Vizcaya

Vizcaya was the winter residence of industrialist James Deering (1859–1925). It was built in Coconut Grove, just south of Downtown Miami, between 1914 and 1922. It was conceived by its designers as a subtropical interpretation of an eighteenth-century Italian villa, in particular the estates of the Veneto region of northern Italy.

The estate’s Main House and the formal gardens are set amidst subtropical jungle on the shores of Biscayne Bay. The house was designed to take full advantage of its location—Deering wanted Vizcaya to be approached and seen from the sea, and the east façade on the bay is the most monumental, and the only symmetrical one—it opens onto a wide terrace that descends toward the water. Today, Vizcaya is a museum and National Historic Landmark, with a mission to preserve its cultural and environmental resources, connecting people to its fascinating past.