Miami is known for over the top and expensive realestate, but one mansion in particular stands
out above the rest. Hi everyone, Ken here, welcome to "ThisHouse"!! Today we are exploring Villa
Vizcaya. Make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode of "ThisHouse"
James Deering was born to a wealthy family. His father, William Deering,
had founded the Deering Harvester Company which revolutionized agriculture.
With the use of the companies machines, farmers could now harvest an entire acre
of grain in just one hour, a job which used to take days. After dropping out of college in 1880,
William hired James to act as the company’s treasurer where he served that role for 22 years.
In 1902, J.P Morgan and Company began purchasing and consolidating farm equipment manufacturing
companies to form the agricultural giant known as International Harvester.
This purchase made the already well-to-do Deering Family one of the wealthiest in the nation.
James was promoted to the role of Vice President in the newly formed company and
began purchasing large estates in New York City, Chicago, and Paris, France where he
would entertain foreign dignitaries and secure international contracts for farm machinery.
All the while, he had become a significant supporter of the arts,
collecting antiques and paintings from some of the world’s foremost artists. By 1909,
International Harvester was running smoothly, so the need for James’ involvement became minimal,
essentially allowing him to retire with a fortune and began planning his winter vacation house.
In 1910, he traveled to the newly established South Florida where Henry
Flagler had just finished laying out streets. We covered this part of Florida’s history in
a recent video which I’ll pin in the video description if you would like to learn more,
but for now, let’s just jump right into it.
James purchased 180 ocean front acres in Miami’s Coconut Grove. The land was teeming with life,
boasting untouched mangroves and densely forested with native, tropical fauna.
To best preserve the natural beauty, James hired a team of architects, interior designers, landscape
designers, and engineers to layout plans for a palatial estate which would not interfere with
the unspoiled ecosystem. 10 acres along the beach were set aside for a formal estate and gardens.
The house was designed to blend Mediterranean Revival
and Italian Renaissance revival styles with nods to the baroque.
After 4 years of planning, construction started in 1914 and went on until 1922 when it was finished
at a grand cost of 15 million dollars, the modern day equivalent of nearly 270 million dollars.
Unlike many grand estates which aimed to emulate European design,
Villa Vizcaya attempted to connect historical styling to Florida’s natural environment
by incorporating coral to accent its limestone and concrete construction.
Approaching the Villa from the Sea, guests would find the mansion towering
above a stone caravel as waves broke on its statuary. They would then cross a bridge,
modeled after the foot bridges of Venice, Italy, to begin winding through the gardens.
Out buildings and pavilions were dotted throughout the landscape and accented
by lush gardens of both domestic and exotic plants. Losing yourself in the formal gardens,
you could explore grottos and swimming pools emphasizing this blending the forces of human
artistry and nature as statuary was allowed to become overgrown and colored with moss.
You could find everything from rose gardens to vegetable gardens and grazing fields where
fruit could be plucked straight from a tree, enjoying a fresh snack amidst the
sound of gently trickling water flowing through the property’s many fountains.
Making our way into the house, we will enter the East Loggia, where limestone columns support
pointed arches ornamented with artisan plaster details above an elaborate tile mosaic floor.
This will lead us towards the inner courtyard where the line between interior and exterior
spaces becomes blurred as tropical plants reach towards the glass ceiling.
Organized off the courtyard are several other loggias, including what is referred to as the
Enclosed Loggia where various types of stone are granted hierarchy for various architectural
elements against muted pastels coloring frescoes with hues reflecting the natural fauna.
As we circulate around the courtyard, we will find the front door tucked away
in the Entrance Loggia, guarded by lions on its curving stoop.
First, we will see the reception room where dark and light colors dramatically
contrast with each other beneath a muted ceiling carrying a crystal chandelier,
the form of which echoes the native branches of palms as they fan overhead.
Next, we will travel to the opposite corner of the house where we will make a grand entrance
into the living room. Where a floor to ceiling stone fireplace stands with relief work freeing
itself into statuary as it rises towards the ceiling. Here we will also find a pipe organ
appearing nearly as a shrine to music with art panels containing its innerworkings.
We will now pass back through the East Loggia to find the Music Room. Radiating with golden hues,
gilded wall panels are elegantly paired with parquet flooring below a playful
chandelier emerging with colorful flowers draped from brass vines.
The ceiling boasts hand stenciling as well as murals, and if we look closely,
we can see that these are not floral motifs, but rather coral motifs.
Set adjacent is the Dining Room where tapestries are hung on the
walls and marble Corinthian pillars act as pedestals in venetian fashion.
The coffered ceiling becomes a maze of plaster work and hand stenciling
in sandy tones above a geometric red border mimicking waves where it meets the pale walls.
Unlike the dark libraries of the Gilded Age, This room was brightly colored with yellow paint set
behind figurative white plaster artistry. The furniture was upholstered with rose tones, and,
furthermore, the books displayed behind glass cases echoed this color scheme.
To explore the second floor, lets wind our way up the spiral staircase where iron spindles
vary in size and shape, delicately supporting a dainty handrail. From the top, we can look down
to see an eight pointed star at the landing’s mosaic center. Looking up, the rounded ceiling
converges on a skylight, inset with mirrors to further illuminate the chandelier’s evening light.
Each bedroom boasted its own theme while tying back into the house’s overall aesthetic. You would
find rooms with gilded wall panels and antique French furniture, while others offered nods to the
Egyptian revival style with trunks and souvenirs scattered about to create an air of adventure.
No matter which bedroom you found yourself in, elaborate displays of artistry abounded
with hand stenciling and murals fit between ornate layers of custom millwork with no two
light fixtures being the same nor any two fireplaces being identical in the least.
For all the lavish comforts, there were rooms for more practical use, such as the sitting
room where overstuffed furniture provided comfort at the end of a long day of sailing.
Behind the palatial features of the villa, functional technology could be
found. The first telephone in Miami-Dade county was installed in this house.
James also had full bathrooms installed at a time when the average household was still using
outhouses and bathhouses. For entertaining guests, his servants would prepare meals
in a state of the art kitchen, and then serve them on his fine collection of assorted china.
When James passed away in 1925, he had never married nor had children,
so he left the bulk of his fortune to various arts foundations and hospitals. Villa Vizcaya, however,
was left to his two favorite nieces Barbara Danielson and Marion McCormick who maintained
and enjoyed the mansion until it became too costly to maintain following damage from hurricanes.
They attempted to keep the Villa in the family by selling off 130 of the estate’s untouched acres,
then, in 1952, the donated the Villa and remaining 50 acres to Miami-Dade County to be
used as the Dade County Art Museum. Since then, it has withstood several hurricanes, leading to
expensive repairs which required several rounds of fundraising to address. Today, it continues to
serve the public as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens and is open year round for tours.
Which room was your favorite? Let me know down below in the comments section. If you enjoyed this
video, you might enjoy our recent videos About John Glessner’s House and his involvement with
International Harvester as well as this video about Henry Flagler’s house and his monumental
effort to lay out infrastructure in Florida. If you haven’t yet, make sure to hit that
subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode. I’ll see you next time on "ThisHouse"