The Cuban-American architect Willy Bermello, founder of Bermello Ajamil & Partners and designer of the future Presidential Library of Donald Trump in Miami, arrived in this city as a nine-year-old child, with only five dollars in his family's pocket, not imagining that decades later he would sign one of the most ambitious projects in South Florida.
Bermello recounted his story in an interview with journalist Tania Costa, where he detailed the challenges his family faced after leaving Cuba in October 1960, amidst the massive exodus that followed January 1, 1959.
"When we arrived in Miami, each of us —my father, my mother, and I— had five dollars in our pockets. At that time, when we got here, there was nothing," the architect recalled.
During the first two months, the family shared a roof with another family while their father looked for work. Their meals depended on what the shelter provided: Velveeta cheese, cans of Spam, milk, and powdered eggs. "We lived in a very, very modest way," Bermello admitted.
His father, Guillermo Bermello, was a lawyer, public accountant, and doctor in commercial sciences in Cuba, but in Miami, he had to start from scratch. He ended up working for intelligence, supporting operations related to the failed invasion of Bay of Pigs and assisting the families of the participants for years.
At nine years old, Willy would leave school, and his father would take him to 8th Street and 17th Avenue, where he would stand in front of the cars selling newspapers. "If I had told my mom in Cuba that I would be in the United States selling newspapers on the street, I can assure you she would not have emigrated," he told Tania Costa.
For him, however, that was an adventure. "I know that her heart was breaking seeing me sell newspapers on the street. But for me, as a boy, that was interesting, it was 'fun'," he recalled.
Decades of hard work transformed that starting point into a top-notch professional trajectory. Bermello founded Bermello Ajamil & Partners, which has become the largest Hispanic architecture and engineering firm in Florida, with over 200 design awards and projects such as the cruise terminals at the Port of Miami and the Four Seasons tower.
In 2026, the architect gained international recognition by independently designing the proposal for the Presidential Library of Donald Trump in Miami: a skyscraper of 47 stories and 1,047 feet (319 meters) in height, designed alongside the Tower of Liberty —the same building that housed thousands of Cuban refugees between 1962 and 1974, including himself upon arriving in exile.
The project replaced a proposal to cede 30 acres in Boca Raton and was publicly presented on March 31, 2026, when Eric Trump and President Donald Trump himself shared it on social media.
Bermello reflected on what his story represents. "This country is one of great opportunity for those who have some sense of knowledge, the willingness to work, and work hard."
"There is no country in the world like the United States. And I was obviously born in Cuba, and I have a great love for it, but I also have a great love for this country that welcomed us, adopted us, and in which I have developed as a professional," concluded the Cuban-American architect who announced that he is currently working on a major project to rebuild eight airports in Cuba, should a transition occur and there are guarantees for investment.
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