View source for Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

{{short description|Historic house in Florida, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                 = Vizcaya <!-- This is the NHL & NRHP name. Please do not change. -->
| nrhp_type            = nhld
| image                = Villa Vizcaya 20110228.jpg
| image_size           = 325px
| caption              = Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in February 2011
| location             = 3251 South Miami Avenue<br />[[Miami]], [[Florida]], U.S.
| coordinates          = {{coord|25|44|37|N|80|12|37|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin             = Miami, Florida#USA Florida#USA
| nocat                = yes
| built                = 1914–23<ref name=fhtp>{{cite web|url=http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=dade |title=Dade County listings |date=February 20, 2007 |work=Florida's History Through Its Places |publisher=Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927013641/http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=Dade |archive-date=September 27, 2014 }}</ref>
| architect            = [[F. Burrall Hoffman]] (architect), [[Paul Chalfin]] (designer),  and [[Diego Suarez (garden designer)|Diego Suarez]] (landscape architect)<ref name=fhtp/>
| architecture         = [[Mediterranean Revival architecture|Mediterranean Revival Style]]; with [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]],<ref name=nhlsum/> [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]],<ref name=fhtp/> [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Italian Renaissance Revival]]<ref name=nrhpinv>{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|id=70000181}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination|date=October 1993|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| designated_nrhp_type = April 19, 1994<ref name=nhlsum>{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1797&ResourceType=Building|title=Vizcaya|access-date=June 21, 2008|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202190336/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1797&ResourceType=Building|archive-date=December 2, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| added                = September 29, 1970<ref name = nris/>
| visitation_num       =
| visitation_year      =
| area                 = {{convert|43|acre}}
| refnum               = 70000181<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| increase             = November 15, 1978
| increase_refnum      = 78003193
}}

The '''Vizcaya Museum and Gardens''', previously known as Villa Vizcaya, is the former [[villa]] and [[Estate (land)|estate]] of [[businessperson|businessman]] [[James Deering]], of the Deering McCormick-[[International Harvester]] fortune, on [[Biscayne Bay]] in the present-day [[Coconut Grove, Miami|Coconut Grove]] neighborhood of [[Miami|Miami, Florida]]. The early 20th-century Vizcaya estate also includes extensive [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]] gardens, native woodland landscape, and a historic village outbuildings compound.

The landscape and architecture were influenced by [[Veneto]] and [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]] models and designed in the [[Mediterranean Revival architecture]] style, with Baroque elements. [[F. Burrall Hoffman]] was the architect,<ref name="BH">{{cite web |title=Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr., the Architect |url=http://vizcaya.org/about-francis-burrall-hoffman-architect.asp |website=Vizcaya Museum and Gardens |access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> [[Iwahiko Tsumanuma]] (also known as Thomas Rockrise) was the associate architect,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dubrow |first1=Gail |title=Practicing Architecture Under the Bamboo Ceiling: The Life and Work of Iwahiko Tsumanuma (Thomas S. Rockrise), 1878-1936 |journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians |date=2021 |volume=80 |issue=3 |pages=280–303|doi=10.1525/jsah.2021.80.3.280 |s2cid=241643066 }}</ref> [[Paul Chalfin]] was the design director, and [[Diego Suarez (garden designer)|Diego Suarez]] was the landscape architect.<ref name="DS">{{cite web |title=Diego Suarez, the Landscape Architect |url=http://vizcaya.org/about-diego-suarez-landscape-architect.asp |website=Vizcaya Museum and Gardens |access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref>

[[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]] now owns the Vizcaya property, as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, which is open to the public.<ref name="miamitodaynews-accessibility-vizcaya"/> The location is served by the [[Vizcaya (Metrorail station)|Vizcaya Station]] of the [[Metrorail (Miami)|Miami Metrorail]].

== Etymology ==
[[File:Coco Grove FL Vizcaya mansion and barge pano01.jpg|thumb|Vizcaya Mansion (on right) and its stone barge (on left)]]
The estate's name refers to the northern Spanish province [[Biscay]], "Vizcaya", in the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque]] region along the east Atlantic's [[Bay of Biscay]], as the estate is on the west Atlantic's [[Biscayne Bay]]. Records indicate Deering wished the name also to commemorate an early Spaniard named Vizcaya who he thought explored the area, although later he was corrected that the explorer's name was [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]]. Deering used the [[caravel]], a type of ship style used during the [[Age of Exploration]], as the symbol and emblem of Vizcaya. A representation of the mythical explorer "Bel Vizcaya" welcomes visitors at the entrance to the property.

