Happy Birthday to, Well, All of Us!

We turn 98 today! Well, not us, exactly, but the iconic Freedom Tower, which opened on July 26, 1925, as the Miami News Tower. And that makes today a celebration for all of us, because the Tower has become a part of so many of our lives. Whether it’s your favorite skyscraper (Miami’s first!) on our city’s skyline, or you and your family passed through here as newly minted Americans fleeing Cuba between 1962 and 1974, or you walked through the doors to visit MOAD, the Kislak Center, or the Cuban Legacy Gallery, the National Historic Landmark building means something to just about everyone. That calls for a party!

And we’ll have one. Right now, the Freedom Tower is undergoing renovations to make sure that it lasts another 98 years or more, but we’re planning to reopen in 2025 for its centennial. And that’s going to be cause for a major celebration! Stay tuned for more details.

In the meantime, you can learn more about this famed building’s fascinating history from Dr. Paul S. George, resident historian at HistoryMiami Museum, on the This Day in Miami History podcast. Check out their Instagram post about the episode. Or listen to the podcast.