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Charles Deering Estate
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

The Richmond Cottage as it looks today.
Location in Miami Show map of Miami Location in Florida Show map of Florida Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Palmetto Bay, Florida, USA
NRHP reference No.	86000325
Added to NRHP	11 March 1986

The Charles Deering Estate (also called Deering Estate at Cutler) was the Florida home of Charles Deering. He lived here until he passed away in 1927. Today, it's a special place where you can learn about history, nature, and even see ancient fossils!

Discovering the Deering Estate
A Look Back in Time: History of the Estate
The Deering Estate Foundation
Gallery
See also

Discovering the Deering Estate

Charles Deering lived on this huge property, which is about 444 acres (1.8 square kilometers). He lived there for five years, from 1922 to 1927. The estate has two main houses: the Richmond Cottage, a wooden house built in 1900, and a large stone mansion. There are also other smaller buildings. The estate is located in the Cutler area of Palmetto Bay, Florida.

The land is very unique. It has what many believe is the biggest untouched coastal tropical hardwood hammock in the United States. A "hammock" is a type of forest with tall trees and rich soil. The State of Florida bought the estate in 1985.

Today, the State of Florida owns the estate. It is managed by the Miami-Dade County Parks Department. After Charles Deering died in 1927, his family took care of the property. In 1982, after his daughter passed away, the estate was put up for sale. In 1984, Finley Matheson bought it and worked to make it a state park. The State of Florida then bought the land for $22.5 million in 1985.

The Deering Estate is a very important historical site. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as a place with special historical value. It also works with Florida International University. This helps them support important research, education, and outreach programs.

For over 30 years, scientists have studied the amazing nature, geology, and old artifacts found here. The Deering Estate is a part of the Everglades Restoration Project. It's the only part of this project that is in a city and easy for people to visit. In 2019, the Deering Estate Foundation received $200,000. This money will help build a new research center. This center will have living spaces for researchers, a library, and offices.

You might have even seen the estate on TV! It was shown several times in the 1980s TV show Miami Vice. It was also the starting point for The Amazing Race All-Stars in 2007.

A Look Back in Time: History of the Estate

The Richmond Cottage

The Richmond Cottage in 1916, a year after Charles Deering bought it.

The Richmond Cottage was built by S. Howard Richmond. He was an agent for a land company. He built it as his family home in the late 1800s. At that time, Cutler was a small pioneer town. In 1900, a new part was added, turning the home into a 22-room hotel. Richmond's wife, Edith M., ran the hotel. It was known as the "most southerly hotel on the mainland of the United States."

Charles Deering bought the Richmond Cottage in 1916. Over the next few years, he added more buildings. These included a carriage house, a pump house, and a power house. He also built a stone wall around his property. He even created a special boat basin in Biscayne Bay. In 1922, he finished his large, three-story Mediterranean Stone House. He then moved to Cutler that same year.

The Stone House

The Stone House was designed by Phineas Paist and finished in 1922. It has very thick 18-inch concrete walls. It also has special stone, fancy ceilings, and doors covered in copper and brass. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Charles Deering was very worried about fires. Because of this, he decided to build his Stone House without a stove. There was a kitchen for fridges and storage, but all the cooking was done in the Richmond Cottage. His fear of fire made him ask for those thick concrete walls and brass doors. He also added an elevator, which was very modern for 1922!

A large wine cellar was found on the first floor only after Hurricane Andrew. It was hidden very well behind built-in cabinets. Hurricane Andrew flooded the first floor and caused a lot of damage. The wine cellar was discovered during the cleanup. Charles Deering wanted the Stone House to show off his amazing art collection and books.

About Charles Deering

A portrait of Charles Deering from around 1914.

Charles Deering was born on July 31, 1852, in Paris, Maine. His father, William Deering, started the Deering Harvester Company. Charles was also the brother of another rich businessman, James Deering. Charles Deering is remembered as an American businessman and someone who gave a lot to charity (a philanthropist).

In 1873, Deering finished school at the United States Naval Academy. He worked as an officer in the Navy until 1881. Then, he became the secretary of his father's company. This company later joined with another to become International Harvester in 1902. After this, Deering became the chairman of the board for International Harvester.

Charles Deering passed away at his estate in Cutler on February 5, 1927. He was 75 years old. After his death, his wife and children inherited the estate.

The Cutler Burial Mound

The Cutler Burial Mound is a very old mound on the Charles Deering Estate. It's one of the few ancient mounds left in Miami-Dade County. The mound is about 38 feet (11.6 meters) long and 20 feet (6.1 meters) wide at its base. It stands about five feet (1.5 meters) high. Items found in the mound are from the Glades II and III periods, showing it was used by Native Americans long ago.

Over the years, people have disturbed the mound many times. In the 1860s, Henry Perrine, Jr. took some skulls from the mound while looking for treasure. Ralph Munroe also dug in the mound in the 1890s. In the 1900s, children from the neighborhood dug there and took bones and artifacts. Some of those bones have since been returned and reburied. It is believed that the mound holds the remains of 12 to 18 Native Americans. You can visit the mound by walking on a special boardwalk.

The Cutler Fossil Site

In 1979, a sinkhole was found on the Deering Estate. A sinkhole is a hole in the ground that opens up naturally. Inside this sinkhole, scientists found bones of ancient animals from the Ice Age (called Pleistocene animals). They also found bones and tools from very early humans (called Paleo-Indians). This site is now part of the Charles Deering Estate Park.

Hurricane Andrew's Impact

Buildings on the Deering Estate showing water marks from the storm surge, which reached 16.5 feet high.

On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. It was a very powerful Category 5 hurricane. This means it had winds of 165 mph (270 km/h). It was one of the strongest storms to ever hit the United States. Hurricane Andrew destroyed over 25,000 homes and damaged more than 100,000 others.

Hurricane Andrew caused a lot of damage to the Deering Estate. The water from the ocean rose very high, reaching the second floor of some buildings. The water level went up more than 16 feet (4.9 meters) from the sea. This caused huge floods on the property. The Richmond Cottage was even lifted off its foundation and broken apart by the storm. It took seven years and $7.2 million to fix the estate. The Deering Estate at Cutler reopened to the public in 1999 and fully opened in 2000.

The Deering Estate Foundation

The Deering Estate Foundation is a group that helps the Deering Estate. It started in 1989. Their goal is to help people learn about and enjoy the Deering Estate. They also raise money to support education, research, exhibits, and to help protect and restore the historical buildings and nature on the property. The foundation's offices are located on the third floor of the Richmond Cottage. It is a charity that works to support the Deering Estate.