Vizcaya Museum and Gardens facts for kids
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Vizcaya
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Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in February 2011
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 Location in Miami
Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3251 South Miami Avenue Miami, Florida, U.S. |
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| Area | 43 acres (17 ha) |
| Built | 1914–23 |
| Architect | F. Burrall Hoffman (architect), Paul Chalfin (designer), and Diego Suarez (landscape architect) |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Revival Style; with Baroque, Italian Renaissance, Italian Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000181 (original) 78003193 (increase) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | September 29, 1970 |
| Boundary increase | November 15, 1978 |
| Designated NHLD | April 19, 1994 |
The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, once called Villa Vizcaya, was the amazing home and estate of James Deering. He was a rich businessperson from the Deering McCormick-International Harvester family. This beautiful place is located on Biscayne Bay in the Coconut Grove area of Miami, Florida.
This estate from the early 1900s has huge Italian Renaissance gardens. It also features natural woodlands and a historic village with smaller buildings.
The design of Vizcaya was inspired by Veneto and Tuscan Italian Renaissance styles. It was built in the Mediterranean Revival architecture style, with some Baroque touches. F. Burrall Hoffman was the main architect. Paul Chalfin was the design director, and Diego Suarez was the landscape architect.
Today, Miami-Dade County owns Vizcaya. It is now the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and it's open for everyone to visit. You can even get there by Miami Metrorail at the Vizcaya Station.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Vizcaya" comes from a northern Spanish province called Biscay. This area is in the Basque region, along the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic Ocean. Since the estate is on the west Atlantic's Biscayne Bay, the name fits perfectly.
Records show that James Deering wanted the name to honor an early Spanish explorer. He thought the explorer's name was Vizcaya. Later, he learned the explorer's name was actually Sebastián Vizcaíno.
Deering chose the caravel as Vizcaya's symbol. A caravel is a type of ship used during the Age of Exploration. A statue of a mythical explorer, "Bel Vizcaya," greets visitors at the entrance.
Building Vizcaya's History
The land for Vizcaya was originally 180 acres (73 ha) of mangrove wetlands and thick tropical forests. James Deering was a conservationist. He decided to build the estate along the shore to protect the forests.
This part of the estate included the main house, fancy gardens, fun areas, and a village for services. Deering started building Vizcaya in 1912. He officially moved in on Christmas Day 1916, arriving on his yacht, the Nepenthe.
The main house was built mostly between 1914 and 1922. It cost about $15 million. The huge Italian Renaissance gardens and village continued to be built until 1923. Deering used Vizcaya as his winter home from 1916 until he passed away in 1925.
European Style in Florida
Vizcaya is special because it mixed old European styles with South Florida's subtropical climate. For example, it used French and Italian garden designs. These were built with Cuban limestone and Floridian coral details.
The gardens were planted with plants that grow well in this warm climate. You'll see palms and philodendrons. These plants were not found in the gardens of Tuscany or Île-de-France that inspired Vizcaya.
The Design Team
In 1910, a designer named Elsie de Wolfe introduced Deering to Paul Chalfin. Chalfin was an art curator and designer. He became the project's director. He helped Deering collect art, old items, and building parts for Vizcaya. Chalfin suggested F. Burrall Hoffman as the architect for the main house and other buildings.
In 1914, Deering and Chalfin met Diego Suarez in Italy. Suarez was a landscape designer. He created the master plan for Vizcaya's gardens. Suarez first wanted to copy a 16th-century Italian garden. But he realized it wouldn't work with the land. So, he chose an Italian Renaissance style instead.
Suarez and Chalfin worked together on the garden's decorations. To make the garden look old, they added mature trees, vines, and coral stone sculptures. Suarez wanted the garden to look bigger than it was. He made an artificial hill, called the garden mound, the main focus. Beyond the mound, he made different "room-like" sections. These included the Secret Garden, the Theater Garden, the Maze Garden, and the Fountain Garden. Each section has unique decorations and special plants.
The garden is full of interesting plants like peach palms and giant elephant ears. Unfortunately, Chalfin and Suarez had different ideas for the final touches. Suarez left the project in 1917.
Vizcaya's design combines ideas from many Italian Renaissance villas and gardens. It also has French garden features. The main house's front looks a lot like the Villa Rezzonico in Italy. Vizcaya is sometimes called the "Hearst Castle of the East."
Modern for its Time
Vizcaya also had very modern technology for its time. It had old doorbells, a dumbwaiter (a small elevator for food), and a rotary-dial telephone. Vizcaya's telephone system was the first in Miami-Dade County!
The house was built with a residential elevator. However, it is not open to the public today. While Vizcaya was very modern when it was built, accessibility standards have changed over time.
