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Week of November 30, 2006 |
| Terra Group still preparing Freedom Tower to give to MDC
By Eric Kalis Miami developer Terra Group has not officially transferred ownership of the landmark Freedom Tower to Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus because company officials say more work needs to be done on the structure before the deal is closed. Nearly one year after Terra Group promised to donate the former processing center for Cuban immigrants to the school, company COO David Martin said Monday that both sides are holding off on the transfer until workers finish repairing parts of the building. "We are working daily with the college," Mr. Martin said. "We will complete the transfer when (College President Eduardo) PadrŪn feels it is appropriate. The tower has been stabilized." Among Terra Group workers' tasks at the 80-year-old tower: NMake sure the foundations are secure and watertight. NRepair elevators and windows. NUpdate mechanical, engineering and plumbing systems. A major obstacle of the renovations has been ongoing construction on Biscayne Boulevard and surrounding streets, Mr. Martin said. Traffic congestion has forced company workers to find alternate routes for themselves and their equipment, he said. The tower emerged as a makeshift way station for Cuban exiles in the 1960s. Immigrants came to the tower to receive documentation and be directed to family members in South Florida. The tower is the original headquarters of the Miami News & Metropolis, which left the tower in the 1950s. The building also was home to a small radio station. Terra Group is planning a 63-story mixed-use complex with 585 residential units for space behind the tower, Mr. Martin said. The company will launch a marketing campaign and possibly break ground on the project next year, he said. Once the company's repairs are finished, the tower "will shine and become an epicenter for immigration and cultural issues," Mr. Martin said. Miami Dade College "is the proper agent for the academic and institutional standards needed for the tower," he said. The company will open the second floor of the tower next month to exhibit artwork of Cuban native Carlos Alfonzo. |
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