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Freedom Tower
Bunny McLeod
Freedom Tower, which is said to be Miami’s most venerated landmark, is, at this time, the center of a monumental controversy, no pun intended. Developer Pedro Martin, who purchased the property and an adjoining parcel of land some time ago for $38 million, announced his decision to erect a $500 million condo tower on the site with a portion of the Freedom Tower encased in a glass cube as a focal part of his sixty-two floor building which will cover two city blocks.
Those which support the idea say that it will save the monument from an uncertain future. Martin himself describes it as a happy marriage between the old and the new. ''We're going to spend millions to really make the tower an icon for Miami and open it up for the public,'' Martin said. Freedom Tower was built in the 1920’s as a home for The Miami Daily News, and in the 1960’s it served as an assistance center to tens of thousands of newly arrived exiles in the Cuban freedom flights.
Many of those who are opposed to it are horrified at the idea. While they want to see Freedom Tower preserved and honored, they feel that this particular plan would devalue its significance. They feel that the immense size of the condominium tower itself would so overshadow the Freedom Tower that it would lose its place as a historical site.
''Our intent and vision was to preserve the historical integrity of this building,'' said David Martin, son and business partner of the developer. "We are really going to be giving back a lot.''