Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami, Florida

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Miami, Florida

Updated: 6/23/2009
v2009-07a


Addreess:		3251 South Miami Avenue Miami, FL 33129

Phone:		305-250-9133

Fax:		305-285-2004

Email:

Web:		www.vizcayamuseum.org

Admissions:		Adult $15 Child 6-12 $6 Miami-Dade County Resident Adult with ID $10 Miami-Dade County Resident Child 6-12 $ 5 Children 5 and Under Free Seniors 62 and older with ID $10 Students with ID $10 Visitors using wheelchairs $10 Adult $15 Child 6-12 $ 6 Miami-Dade County Resident Adult with ID $10 Miami-Dade County Resident Child 6-12 $ 5 Children 5 and Under Free Seniors 62 and older with ID $10 Students with ID $10 Visitors using wheelchairs $10

Hours:		Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Open daily except Christmas Day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Description:		Vizcaya was built by agricultural industrialist James Deering, who wintered on the property from 1916–1925. Today, the extraordinary European-inspired estate includes a Main House filled with art and antique furnishings, ten acres of foraml gardens on Biscayne Bay, a hardwood hammock (native forest), and an historic village that we’re restoring for public enjoyment. Vizcaya is distinguished as a National Historic Landmark and accredited by the American Association of Museums. We invite you to visit this serene and stunningly beautiful retreat in the heart of Miami.
History:		Year Founded: 1952 Vizcaya was the winter residence of American industrialist James Deering from Christmas 1916 until his death in 1925. Deering was a Vice President of the International Harvester Company, which produced agricultural equipment for a worldwide market. He chose a bayfront site in Miami for his tropical winter home because of the location’s temperate winter climate and his appreciation of the native hardwood hammock. In addition, his father, William, had already settled in Coconut Grove and his half brother, Charles Deering, would soon develop an estate at Cutler, in what is now south Miami-Dade County. The latter is now operated as The Deering Estate at Cutler. At the time of Vizcaya’s construction, Miami’s population was around 10,000. More than 1,000 workers were employed in the Vizcaya project, including laborers and craftsmen from the Caribbean and Europe. In addition to the house and gardens, the complex included a farm, livestock, and a variety of other service facilities covering 180 acres on both sides of South Miami Avenue. When he began building his winter home, Deering engaged the assistance of Paul Chalfin, a young New York painter, to supervise the entire project. Deering and Chalfin traveled throughout Europe surveying residential architecture for ideas and obtaining components such as doors, wall panels, mantels and ceilings that would be incorporated into the proposed home. Also working on the project were architect F. Burrall Hoffman and Colombian landscape architect Diego Suarez. The house was intended to appear as an Italian estate that had stood for 400 years and had been occupied and renovated by several generations of a family. It has 34 decorated rooms with 15th through 19th century antique furnishings and art objects. The house appears to be only two stories high but between the main public rooms and the bedrooms, there is an intervening level with 12 rooms for servants and service. Vizcaya intends to open these rooms to the public in the near future, thereby introducing new stories about those who lived and worked at the house. The expansive gardens combine elements of Renaissance Italian and French designs. Future programs will place greater emphasis on interpreting and presenting these gardens. Suarez and Chalfin worked for seven years, perfecting the design of the gardens as one vast outdoor room with the elements serving as complementary parts of an integrated area. Key features include the many fountains, a central pool surrounding an elevated island, the elevated Mound with its small house, or “Casino,” statuary, and several themed gardens. After Deering’s death in 1925, a minimal staff maintained the house. The hurricane of 1926, which devastated much of Miami, extensively damaged the house, surrounding grounds and formal gardens. Deering's heirs, Marion Deering McCormick and Barbara Deering Danielson, contacted the estate's original designer, Paul Chalfin, who oversaw the first restoration of Vizcaya in 1933-4. The McCormicks and Danielsons attempted to operate the estate as an attraction, but another major hurricane in 1935 overwhelmed their efforts. Eventually most of the land was sold for development. In 1952, Deering’s heirs generously conveyed the main house and formal gardens to Dade County, for a sum below the actual value. In 1955, the County exercised an option to acquire the village as well. Deering's heirs donated the estate's substantial furnishings and art to the County on condition that Vizcaya be used as a public museum in perpetuity. Over the years the effects of South Florida’s humid climate and salt air have taken their toll on Vizcaya, necessitating continuous restoration. Although the house’s design allowed the free flow of breezes through the open courtyard, the need to preserve the building and contents required the installation of a climate and humidity control system, including enclosing the open courtyard in glass.
Staff:		Dr. Joel M. Hoffman, Executive Director Phone: 305-860-8422 Email: Holly Blount, Marketing Director Phone: 305-860-8451 Email: Ralph Castillo, Chief of Security Phone: 305-860-8458 Email: Jim Rustin, Maintenance Supervisor Phone: 305-860-8440 Email: Kyndal Campbell, Director of Intragovernmental Affairs Phone: 305-860-8450 Email: Luis Correa, Deputy Director for Administration Phone: 305-860-8438 Email: Dennis Fruitt, Deputy Director for Advancement Phone: 305-860-8445 Email: Remko Jansonius, Collections and Archives Manager Phone: 305-860-8433 Email: Wendy Wolf, School, Youth & Family Programs Manager Phone: 305-860-8435 Email: Ann M. Loshaw, Deputy Director for Learning Phone: 305-860-8436 Email: Gina Wouters, Assistant Curator Phone: 305-860-8453 Email: Dr. Flaminia Gennari, Deputy Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs Phone: 305-860-8434 Email: Liane Proctor, Volunteer Guides Program Manager Phone: 305-860-8439 Email: Anne Doten, Grants Manager Phone: 305-860-2254 Email: Leigh Heinlein, Capital Projects Manager Phone: 305-860-8449 Email: Adrienne Kaiser, Events Director Phone: 305-860-8448 Email:

Museum Type:		Art, Botanical Garden, History, Historic House

Governance:		Public board of Miami-Dade County Governing Authority: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust

This information, including business hours, addresses and contact information is provided for general reference purposes only. No representation is made or warranty is given as to its content or the reliability thereof. User assumes all risk of use. Florida Association of Museums assumes no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use. Please call ahead to verify the dates, the location and directions.