We've been in Miami for about a week, waiting for a good weather window to cross to the Bahamas. We've had a chance to catchup with some of Tom's cousins, we've become reacquainted with Starbucks and other modern amenities that haven't been available for the past few months, and we've visited some interesting parks and museums. One museum, Vizcaya, really stands out from the rest.
Vizcaya was the winter home of James Deering, a vice president of International Harvester and an heir to the IH fortune. It was built during the gilded age in the United States when fortunes were made that make the Gates' and Buffett's fortunes pale in comparison. This was the era of the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. It was also an era when these newly rich people built estates to show off their wealth.
Vizcaya was inspired by the grand estates of Europe, and James Deering went on many trips with the mansion's designers to study the European architecture and pick out furnishings. The idea was to make the house look like it was built 400 years ago, with each generation adding its own period furnishings, but adapted to the subtropical climate of Miami. Also, it was built with all of the most modern conveniences available in the early 20th century, including electricity, refrigeration, central heating, telephone and elevators. When James was in residence, it required a staff of 70 to take care of it.
Although the house was very ornate and over-the-top, we were actually a bit more impressed by the gardens and property surrounding the house. At one time, the estate was 180 acres, but it is now much smaller. The house sits on Biscayne Bay, with a channel that comes right to the dock. While we were there, we saw a few boats that appeared to be escorted out of the channel by the coast guard. Were there some dignitaries visiting a nearby property that were leaving after an important meeting?
The gardens are very popular with photographers, and we saw two wedding parties and two girls whom we believe were celebrating their Quinceanera (15th birthday). Although we don't know for sure that any of these parties were being held on the grounds, it was obvious that there would be parties in at least two venues over the weekend.
An orchid garden was another highlight of the visit, and I took a few pictures with my phone, since we didn't have a camera with us.
These additional pictures were taken from the Internet.
Joyce
Coconut Grove (Miami),FL
http://g.co/maps/dfg9t
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