600 North Biscayne Blvd.
Located
on Biscayne Boulevard at the southern end of
Bayfront Park, across the Street from the American
Airlines Arena, the restored Freedom Tower is often
called "Miami’s Ellis Island."
The
imposing edifice stands as an enduring symbol of
freedom and the promise of the American Dream to
millions. Between 1892 and 1943, 16 million
immigrants had their naturalization papers processed
there. From the early 1960s through the '70s, it
was the first stop for nearly 400,000 Cuban refugees
who arrived in South Florida by raft, boat or other
means. To say it holds symbolic and sentimental value
for these passionate, outspoken people is a strong
understatement.
As a
symbol, it is sometimes the site for protests,
hunger strikes, marches, rallies, prayer vigils or
other activities. Activity around the Freedom Tower
tends to heat up as does the action in Cuba.
The
tower, modeled after the Giralda bell tower on the
cathedral of Seville, Spain, was built in 1925.
Though remodeled, the Freedom Tower is largely
unoccupied. The Cuban American National Foundation
presented an exhibit of civil-rights abuses in Cuba
at the tower on the eve of Pope John Paul II’s
visit to Cuba in 1998. The tower also has been used
as a collection spot for relief supplies for
Nicaraguan victims of Hurricane Mitch later that
same year.
Hint:
Since you can’t go in anyway, view the tower at
night. It’s beautiful under the lights.
