Miami businessman donates $10M to help preserve Cuban diaspora history

MIAMI – Benjamín León, Jr., the founder and chairman of Leon Medical Centers, announced a donation of $10 million to build a $40 million home for Florida International University’s CasaCuba cultural and academic center.

The Benjamín León Jr. Building will be at FIU’s main campus in Miami-Dade County’s University Park neighborhood and will be a place to preserve the history of the Cuban diaspora.

“With this gift, our story lives on for generations to come,” León said in a statement released on Thursday. “Like many exiles, my family had to start anew, and they succeeded through hard work and perseverance. It is a great privilege to be able to contribute to the preservation and propagation of this American story.”

The construction of the 43,000-square-foot building by Thornton Construction and designed by HKS Architects will be near one of the entrances to FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

The plan is to complete it by 2027. FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell reported the donation was the most significant contribution to CasaCuba to date.

León’s support was also behind FIU’s Benjamín León Center for Geriatric Research and Education and the Miami Dade College’s Benjamín León School of Nursing.