Miami skyscraper lighting up with Estefan anthem until everyone in condo collapse is found
Miami’s skyline will light up every night with hundreds of fluttering flags and the words, “One World, One Prayer,” until the more than 100 people missing in Surfside’s building collapse are found.
The 60-story Paramount Miami Worldcenter, 851 NE First Ave. in downtown Miami, first lit up in a show of solidarity with the affected families on Thursday night, just hours after the Champlain Towers South Condo partially collapsed.
“It is a beacon of hope,” Paramount Miami Worldcenter CEO-Developer Daniel Kodsi said in a Wednesday news release. “We are a community in mourning; and we ask the world to pray for the families of the victims of this tragedy, and to pray for hope that more survivors will be found.”
The skyscraper will light up at the top of every hour for two minutes, beginning at 5 a.m. until sunrise and from sunset to midnight, with an electronic mosaic of 132 flags from around the globe.
The words “One World, One Prayer” will scroll across a gigantic ticker-tape-style L.E.D — lit by 14,300 light emitting diodes — across the 700-foot, $600 million building. The words are the title of a global anthem written and produced by 19-time Grammy Award winner Emilio Estefan and performed by Bob Marley and The Wailers reggae band.
The song, which also features performances by Shaggy and Farruko, premiered last year during the week of the 39th annual funeral observance of music legend Bob Marley with a musical tower-lighting salute to COVID-19 heroes — the healthcare professionals, first responders, essential workers and others on the front lines of the coronavirus battle.
“The tower-lighting signals the critical importance of worldwide unity and prayer at this time of tragedy,” Estefan said.
Estefan’s wife, music superstar Gloria Estefan, also recently posted a video message on Instagram, saying that her thoughts are with South Florida.
“My heart is going out to everyone in Miami, and very especially the family members of people that may have been inside that collapse of the building,” she said. “Could be any of us this happened to. I want you to join me in prayer and good thoughts for all the families awaiting news.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 12:09 PM.
