THE MURAL STORY

The New World Mural 1513 — History, Creation, Legacy

Created by The Miami Artisans (1987–1988)

Artistic Team

Principal Artists — Research, Design, Drafting, Composition

• Wade S. Foy — Lead Designer, Project Direction
• John Conroy — Historical Research, Design, Drafting
• William Mark Coulthard (Alter) — Historical Research, Image Development, Drafting

Supporting Artists — Painting, Lettering, Technical Execution

• Jerome Villa Bergsen — Lettering for Edwin Markham poem
• Ana Bikic — Supporting Painter
• Phyllis Shaw — Supporting Painter

The Freedom Tower and Its Vision

The Freedom Tower is one of Miami’s defining landmarks — a meeting point of architecture, history, and cultural identity. Commissioned in 1925 by James Middleton Cox, founder of The Miami Daily News, and designed by Schultze and Weaver, the building drew inspiration from the Giralda Tower in Seville, symbolizing the bridge between Old World and New.

Long before European contact, the region was already known as Miami by the Tequesta, the Indigenous people who lived along the river and Biscayne Bay. Cox understood the deep history of the site. His vision for the tower was symbolic: a monolith of communication, discovery, and the free exchange of ideas — a “lighthouse of the Americas.”

At the tower’s summit, a bronze galleon weathervane still sails above the skyline, honoring Juan Ponce de León, who recorded entering Biscayne Bay in 1513, naming La Florida, and documenting the geography of the land that would become the United States.

The Lost Mural of 1925

When the tower opened, Cox commissioned a large mural for the Miami Daily News pressroom. This early mural represented progress, discovery, and the birth of communication in a new city.

As the newspaper relocated and the building changed ownership, the mural was removed; only fragments survived.
For decades, the tower stood empty — its original symbolism nearly lost.

Rebirth 1987–1988: The New World Mural 1513

In the 1980s, architect Richard J. Heisenbottle led the full restoration of the Freedom Tower. As part of this restoration, a new mural was commissioned to revive the historical narrative lost with the original.

The project was entrusted to The Miami Artisans, a team of six fine artists whose combined talents created the monumental work that stands in the Grand Hall today.

Principal Creative Work

Wade S. Foy, John Conroy, and William Mark Coulthard developed the research foundation, historical accuracy, design structure, and composition. Their work included in-depth study of Ponce de León’s voyage, the Tequesta, early maps, and Florida’s earliest recorded geography.

Supporting Creative Work

The principal team was supported by Jerome Villa Bergsen — who hand-lettered the central poem by Edwin Markham — and by Ana Bikic and Phyllis Shaw, who contributed to painting execution and the technical completion of the giant canvases.

Creation

The mural was painted on two immense canvases — 44 feet wide and 20 feet high when joined — inside the historic Miami Coliseum (now demolished).
It was completed and installed in 1988, restoring color, narrative, and history to the Grand Hall.

Description and Symbolism

The mural unfolds like a symbolic traveler’s map, blending history, cartography, and allegory:

• rolling waves and galleons evoke early exploration
• mermaids and maritime emblems reflect Renaissance imagery
• map elements portray Florida’s earliest documented geography
• symbolic figures unite Indigenous and European histories

At the center stands Juan Ponce de León, flanked by two Tequesta chiefs, representing the earliest documented encounter between Europeans and the Indigenous inhabitants of the Miami region.

A hand-lettered passage by Edwin Markham (Poet Laureate of America), rendered by Jerome Villa Bergsen, anchors the center with themes of discovery, courage, and hope.
Color harmonies contributed by Ana Bikic unify the overall composition, balancing memory, symbolism, and historical narrative.

Legacy and Restoration

Following its 1988 installation, confusion about the mural’s origin grew as the building passed through various owners.
To protect the work and preserve authorship, William Mark Coulthard and Ana Bikic registered the copyright in the 1990s.

In 2014, both artists again participated in the restoration, preserving the mural’s tones, textures, and symbolic details for future generations.

Recognition and the Future

The New World Mural 1513 reflects the intertwined histories of Ponce de León, the Tequesta, Florida, and Miami — a meeting of worlds that shaped the identity of the region.

As the Freedom Tower approaches its centennial, the artists continue to advocate for an official plaque listing the full 1987–1988 team, ensuring the mural is properly recognized as a cornerstone of Miami’s cultural memory.

Created in 1987, installed in 1988, copyrighted in the 1990s, and restored in 2014,
The New World Mural 1513 remains a testament to truth, history, and artistic integrity.

Continue

→ The Tower (Page link)
→ Return to Home

Contact

freedomtowermiami@gmail.com