== History ==
[[File:The famous architect Ti stepping out.jpg|thumb|''The famous architect Ti stepping out of his tomb to offer to build Chim's new palace in Florida'', a 1912 portrait]]
[[File:Vizcaya Deering to Chalfin 19160726 Homebuilderangst 1.jpg|thumb|[[James Deering]]'s letter to [[Paul Chalfin]], discussing purchase of tapestries]]
[[File:Telephone at Vizcaya.jpg|thumb|Telephone at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens]]
[[File:Coco Grove FL MoSaSTP04.jpg|thumb|The [[Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science]] on the Vizcaya property]]
The estate property originally consisted of {{convert|180|acre|ha}} of shoreline [[mangrove]] wetlands and dense inland native tropical forests. Being a [[conservation movement|conservationist]], Deering sited the development of the estate portion along the shore to conserve the forests. This portion was to include the villa, formal gardens, recreational amenities, expansive [[lagoon]] gardens with new islets, [[kitchen garden|potager]] and grazing fields, and a village services compound. Deering began construction of Vizcaya in 1912, officially beginning occupancy on [[Christmas]] Day 1916, when he arrived aboard his yacht [[USS Nepenthe (SP-112)|''Nepenthe'']].<ref name=LaV>{{cite web |title=Life at Vizcaya |publisher=Vizcaya Museum & Gardens |year=2018 |url=http://vizcaya.org/about-life-at-vizcaya.asp }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bartle |first1=Annette |year=1989 |title=Vizcaya retains touch of the Renaissance |journal=Doylestown Intelligencer |issue=April 2, 1989 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/doylestown-intelligencer-apr-02-1989-p-109/ |access-date=September 2, 2018}}</ref>

The villa was built primarily between 1914 and 1922, at a cost of $15 million,<ref>{{citation
|title=Florida. A Guide to the Southernmost State
|date=1939
|place=New York
|author=Federal Writers' Project
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|page=168}}</ref> while the construction of the extensive elaborate [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]] gardens and village continued into 1923. Deering used Vizcaya as his winter residence from 1916 until his death in 1925. During [[World War I]], building trades and supplies were difficult to acquire in Florida.

Vizcaya is noteworthy for adapting historical European aesthetic traditions to South Florida's [[subtropics|subtropical]] [[ecoregion]]. For example, it combined imported French and Italian garden layouts and elements implemented in Cuban [[limestone]] [[stonemasonry|stonework]] with Floridian [[coral]] architectural trim and planted with sub-tropic compatible and [[native plant]]s that thrived in the [[habitat]] and [[climate]]. [[Arecaceae|Palms]] and [[philodendron]]s had not been represented in the emulated gardens of [[Tuscany]] or [[Île-de-France (region)|Île-de-France]].

In 1910, interior decorator [[Elsie de Wolfe]] introduced<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vizcaya.org/about-timeline.asp#1910|title=Miami-Dade County - Timeline|date=August 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823033726/http://www.vizcaya.org/about-timeline.asp#1910|archive-date=2015-08-23}}</ref> Deering to [[Paul Chalfin]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Paul Chalfin, the Artistic Director |url=http://vizcaya.org/about-paul-chalfin-artistic-director.asp |website=vizcaya.org |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512072933/http://vizcaya.org/about-paul-chalfin-artistic-director.asp |archive-date=2015-05-12}}</ref> a former art curator, painter, and interior designer, who became the project's director.<ref name=nhlsum/> He assisted and encouraged Deering to collect art items, antiquities, and architectural elements for the project. Chalfin recommended the architect [[F. Burrall Hoffman]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr., the Architect |url=http://vizcaya.org/about-francis-burrall-hoffman-architect.asp |website=vizcaya.org |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418050404/http://vizcaya.org/about-francis-burrall-hoffman-architect.asp |archive-date=2015-04-18}}</ref> to design the structure and facade of the villa, garden pavilions, and estate outbuildings.

