Vizcaya
Field Trip: Saturday May 7,2011
The word Vizcaya comes from a region of Basque, Spain.
Vizcaya was built by James Deering between 1910-1922. James Deering was a wealthy bachelor of rich and refined taste who dedicated the last years of his life creating one of the greatest estates in America, Vizcaya, sometimes referred to as the Hearst Castle of the East. Deering was described in his later years as “a reticent man with impeccably proper manners, leavened by a sense of humor.” Can you say GAY any plainer?
James joined the Deering Harvester Company in 1880 as treasurer. In 1902, a merger with McCormick Reaper Company, formed the International Harvester corporation and the largest producer of agricultural machinery in the nation. James became Vice-President.
The period between the Civil War (1865) and the Great Depression (1929) is often referred to as the Gilded Age. Because of the vast economic growth caused by the industrial revolution, the Gilded Age was characterized by extreme wealth and prosperity.
The Gilded Age produced America’s first millionaire society and included such prominent families as the Vanderbilts, Flaglers, Astors, and Whitneys. Great estates soon started to take shape across the country as these gilded age barons began to erect testaments to their wealth. George Vanderbilt built the Vanderbilt estate in the mountains of North Carolina, Edward Stotesbury, constructed WhiteMarsh Hall and Peter Widener, Lynnwood Hall both in rural Pennsylvania. Railroad tycoon Henry Flagler created Whitehall on the shores of Palm Beach. The late 1800’s and early 1900s were responsible for the most opulent and impressive homes in American history.
In 1910, James Deering started his own home. Deering had his own ideas when it
came to location and that was where his house was to sit. As Deering walked the mangrove path he pointed to the water and insisted, “Place my house on the bay.” Today, we think that’s natural to build a house next to the water, but at the time people didn’t do that. The houses in Newport, RI are far from the sea. Being close to the water is what partly makes Vizcaya Venetian.
Paul Chalfin, a former art curator, painter, and interior designer, was the project’s director. In 1910 Deering and Chalfin traveled through Europe together for the first trip of many over the years, in part to collect ideas and begin acquiring art, antiquities, and furnishings for the new Florida estate.
The Villa Vizcaya is distinguished for its Italian Renaissance inspired Mediterranean Revival architecture, its huge Italian Renaissance revival gardens, and sumptuously designed, detailed, and executed interior architectural elements with European, Asian, and American furnishings, and art and antiquities that span two millennia. The numerous sculptures in the gardens and villa are of ancient Greek, Greco-Roman, and Italian Renaissance origins and styles.
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.
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. The village, located across what is now South Miami Avenue, was built between 1917 and 1922 to house staff—such as a chauffeur, a French chef, a pastry chef, and the estate superintendent—and to support life in the main house. A greenhouse supplied fresh flowers, fruit, and vegetables for Deering, his guests, and staff. Cows provided milk, and chickens furnished a ready supply of fresh eggs. On the precious bayfront property, Deering and Chalfin set aside an area for staff members to use as their own private beach. A simple dance platform encouraged recreation after a day’s hard work.
This should be a fun Saturday. Come join us.
-Steve
