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The Stories of Vizcaya

Happy Days In Egypt

Vizcaya has a new offering for visitors on the first floor of the Main House. The “Happy Days in Egypt” exhibition is now displayed in the Entrance Hall surrounded objects and architectural elements depicting mythological tales from the ancient world.

An artist’s impression of life at Vizcaya in 1917

Prominent American artist John Singer Sargent came to Miami in 1917. At Vizcaya, Sargent produced watercolors that captured vistas of the estate along with rare moments and a glimpse of staff leisure that provide a unique record of life at Vizcaya.

Who was James Deering?

James Deering (1859–1925) was a retired millionaire and a bachelor in his early fifties when he undertook the challenge to build an elaborate estate in South Florida—Vizcaya.

Preserving historical drawings

Vizcaya’s architectural drawings and construction photographs provide essential information about the estate.

Diego Suarez, Landscape Architect for Vizcaya’s gardens

Diego Suarez (1888–1974), was born in Bogotà to a Colombian father and an Italian mother. Following the death of his father, Suarez moved to Florence, Italy, with his family. There he studied architecture at the Accademia di Belle Arti (the Italian equivalent of the French École des Beaux Arts). While still a student, he became

Vizcaya’s agricultural past in Miami’s urban core

Four years ago, Vizcaya entered into a partnership with edible South Florida to present an annual Dinner for Farmers, a progressive farm-to-table meal in the Village designed to honor farmers and the work they do to feed our community.

Francis Burrall Hoffman, the Architect

To the manor born Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr. (1882–1980) came from an affluent, socially prominent New York family. He was educated at Georgetown and graduated from Harvard in 1903. He subsequently enrolled at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, then the preeminent architectural training program in the world. A foundation for fame After graduating

What’s in a name?

Inspired by the Age of Discovery, when European ships traveled around the world in search of new trading routes, James Deering wanted to create a myth that his Miami estate was named after an explorer and should embody South Florida history and legends.

Paul Chalfin, the accidental artistic director

Back in the United States, Chalfin begin to work with influential interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe (1865 – 1950), and in 1910, when James Deering asked her to decorate his apartment on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, she passed the commission to Chalfin. That was the beginning of a collaboration that lasted more than a

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