Villa Vizcaya

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This article is about the Italian Renaissance and Baroque style estate; Villa Vizcaya

For other uses, see Villa Vizcaya (disambiguation).

Villa Viscaya from the water

Villa Vizcaya is an Italian Renaissance and Baroque style estate in Miami, Florida, United States designed by the internationally-known architect F. Burrall Hoffman. The museum consists of Villa Vizcaya, its grounds, and the museum's collections which cover 10 acres (40,000 m²) of land on Biscayne Bay. It contains over 70 rooms decorated with 16th through 19th century furnishings and European decorative art. Thirty-five rooms are currently open to the public.

The estate was built by James Deering, a major figure in Miami's early history and a Vice President of the International Harvester Company. He used it as a winter home from 1916 to the time of his death in 1925. In 1952, Miami-Dade County purchased the estate's buildings, then in decline, for $1 million in revenue bonds and Deering's heirs donated the estate's furnishings and art to the County.

It is now open to the public as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The villa and botanical garden are currently owned by Miami-Dade County and are located at 3251 South Miami Avenue in Coconut Grove. It is currently a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public daily except for Christmas Day.

[edit] Vizcaya's Gardens

Vizcaya and its gardens

The palatial villa is surrounded by outstanding formal gardens, statuaries, fountains, and hidden grottoes. Sadly, major damage from hurricanes has left in ruins such monuments as the sculptural breakwater barge in the bay that was designed to be an allegorical representation of Cleopatra's Barge, and the Peacock Bridge, which spanned a small canal that divides the estate with land now occupied by Mercy Hospital.

The gardens were designed by Colombian landscape architect Diégo-Suarez, and influenced by Renaissance Italian and French design. They include a hedge maze, and a good collection of orchids in the David A. Klein Orchidarium. Collections include much of the home's original furniture and artwork, which remain in pristine condition. It is sometimes called the "Hearst Castle of the East", and has been accredited by the American Association of Museums.

It should be noted Viscaya was selected as the setting where then President Ronald Reagan formally welcomed Pope John Paul II on the pontiff's first visit to Miami.