Vizcaya After Deering
James Deering passed away in September 1925. His two nieces, Marion Deering McCormick and Barbara Deering Danielson, inherited Vizcaya. Over the years, after hurricanes and rising costs, they started selling parts of the land. In 1945, they sold a large part of Vizcaya to build Mercy Hospital. About 50 acres (200,000 m2) remained, including the main house, gardens, and village.
In 1952, Miami-Dade County bought the villa and gardens for $1 million. Deering's family gave the house's furniture and old items to the county. Vizcaya opened as the Dade County Art Museum in 1953. The rest of the property was bought by the county in the mid-1950s.
In 1994, Vizcaya was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important historical place. In 1998, the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust was created to manage the museum.
In 1960, the Miami Science Museum and Space Transit Planetarium was built on Vizcaya's land, across from the main house.
Exploring Vizcaya Today
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Today, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens covers 50 acres (200,000 m2). This includes the villa, the beautiful Italian Renaissance formal gardens (about 10 acres (40,000 m2)), and the natural hammock forest. This amazing place is full of unique decorations and lots of history.
You can take a free audio tour to explore the mansion and its surroundings at your own pace. There are many hidden spots to discover, making it a great place to spend hours.
The villa's museum has over seventy rooms. They are filled with unique designs and many old items. You'll see European decorative art and furniture from the 15th to early 19th centuries. Some original ceramics were shipped from England in 1912 but sank with the Titanic. Luckily, Deering had insurance and got them replaced!
Protecting Vizcaya's Beauty
Vizcaya was built with an open-air courtyard and large gardens right on Biscayne Bay. This means it has been damaged by weather and hurricanes. Big hurricanes hit in 1926, 1992, and 2005.
Miami-Dade County has given money ($50 million) to restore and protect Vizcaya. Other groups like FEMA and Save America's Treasures have also helped. Plans include fixing the villa and gardens. They also want to turn the historic village into exhibition and education areas.
The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 badly damaged Vizcaya. The historic rose garden was destroyed when saltwater flooded it. Vizcaya's garden team is working to bring some roses back.
One big restoration challenge is the estate's swimming pool grotto, built in 1916. This pool is one of only two public places in the world with a surviving mural by Robert Winthrop Chanler. The ceiling mural, designed in 1916, shows an underwater fantasy scene with sea creatures. Shells are even pressed into the plaster mural.
In 1992 and 2005, hurricanes flooded the grotto. The floods and Miami's climate make preservation difficult. The State of Florida has given Vizcaya a grant to help prevent future damage.
In 2008, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Vizcaya as one of America's Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places. This was because tall buildings were planned nearby. These buildings would have blocked Vizcaya's historic views. But two court rulings stopped the highrises. In 2010, the City of Miami added rules to protect views for historic places like Vizcaya.
The museum also hosts events to raise money for its preservation. For example, every Halloween, Vizcaya has a costume party. People from all over Florida come dressed up.
Vizcaya also takes part in Baynanza, the Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day. This is an event to clean up South Florida's most important natural system. During the event, Vizcaya holds a photography contest to capture the bay's beauty. This usually happens on Earth Day.
Important Events at Vizcaya
Vizcaya has hosted some very important events.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan welcomed Pope John Paul II to Miami at Vizcaya. This was the Pope's first visit to the city.
In 1994, Vizcaya was the location for the first 'Summit of the Americas'. President Bill Clinton brought together leaders from thirty-four nations. They created the 'Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)'. This agreement would allow all countries in the Americas, except Cuba, to join for trade benefits.
Vizcaya in Movies and More
Vizcaya has been a filming location for many movies and music videos. James Deering himself enjoyed watching silent films in Vizcaya's courtyard. He especially liked movies by Charlie Chaplin.
You can see Vizcaya in movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bad Boys II, and Iron Man 3. Music videos for songs like "Promise Me" by The Cover Girls and "I'm Still In Love With You" by New Edition were also filmed here. The TV show Days of Our Lives has also filmed scenes at Vizcaya.
The estate has also been a popular spot for photographers. Model Bettie Page was photographed there in the 1950s by Bunny Yeager.
Vizcaya is a very popular place for weddings and other special events. Its beautiful architecture and gardens make it a favorite spot for photos. Many young women celebrating their quinceañera (15th birthday) have their pictures taken there.
On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter put Vizcaya on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
Images for kids
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Estate Entrance at S. Miami Ave.
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Vizcaya: Entrance drive view of north Villa facade
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West view of Villa from the Italian Renaissance gardens.
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Caravel suspended from the ceiling at Vizcaya
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Spiral staircase inside the house at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
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Living Room Organ at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
See also
In Spanish: Villa Vizcaya para niños
