This building, standing out from the rest of the cityscape in both shape and color, has become a recognizable symbol of Miami. Today it is home to the Museum of Contemporary Art and the offices of Miami Dade College’s Faculty of Arts. The tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2008.
Architecturally, the tower is an example of Mediterranean Revivalism, and some of its finishes were apparently borrowed from the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain. The dome of the tower is 78 meters high and is decorated with a decorative lighthouse.
The tower was built in 1925 as the headquarters and printing office of the Miami News. In 1957 the newspaper vacated the space, moving to Miami River. The federal government began using the tower to deal with refugees from Cuba in the 1960s, and sold it after their flow subsided in 1972.
The tower is an example of Mediterranean revivalism, and some elements of its decoration were apparently borrowed from the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain.
In 1997, the tower was purchased by Jorge Mas Canosa, founder of the National Cuban-American Foundation. He restored the tower and turned it into a kind of monument to the refugees from the Communist regime. It housed a museum, a library, a conference center, and the foundation’s office space. In 2004, the tower changed hands again and was eventually turned over to the college. Today there is a museum, cultural and educational center inside.
One of the most notable elements of the tower’s interior is the “New World” mural, painted in 1988 by a group of six city artists. It is, alas, located in the Great Hall on the second floor, where the public is usually not allowed (but can sometimes get lucky).
The MDC museum’s permanent collection includes more than 1,700 works of all genres, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, videos, films, installations, etc. The collection began forming in the 1960s and gained official status in 2011 with the consolidation of the collections of two college campuses. Today it is distinguished not only by works by young artists, but also by fairly well-known masters of modern, modern and postmodern art. Minimalism, pop art from the ’60s and ’70s, conceptual art and contemporary Latin American art are all represented here.
Practical Information
The building is located on the Wolfson campus of Miami Dade College. It can be reached by the Metrorail train (Government Center or Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Station) or by the Metromover train (Freedom Tower Station).
Hours: The Miami Dade College Museum of Art is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. On the third Saturday of each month, the museum is open until 8 p.m.
Admission to the museum is free and donations are welcome.