In 1914, during a visit to [[Villa La Pietra]] in [[Florence]], Deering and Chalfin met<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vizcaya.org/about-timeline.asp#1914|title=Miami-Dade County - Timeline|date=August 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823033726/http://www.vizcaya.org/about-timeline.asp#1914|archive-date=2015-08-23}}</ref> Colombian landscape designer [[Diego Suarez (garden designer)|Diego Suarez]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Diego Suarez, the Landscape Architect |url=http://vizcaya.org/about-diego-suarez-landscape-architect.asp |website=vizcaya.org |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627010745/http://vizcaya.org/about-diego-suarez-landscape-architect.asp |archive-date=2015-06-27}}</ref> Suarez, the designer of the landscape master plan and individual gardens, trained with Sir [[Harold Acton]] at the gardens of Villa La Pietra.<ref name=vizcayadotorg-hist>[http://www.vizcayamuseum.org/learn-history.asp Vizcaya's History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412135545/http://www.vizcayamuseum.org/learn-history.asp |date=April 12, 2010 }}, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens official site</ref> Suarez originally planned to model the garden after a 16th century Italian Villa Garden in Viterbo.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=CDonn |date=2019-09-17 |title=Diego Suarez, Landscape Architect for Vizcaya's gardens |url=https://vizcaya.org/suarez/ |access-date=2024-04-07 |website=Vizcaya |language=en-US}}</ref> However, he realized the plans were not conducive to the landscape and opted for an Italian renaissance style. Suarez collaborated with  Chalfin for the decorative elements of the garden. To achieve the aged look Deering desired, they incorporated, mature trees, vines, draping plants, coral stone sculptures, and antiques. Suarez wanted to give the garden an exaggerated perspective and made the garden mound, an artificial hill, the focal point. Beyond the mound, he created several room like sections: the central space, Secret Garden, The Theater Garden, Maze Garden, and Fountain Garden.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Gardens |url=https://vizcaya.org/collections/gardens/about-gardens/ |access-date=2024-04-07 |website=Vizcaya |language=en-US}}</ref> Each section is uniquely decorated and features carefully chosen greenery. The garden is filled with exotic plants like peach palms, giant elephant ears, Borneo giants, Regina's disco lounges, and Cuban Royal Palms. Unfortunately, Chalfin and Suarez had too many clashing ideas for the finishing touches of the gardens and Suarez left the project in 1917.<ref name=":1" />

Vizcaya's villa exterior and garden architecture is a composite of different [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]] villas and gardens, with [[French Renaissance]] [[parterre]] features, based on visits and research by Chalfin, Deering, and Hoffman.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://vizcaya.org/house-overview.asp|title=Vizcaya Museum & Gardens - House Overview|date=July 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730131146/http://vizcaya.org/house-overview.asp|archive-date=2015-07-30}}</ref> The villa facade's primary influence is the ''[[Villa Rezzonico]]'' [[:it:Villa Rezzonico|(it)]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bosch |first1=Richard |title=Villa Rezzonico at Bassano del Grappa (VI) |url=http://www.richardboscharchitect.com/Villas_of_the_Veneto/Villas_of_the_Veneto_part_2/Pages/Villa_Rezzonico.html |website=Richard Bosch Architect |access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref> designed by [[Baldassarre Longhena]] at [[Bassano del Grappa]] in the [[Veneto]] region of northern Italy.<ref name=vizcayaamermaker>[https://books.google.com/books?id=oZPWM2qSJrIC&dq=Rezzonico+Bassano+del+Grappa+vizcaya&pg=PA34 Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers] by [[Witold Rybczynski]], [[Laurie Olin]], Steven Brooke</ref><ref name=vizcayaamerhouse>[https://books.google.com/books?id=PFfWsVBuvLIC&dq=Rezzonico+Bassano+del+Grappa+vizcaya&pg=PA269 The American Country House] by [[Clive Aslet]]</ref><ref name=histpresquart>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nRVUAAAAMAAJ&q=Rezzonico+Bassano+del+Grappa+vizcaya Historic Preservation: Quarterly of the National Council for Historic Sites] by National Council for Historic Sites and Buildings, [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] in the United States]</ref> Vizcaya is sometimes referred to as the "[[Hearst Castle]] of the East".<ref name=frommers>[http://www.frommers.com/destinations/miami/A25266.html The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens], [[Frommer's]]</ref>

Vizcaya Museum also features [[Gilded Age]] technology. There are old doorbells, a dumbwaiter, and a rotary-dial telephone. Vizcaya's telephone system was the first in Miami-Dade County.

