Inside the Freedom Tower as two-year renovations near completion
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Miami's Freedom Tower. Photo: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
We got a sneak peek at the ongoing renovations at the Freedom Tower ahead of its planned reopening in September.
Why it matters: The national historic landmark, which turns 100 next month, is an iconic part of Miami's skyline and served as a refugee center for hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles in the 1960s and '70s.
Catch up quick: The Freedom Tower, donated to Miami Dade College in 2005, has been closed since 2023 for structural repairs, exterior restoration, interior renovations, and the development of new historical exhibits.
- The project was funded by $25 million in state funds, $25 million from Miami Dade College, and unspecified private donations, MDC president Madeline Pumariega told Axios.
The latest: When it reopens to the public in September, the tower will feature multiple new exhibits highlighting its historic role as the Cuban Refugee Center and presenting the stories of Miami's immigrant communities.
- "Miami is the melting pot of the world," Pumariega told Axios. "It's got the warm Miami feel that you can come here and through hope and through opportunity, you can recreate your life."
What's inside: In a hard-hat tour of the project on Monday, we saw workers preparing areas for installations like "Libertad."
- The two-story exhibition "captures the spirit of Miami immersive media, personal stories and historic artifacts," officials say.
The Freedom Tower Oral History Archive — a collection of more than 300 interviews with immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and the Bahamas — will present personal stories from Miami's international communities.
- The audio recordings feature interviews with famed musicians Emilio Estefan and Willy Chirino, as well as the father of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Miguel Bezos, who came to Miami as a teenager from Cuba as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
- The recordings will be embedded in digital kiosks, listening stations and other immersive areas at the tower.
"El Refugio in Context" will be a series of exhibits exploring what led to the mass exodus from Cuba and the role of the Cuban Refugee Center, also known as El Refugio.
"Unidad: The World's Game" will be a soccer-themed exhibit developed by the FIFA Museum, as Miami prepares to host the 2026 World Cup.
"We Carry Our Homes With Us" will be an art exhibition exploring the memory and "emotional weight of migration," featuring works from the likes of Ana Mendieta, Félix González-Torres and Tomm El-Saieh.
What's next: There will be a soft launch in August before the September reopening, Pumariega said.
- Entry to the Freedom Tower will be ticketed, although prices haven't been announced.