The Tower serves as the official icon for the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
The name commemorates Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president of the United States by the time the tower was built.
The building was built as part of major renovations undertaken by the University of Puerto Rico (Universidad de Puerto Rico) in the 1930’s, in which the “spanish revival” became commonly used.
From the first floor to the top of the tower the height is 51.97 meters (170. 46 feet), leaving the rest of the structural height as part of the building base.