The Freedom Tower (600 Biscayne Blvd.) was built in 1925 as the home of the Miami Daily News and commandeered by the United States government in the 1970s for use as a processing center for the thousands of Cuban refugees who came to Miami [1] after Fidel Castro took over.
It was here that many of these refugees were given basic medical and dental care, put in touch with family members who had already immigrated, and given relief aid as they started their new life in the United States.
Although the processing center was closed in the mid-1970s and fell into considerable disrepair in the ensuing decades, a recent effort by Miami’s Cuban-American community—spearheaded by a $4.1 million investment by noted anti-Castro activist Jorge Mas Canosa—has taken great steps not just to renovate the Freedom Tower but to restore it to its former glory.
The Freedom Tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in October 2008, and it is currently owned by Miami-Dade College, housing an art gallery, museum, library, and the offices of the Mas Canosa–founded Cuban-American National Foundation.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/florida/miami