Deering died in September 1925, on board the [[steamship]] [[SS City of Paris (1920)|SS ''City of Paris'']] en route back to the United States. After his death Vizcaya was inherited by his two nieces, Marion Deering McCormick, wife of Chauncey McCormick, and Barbara Deering Danielson, wife of Richard Ely Danielson. Over the decades, after hurricanes and increasing maintenance costs, they began selling the estate's surrounding land parcels and outer gardens. In 1945, they sold significant portions of the Vizcaya property to the Catholic [[Diocese]] of [[St. Augustine, Florida]], to build Miami's [[Mercy Hospital (Miami)|Mercy Hospital]]. {{convert|50|acre|m2}} comprising the main house, the formal gardens, and the village were retained.<ref name=vizcayadotorg-hist/><ref name=histtravguide/>

In 1952, Miami-Dade County acquired the villa and formal Italian gardens, which needed significant restoration, for $1 million. Deering's heirs donated the villa's furnishings and antiquities to the County-Museum.<ref name=vizcayadotorg-hist/><ref name=histtravguide>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0mvXBHbPY9MC&dq=1952+vizcaya+bonds&pg=PA226 Historical Traveler's Guide to Florida] by [[Eliot Kleinberg]]</ref> Vizcaya began operation in 1953 as the Dade County [[Art Museum]]. The village and remaining property were acquired by the county during the mid-1950s. In 1994, the Vizcaya estate was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name=nhlsum/> In 1998, in conjunction with Vizcaya's reaccreditation process by the [[American Alliance of Museums]], the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust was formed to be the museum's governing body.

In 1960, the [[Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science|Miami Science Museum and Space Transit Planetarium]] was built on the area of Vizcaya across from the main building.

==1971 robbery==
On March 22, 1971, three individuals from [[New York City]] stole approximately $1.5 million in artworks and silver items from the Villa Vizcaya, some of which were of historical value.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://flashbackmiami.com/2014/10/22/vizcaya/ |title=Vizcaya |publisher=Flashback Miami |date=October 22, 2014 |access-date=June 28, 2016}}</ref> The trio of reputed jewel thieves was arrested on March 25, 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19710325&id=m99YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dfgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4803,2833529&hl=en|title=Trio Arrested with Silver in New York|date=March 25, 1971|website=Spokane Daily Chronicle|access-date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> Sergeant Tom Connolly from the [[New York City Police Department]] raided the [[Manhattan]] apartment of [[Vojislav Stanimirović (criminal)|Vojislav Stanimirović]] and his wife, Branka, and arrested them. The couple's accomplice, Alexander Karalanović, was also arrested, and all three were charged with suspicion of stolen property and possession of a dangerous weapon. From the Stanimirovićs' apartment, approximately $250,000 of the stolen goods was recovered. Sergeant Connolly stated that included in the theft was a virtually priceless silver bowl that once belonged to [[Napoleon Bonaparte]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=799&dat=19710325&id=FbBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UlIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7298,5036065&hl=en|title=Big cache of art, jewelry; trio arrested|date=March 25, 1971|website=The Bryan Times|access-date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> According to Sergeant Connolly, the three perpetrators had been under surveillance for four months for unrelated jewel burglaries that they had carried out in the [[47th Street (Manhattan)#Diamond District|Manhattan Diamond District]]. NYPD Captain Thomas Kissane said that the vast majority of the precious items stolen from the Vizcaya were never recovered.

== Vizcaya Museum and Gardens ==
[[File:Living Room Organ.jpg|thumb|The living room organ]]
[[File:I Villa Vizcaya, Miami, FL, USA (2).jpg|thumb|The estate's pool]]
<blockquote>"Miami-Dade in 2017 entered into a long-term operating and management agreement with Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust Inc., a local nonprofit. The county still provides funds for “upkeep, maintenance, renovations and operations … in the form of annual budget appropriations and grants.” — [[Miami-Dade County Commissioner|Miami-Dade Commissioner]] Joe Martinez —[[Miami Today]]"<ref name="miamitodaynews-accessibility-vizcaya"/></blockquote>

The estate is now known officially as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, which consists of {{convert|50|acre|m2}} with the villa and the gardens, and the remaining native forest. The estate is a total of {{convert|50|acre|m2}}, of which {{convert|10|acre|m2}} contain the [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]] [[formal garden]]s, and {{convert|40|acre|m2}} are circulation and the native [[Hammock (ecology)|hammock]].<ref name=vizcayadotorg-hist/><ref name=vizcayabonnet/> This beautiful landscape is packed with unique decor and tons of history. The complimentary audio tour provides a great selection-paced tool to explore this marvelous mansion and its surroundings. There are tons of nooks and crannies to explore, making it a great place to spend hours discovering all its wonders.<ref>{{Cite web |title=vizcaya museum and gardens |url=https://exploreyourplaces.com/vizcaya-museum-gardens-miami-florida/ }}</ref>

