Miami's Freedom Tower was built in 1925 as the city's first skyscraper. From 1962 to 1974, it became a federal refugee center people called the Ellis Island of the South. Hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles fleeing Castro passed through its doors for medical care, paperwork, and a fresh start. The tower closed in 2023 for a $25 million restoration. It reopened in September 2025, 100 years after opening its doors.
