Charles Deering Estate facts for kids

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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 Deering Estate is a really cool place in Palmetto Bay, Florida. It used to be the home of a man named Charles Deering until he passed away in 1927. This large property covers 444 acres and has two main buildings: the Richmond Cottage and the Stone House. Today, both buildings are museums where you can learn about the Deering family. They are filled with old paintings, interesting objects, books, and antique furniture.

Discovering the Deering Estate
A Look Back: Estate History
Art and Events at Deering Estate
- The Arts at Deering Estate
- Fun Events at Deering Estate
The Deering Estate Foundation
Gallery
See also

Discovering the Deering Estate

Charles Deering lived on this huge property from 1922 to 1927. The estate includes a three-story wooden house built in 1900, called the Richmond Cottage, and a large three-story stone mansion. There are also other smaller buildings that helped the estate run smoothly. The Deering Estate is located in the Cutler area of Palmetto Bay, Florida.

The land around the estate is very special. It has what many believe is the largest untouched coastal tropical hardwood hammock in the continental United States. A "hammock" is a patch of forest that is usually a bit higher than the surrounding land. The State of Florida bought the estate in 1985 to protect it.

Today, the State of Florida owns the estate. It is managed by the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department.

After Charles Deering died in 1927, his family took care of the property. It became available for sale after his daughter passed away in 1982. In 1984, a person named Finley Matheson bought the estate. He worked hard to make it a state park. In 1985, the State of Florida bought the land for $22.5 million.

The Deering Estate is a national landmark. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 because it met all the important requirements. It also works with the Organization of Biological Field Stations through Florida International University. This helps them support important research, education, and outreach programs.

For over 30 years, scientists have studied the unique nature, geology, and ancient history of the property. The Deering Estate is also part of the Everglades Restoration Project. It's a special part because it's in a city area and easy for people to visit. In 2019, the Deering Estate Foundation received $200,000 to make improvements. These funds helped expand the research center. The research facility now has living spaces for up to 14 researchers, a library for old documents, and offices for staff.

The house and grounds were even shown in the 1980s TV show Miami Vice. The estate was also the starting point for The Amazing Race All-Stars in 2007.

A Look Back: Estate History

The Richmond Cottage Story

The Richmond Cottage a year after it was purchased by Charles Deering in 1916.

The Richmond Cottage was built by S. Howard Richmond. He was an agent for the Perrine Land Grant Company. He built it as his family home in the late 1800s. Back then, the area was a small pioneer town called Cutler. In 1900, an addition was built, turning the home into a 22-room hotel. Richmond's wife, Edith M., managed the hotel. The Richmond Cottage 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 to the estate. These included a carriage house, a pump house, and a power house. He also built a limestone and concrete wall around his property. He even created a boat turning basin in Biscayne Bay. In 1922, he finished building his three-story Mediterranean Stone House and moved to Cutler.

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 features special limestone, 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 with refrigerators 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 to the house, which was very modern for 1922!

The Stone House has a large wine cellar on the first floor. This cellar was not found until 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 be a place to show off his art collection and books.

Who Was Charles Deering?

Portrait of Charles Deering, around 1914, by Ramon Casas i Carbó

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 of money to good causes (a philanthropist).

In 1873, Deering graduated from the United States Naval Academy. He served as an officer in the Navy until 1881. After that, Deering became the secretary of his father's company. This company later joined with McCormick Harvesting Machine Company to become International Harvester in 1902. After the merger, Deering became the chairman of the board for International Harvester.

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

Ancient History: Burial Mound

The Cutler Burial Mound is a very old mound on the Charles Deering Estate. It is one of the few ancient mounds left in Miami-Dade County. The mound is about 38 feet long and 20 feet wide at its base, and about five feet tall. Objects found in the mound are from the Glades II and III periods. People have disturbed the mound many times over the years. In the 1860s, Henry Perrine, Jr., removed some skulls while looking for treasure. Ralph Munroe also dug in the mound in the 1890s. In the 20th century, kids from the neighborhood dug in the mound and took out 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 boardwalk.

Ancient History: Fossil Site

In 1979, a sinkhole on the Deering Estate was found to contain bones of ancient animals from the Pleistocene era. Along with these animal bones, bones and tools from early humans were also found. This important site was later bought by Miami-Dade County. It is now part of the Charles Deering Estate Park.

Hurricane Andrew's Impact

Buildings on the Deering Estate with still-water marks from storm surge measured at 16.5 feet (5.0 m)

On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. It was a very powerful Category 5 hurricane, one of the strongest tropical storms to ever hit the United States. Its winds reached 165 miles per hour. 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 buildings near the water were hit hard by waves that reached as high as the second floor. The water rose more than 16 feet from sea level, causing major flooding. 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 reopened to the public in 1999 and officially in 2000.

Art and Events at Deering Estate

The Arts at Deering Estate

The Deering Estate Foundation continues Charles Deering's love for art and artists. The estate offers workshops for artists. It also has programs where artists can live and work at the estate, or just have a studio there. This program has been running since 2006 and has hosted over 90 artists. To help spread art throughout the community, the Deering Estate works with local groups that also want to promote art. The estate also partners with local universities like Florida International University and Miami-Dade College. They even have connections with universities in Chicago and Illinois. Through these schools, they offer internships where students can learn hands-on. Art shows, performances, and other projects are created through these partnerships.

Fun Events at Deering Estate

The Deering Estate hosts many events that focus on art and bringing the community together. Some events include caroling, nature tours, historic kayaking trips, night hikes, bird watching, and even ghost tours! The estate also has "community-action days" where volunteers can help clean or improve the landscape.

For kids aged six to fourteen, they offer "Teacher Planning Days." These events happen on days when schools have teacher planning days, so kids don't have school. Instead, they can come to the Deering Estate for an educational day. During these days, students get to explore science through nature. The estate also has Homeschool Enrichment programs. These programs help provide a well-rounded education for homeschooled students. They are divided into three age groups, starting at age five and going up to age fourteen. Finally, the estate offers career enrichment workshops for adults, especially for teachers and other staff from Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

The Deering Estate Foundation

The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc., started in 1989. Its 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 the natural environment and restore historical buildings. The foundation's offices are located in Palmetto Bay, Florida. It is a charitable organization that works closely with the Deering Estate.