Vizcaya: James Deering's Bayfront Palace

On the shore of Biscayne Bay, between Brickell and Coconut Grove, stands one of the most remarkable houses in America: Vizcaya.

A winter home

James Deering, a vice president of the International Harvester farm-equipment company, came to Miami for his health and decided to build a winter estate. Construction began in the 1910s, and Deering moved in by the end of 1916, with work on the gardens and outbuildings continuing for years.

A European fantasy

Working with designer Paul Chalfin, architect F. Burrall Hoffman and landscape designer Diego Suarez, Deering created a villa inspired by Italian Renaissance and Baroque estates, filled with European antiques and surrounded by formal gardens. A carved stone barge sits in the bay as a breakwater.

Built by many hands

At its peak the project employed a large share of Miami's construction workforce, including many Bahamian laborers. Vizcaya also preserved a tract of native hammock forest on its grounds.

Storms and changes

Deering died in 1925, and the estate was damaged by the hurricanes of 1926 and later years. His heirs sold much of the land, and in 1952 Miami-Dade County acquired the main house and gardens, opening them as a museum.

Visiting

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is one of Miami's most popular cultural attractions and a National Historic Landmark. It's a beautiful pairing with an Everglades outing: a morning among European gardens, an afternoon among sawgrass.

Inside the villa

Vizcaya's rooms were designed in different historical styles, from Renaissance to Rococo and Neoclassical. Deering filled them with European furniture, tapestries, ceilings and fireplaces, some taken from older European buildings. At the same time, the house had modern conveniences of its era, including electricity, telephones and an elevator.

The gardens

Vizcaya's formal gardens combine Italian and French garden design with tropical plants that thrive in Miami's climate. Fountains, statues, a hilltop pavilion and water features create dramatic views toward the house and the bay.

The village

Across the road from the main house, Deering's estate included a working village with farm buildings, staff housing and workshops that supported the estate's operations. Parts of this area are being restored and opened to visitors.

Vizcaya and the bay

Vizcaya was oriented to Biscayne Bay, and guests often arrived by boat. Hurricanes and storm surge have repeatedly damaged the estate, and its conservation today includes planning for rising seas, a challenge it shares with much of Miami.