Freedom Tower Weathervane - Miami, FL - Unique Weathervanes on Waymarking.com

Originally the Miami News building, the Freedom tower traces its history back to its construction in 1925. I was not able to find information as to the age of the weathervane, but so much of the building was preserved when it was converted to process Cuban refugees, that it is possible it goes back many decades. The building served the News until 1957 and was vacant until it became the home of the Cuban Assistance Center in 1962, a function that continued until 1974. Today the building houses a museum and is a part of the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College. The address is 600 Biscayne Boulevard. We found parking in the lot just to the north on NE 7th Street.

The following information about the Freedom Tower is taken from the Summary section of the National Register of Historic Places application. source: (visit link)

"The Freedom Tower is considered the “Ellis Island of the South” for its role during a twelve year period between 1962 and 1974 as the Cuban Assistance Center, offering nationally sanctioned relief to the Cuban refugees who sought political asylum from the Communist regime of Fidel Castro. Due to the political climate of the time and the Cold War, Cubans were readily welcomed into the United States and extended an unprecedented amount of assistance belying the immigration policy that had dictated the flow of immigration into the country until that point. The Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 was enacted by the Kennedy Administration to offer assistance to the large number of Cubans fleeing to Miami seeking political asylum. The Freedom Tower stands as the single most identifiable building with the Cuban exile experience. The building stands as a physical manifestation of Cold War era politics, and the influence it exerted over national immigration policies developed to assist the steady stream of Cubans arriving in the United States during the period."

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