Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, a National Historic Landmark, was the winter home of industrialist James Deering. Completed in 1922, Vizcaya was conceived as a modern and subtropical interpretation of eighteenth-century Italian villas found at country estates of the Veneto region of northern Italy. Its designers adapted traditional Mediterranean architectural elements to the subtropical climate with a remarkable sensibility for environmental issues. Artistic Director Paul Chalfin advised Deering on the home's design, while architect Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr. executed their vision. Vizcaya’s ten-acres of European-inspired gardens, designed by landscape architect Diego Suarez, are among the most elaborate in the US. Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is located on Biscayne Bay, just south of the downtown Miami and Miami Beach. Part of the quaint community of Coconut Grove, Vizcaya is a beautiful oasis in Miami, conveniently accessible by car, bicycle, ride-share or public transportation with a Metrorail stop at Vizcaya Station.
Highlights
Vizcaya’s highlights include elaborately decorated interior rooms and a classical European Renaissance and Baroque landscape, using native plant materials in an aesthetic arrangement that evokes sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Italian and French gardens. Also, of note is the Barge, a boat-shaped stone structure in Biscayne Bay built as a breakwater to protect the house and terraces from waves. Originally accessed by boat, the Barge featured fountains, trees and plants and a gazebo. The mythical sea creatures and grotesques that decorate the Barge were commissioned by James Deering and designed by American sculptor Stirling Calder (father of sculptor Alexander Calder).
Inside Iconic Houses
Want to get the inside scoop on this iconic Gilded Age estate? Join the online tour of Vizcaya in our Inside Iconic Houses series. This hour-long ZOOM tour is led by the people who know Vizcaya best – Executive Director and CEO Joel Hoffman, Curator Helena Gomez, Conservator Kelly Ciociola and Senior Director of Horticulture & Sustainability Ian Simpkins. They will walk you through the Main House, formal gardens and Vizcaya Village, sharing highlights and inside stories you would never hear during a regular visit. You can stream the tour via the webshop.