The villa's museum contains more than seventy rooms of distinctive architectural interiors decorated with numerous antiques, with an emphasis on 15th through early 19th-century [[Europe]]an [[decorative art]] and furnishings.<ref name=vizcayadotorg-hist/><ref name=vizcayabonnet>[http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/vizcaya-and-bonnet-house.html 11 Most Endangered - Vizcaya and Bonnet House] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630013141/http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/vizcaya-and-bonnet-house.html |date=June 30, 2008 }}, PreservationNation - [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]]</ref> Amongst the furnishings are ceramics, the originals of which were shipped from England in 1912 but sank along with the Titanic. Luckily, Deering had taken out insurance and had them replaced.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inside Vizcaya Museums & Gardens in Miami |url=https://humanresearch.xyz/inside-vizcaya-museum-gardens-in-miami/ |website=Human Research |access-date=March 14, 2019|date=March 14, 2019 }}</ref>

Vizcaya was built with an open-air courtyard and extensive gardens on Biscayne Bay. As such, the estate has been subject to environmental and hurricane damage, the latter notably in 1926, 1992, and 2005. Miami-Dade County has granted money ($50 million) for the restoration and preservation of Vizcaya. These funds have been matched by grants from [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|FEMA]], [[Save America's Treasures]], and numerous other funders. Plans include restoration of the villa and gardens, and adaptation of the historic village compound for exhibition and educational facilities; however, additional funds are required for this. The completed first phase of the project included rebuilding of the museum's cafe and shop (in historic recreation areas of the building adjacent to the pool), renovation of the North and South Gate Lodges that flank South [[Miami Avenue]], and rebuilding of the David A. Klein Orchidarium in a plan that generally uses historic precedent. At the same time, Vizcaya has completed the first half of a major conservation program of its outdoor sculpture collections. With a consulting landscape architect, Vizcaya has also finished a comprehensive cultural landscape report, which will be a vital tool in the ongoing restoration of the formal gardens.

[[1926 Miami hurricane|The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926]] devastated the greater Miami area including Vizcaya. The estate's historic rose garden was destroyed after saltwater seeped in, decimating the roses and preventing growth thereafter. Vizcaya's horticultural team partnered with the Tropical Rose Society of Miami to help bring some roses back to Vizcaya's gardens 100 years later. However, the historic rose garden, now known as the fountain garden, has not been returned to its former glory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vizcaya.org/posts/roses/|title=Roses Return After 100 Years - Vizcaya}}</ref>
One of Vizcaya's outdoor restoration project challenges included the estate's swimming pool grotto, built in 1916. The pool is only one of two public places in the world to feature a surviving mural by [[Robert Winthrop Chanler]], a prominent American artist. The ceiling mural was designed in 1916, depicting an underwater fantasy scene filled with creatures and marine life. Shells are embedded into the plaster mural of the scene.<ref name="Chanler">{{Cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/vizcaya-restores-iconic-swimming-pool-grotto-and-rare-mural-by-robert-winthrop-chanler-8490514|title=Vizcaya Restores Iconic Swimming Pool Grotto and Rare Mural by Robert Winthrop Chanler|first=Clarissa|last=Buch|website=Miami New Times}}</ref>

In 1992 and 2005, the swimming grotto was submerged during hurricanes. The combination of floods and Miami's climate have led to preservation challenges and are a priority to the museum. The State of Florida and the Division of Emergency Management's Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program provided Vizcaya with a grant of $194,000 to help prevent future damage to the historic estate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vizcaya.org/posts/finding-solutions-for-flood-resilience/|title=Finding Solutions - Vizcaya|date=13 November 2019}}</ref>

In 2008 the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] listed Vizcaya as one of America's Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places.<ref name=historythreat>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080521/ap_tr_ge/travel_yesterday_s_places_endangered_places |title=Threats to history seen in budget cuts, bulldozers |access-date=June 21, 2008 |last=Barrett |first=Devlin |date=May 21, 2008 |publisher=Yahoo! News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603000929/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080521/ap_tr_ge/travel_yesterday_s_places_endangered_places |archive-date=June 3, 2008 }}</ref> As noted by the National Trust's website, Vizcaya's inclusion on this list was based on the threat of proposed highrise development on neighboring property. Specifically, the National Trust stated: "Unless development is blocked or an intervention occurs, this cultural landscape will be permanently damaged by the construction of three high-rise condominium towers within Vizcaya's historic viewshed."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/vizcaya-and-bonnet-house.html |title=Plan your next trip with the National Trust &#124; National Trust for Historic Preservation |access-date=June 21, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630013141/http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/vizcaya-and-bonnet-house.html |archive-date=June 30, 2008 }}</ref> The proposed highrises were blocked by two court rulings and, in 2010, the City of Miami included viewshed protection for historic properties such as Vizcaya in its new zoning code, Miami 21.

