a contemporary art museum for Miami-​Dade College. The building was designed by Schultze and Weaver and built in 1925, with the primary purpose of being the headquarters of The Miami News newspaper. It is built in the Mediterranean Revival style, inspired by the Giralda in Seville. Once the Miami News left the building, it became a headquarters for Cuban refugees coming to Miami during the 1960s-​1970s. It became Miami’s Ellis Island, a place where the federal government processed and documented the newcomers.
In 1997, the building was purchased for US$ 4.1 million by Jorge Mas Canosa, who restored the tower and converted it into a monument for the refugees who fled to the United States from communist Cuba. 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, developers donated the Freedom Tower to Miami-​Dade College. On September 10, 1979, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on October 6, 2008.
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 exhibits rotate, meaning that they have different exhibits every few months. Although the building is beautiful inside, it’s a shame that the corridors are cordoned off, with a guard sitting in the lobby and supervising. There’s supposed to be a beautiful mural in one of the corridors, but we’re unable to see it. Also, the art is contemporary, something that may not appeal to all. All of these factors made me knock off a star, despite the fact that admission is free.
Considering the vast history of this building, as well as the importance it played in the Cuban immigration to the U.S., I echo Nino R.‘s sentiments and honestly feel the building should house an exhibit dedicated to the history of the building (maybe some photos/​articles that came from the Miami News, biographies of some of the writers), and passport copies of the Cuban immigrants, photos of them standing in line, etc. My friend was disappointed to see nothing pertaining to the history of the building and the many purposes it served. Not even one of the rooms, there were just a few photos and footage of Cuba itself, but not of Cubans arriving to Miami. An art exhibit can be housed in any building, including a warehouse, but an exhibit on Cuban history would only seem fitting in a building that was actually a forefront of that movement, and what better building than the Freedom Tower? Because of this, I had to knock off another star.

Freedom Tower is indeed Liberty Hall, with itss yet undocumented history told somewhere inside. It stood tall to welcome Cubans fleeing the arrival of Castro. And was the beacon for exiled art & culture when Celia Cruz died; her mourners came here for her wake. Sadly, there needs to be a concerted effort to give this history to the public. Hopefully, a proper museum will occupy the interior, For now, it’s good to pass by simply to admire Freedom Tower’s elegant silhouette where it reigns among the more modern skyscrapers.

simply gorgeous 1920s building with tons of history — when we saw it, it was bathed in red light. The Metro Mover stops right next to it.

You can’t deny what the Freedom Tower symbolizes but why is the local population denied of a more detailed account of its history?
I was here with my GF for the Mona Lisa exhibit. The exhibit seemed a bit contrived. It looked more like a senior high school project come to life. Thankfully, admission was free, but the exhibition took 30 minutes from my life that I’ll never get back.
But here’s the real gripe: why don’t they keep a continuous exhibit chronicling the history of the Freedom Tower and Cuban-​Americans? Many locals lovingly refer to Freedom Tower as the Ellis Island of Miami. But the history of Ellis Island is very well documented whereas Freedom Tower houses a restricted archive.
The moderators of Freedom Tower would be doing Miami residents a great service by curating a permanent daily exhibit. I’m sure if they put their heads together they could come up of something worthy of such an historic landmark.
Freedom…

Came here for Instruments of Torture… that was probably my mistake. It was a lame exhibit that cost too much, whatever it cost. I forgot.
But I do remember looking at the mannequins and noticing that their pubes were the same hairs used as the ones on their face.

A very interesting historical site in downtown Miami! It’s an classic building that stands out among all of the high-​rise apartment buildings and hotels. The monorail stops right next to it. It’s currently being used as a gallery and I went to see the «Instruments of Torture» exhibit that’s showing through August 29, 2010.
Definitely worth a visit, and if you get a chance to see that exhibit — do it! It’s several rooms of horrifying tools and artwork about torture. I wished the exhibit had featured more on the current issues surrounding this issue, but it’s largely historical. Still, very unique.

Really cool landmark, I lived in Miami for a few years and never knew about it. I ended up going here for this Medieval Torture gallery exhibit. It was really nice inside and well set up. They should do more stuff with this building though. I guess it belongs to Miami Dade College now but for how nice it is they need more then random exhibits in this building.

Dear Freedom Tower,
Thank you for allowing my parents and grandparents to come through your doors (in the 60s) and have the opportunity become US Citizens. They were scared and in a new country and you made it easier for them to acclimate.
Without you, Freedom Tower, I would not be here today. That means the world to me.
Now, you offer yourself as a museum and art gallery for the Miami Dade College! What an amazing use of your space and history. :) We can only hope that they appreciate the view from your window panes as much as the Cuban citizens that relied on you for their first glimpse of freedom.
Thank you for your wisdom,
Sabrina*

As close as Miami will get to having it’s Ellis Island. The Freedom Tower was donated to Miami Dade College. And is now a really cool gallery. The Miami Dade College/​New World BFA shows and other exhibits are hosted there. It’s a beautiful building.

This landmark building located in the center of Miami is especially important to Cuban residents. During the 1960s, it was the processing center for nearly half a million Cuban refugees. Prior to its stint as a Cuban refugee center, the Freedom Tower housed the Miami News, but at present the building fills no special role except as a local landmark. Many current Cuban residents of Miami hope the edifice will be reincarnated as a Cuban-​exile museum in the near future. Has this happened yet?