The Stories of Vizcaya

Featured Objects, History of Vizcaya, People and Ideas, Preservation & Conservation, Style

Preserving historical drawings

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

Design and the Natural Environment, History of Vizcaya, Horticulture, People and Ideas, Story, Style

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

History of Vizcaya, People and Ideas

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

People and Ideas

A Little Historic Banking

Two recent acquisitions to Vizcaya Museum and Garden’s archives are banking checks that were paid to William Deering in 1883. These checks were drawn on the Kenton Savings Bank of Ohio, and include stamps on front and back as well as a machined center hole and cut that were made during the cancellation process.

People and Ideas, Style

Rococo at Vizcaya: Exuberant and Fantastical

Rococo is a style known for its exuberant natural forms, and it is abundant at Vizcaya. First appearing in France and Italy in the 1730s, Rococo was considered light and theatrical—and it was a bold, but apt, choice for a South Florida winter home. At Vizcaya, you’ll find Rococo design in the sinuous garden parterres,

History of Vizcaya, People and Ideas

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

The Stories of Vizcaya

Preserving historical drawings

Diego Suarez, Landscape Architect for Vizcaya’s gardens

Francis Burrall Hoffman, the Architect

A Little Historic Banking

Rococo at Vizcaya: Exuberant and Fantastical

Paul Chalfin, the accidental artistic director

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MORE FROM VIZCAYA

The Stories of Vizcaya

Preserving historical drawings

Diego Suarez, Landscape Architect for Vizcaya’s gardens

Francis Burrall Hoffman, the Architect

A Little Historic Banking

Rococo at Vizcaya: Exuberant and Fantastical

Paul Chalfin, the accidental artistic director

More on our Social Channels

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