ABOUT US
AN OUTSTANDING MONUMENT IN THE
HEART OF DOWNTOWN MIAMI
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 America as a democratic haven for those seeking freedom and possibility.
From 1962 to 1974, it served as the Cuban Assistance 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 seeking 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 cultural, historical, and community resource 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, from its dynamic twentieth-century legacy as a city created from swamp to its contemporary status as a global metropolis.
ABOUT MIAMI DADE COLLEGE
A KEY CHAPTER IN
THE STORY OF
FREEDOM IN AMERICA
Miami Dade College (MDC) has a proven track record of helping students overcome barriers to academic success. Beginning with 1,428 students in 1960, MDC now serves more than 120,000 students annually. Despite 68% of students coming from low-income households, MDC awards more associate’s degrees than any institution in the United States, and the greatest number of associate’s degrees to Hispanic students.
MDC students are also highly likely to improve their economic standing: approximately 36% move up two or more income quartiles and almost 5% move from the bottom to the top quintile. Home to a uniquely diverse student body—95% of students identify as Hispanic or Black non-Hispanic, and students represent 166 different nationalities and speak 50 languages—MDC also serves as a significant cultural engine for the entire Miami-Dade County region by nurturing major events and programs in the visual, literary, and performing arts. As part of its mission, MDC embraces its responsibility to serve as an economic, cultural, and civic leader for the advancement of our diverse global community.
To learn more, please visit the College’s website.
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