Other types of events are hosted by the museum to collect funds for its preservation. For example, every Halloween, Vizcaya organizes a costume party, where people from all around Florida attend in costume.

Vizcaya participates in Baynanza, Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day, an annual community event to clean up the most important ecological system in South Florida. During the event, Vizcaya encourages participants to capture Biscayne Bay's beauty with a photography contest. The event usually takes place on Earth Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page|title=Baynanza|website=www.miamidade.gov|access-date=2020-04-13|archive-date=2021-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418061046/https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== State occasions ==
Vizcaya was the 1987 venue where President [[Ronald Reagan]] received [[Pope John Paul II]] on his first visit to Miami.<ref name="reaganlib">{{Cite web|url=http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/photographs/leaders.html|title=Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, National Archives and Records Administration|website=www.reagan.utexas.edu|access-date=June 21, 2017|archive-date=March 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308001103/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/photographs/leaders.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=floridafun>[https://books.google.com/books?id=63zaTKGv7YIC&dq=vizcaya+reagan+pope&pg=PA106 Florida Fun Facts] by [[Eliot Kleinberg]]</ref>

Vizcaya was the 1994 location of the first '[[Summit of the Americas]]', convened by [[Bill Clinton|President Bill Clinton]]. The thirty-four nations' leaders that met at Vizcaya created the '[[Free Trade Area of the Americas|Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)]],' that all the hemisphere's countries, except [[Cuba]], could join for national and corporate trade benefits.

== Americans with Disabilities Act ==
<blockquote>"Vizcaya was a very modern house. Many are surprised to learn that it was built largely of reinforced concrete, with the latest technology of the period, such as generators and a water filtration system. Vizcaya was also equipped with heating and ventilation, two elevators, a dumbwaiter, a central vacuum-cleaning system and a partly automated laundry room."— ''Vizcaya Museum & Gardens''<ref>{{cite web |title=House Overview |url=http://vizcaya.org/house-overview.asp |website=Vizcaya Museum & Gardens |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730131146/http://vizcaya.org/house-overview.asp |archive-date=2015-07-30}}</ref></blockquote>

Vizcaya was built with a residential elevator, but it is closed to the public. Vizcaya does not meet ADA standards.<ref name="miamitodaynews-accessibility-vizcaya">{{cite web |last1=Scheckner |first1=Jesse |title=Accessibility to historic Vizcaya under microscope |url=https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2020/09/01/accessibility-to-historic-vizcaya-under-microscope/ |website=Miami Today |access-date=21 June 2021 |date=2020-09-01 |quote=The floors of the estate, built nearly a century ago, were uneven in places. Many parts of the grounds both inside and in the gardens outside couldn’t be accessed by wheelchair....We were told there was no elevator for them to get to the second floor of the house...The museum has two wheelchair lifts to help visitors gain access to the grounds from the parking lot. One works, though Vizcaya temporarily removed its four on-site wheelchairs in May to reduce touchpoints during the pandemic. The other still awaits repairs for damages sustained during Hurricane Irma in 2017....Miami-Dade in 2017 entered into a long-term operating and management agreement with Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust Inc., a local nonprofit. The county still provides funds for “upkeep, maintenance, renovations and operations … in the form of annual budget appropriations and grants,” Mr. Martinez’s item said.}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
[[File:Casino - Vizcaya Museum and Gardens - Miami, Florida - DSC08671.jpg|thumb|The [[casino]] of the villa, which was filmed as the lair of the Mandarin in ''[[Iron Man 3]]'']]
Vizcaya has provided the setting for many films, both credited and uncredited. Deering himself enjoyed watching silent films in Vizcaya's courtyard, and he had a particular interest in the works of [[Charlie Chaplin]]. External pictures of Vizcaya can be seen in the films ''[[Tony Rome]],'' ''[[Ace Ventura: Pet Detective]],''<ref name=aceventelle>[http://celebrity.elle.com/movie-locations-Ace+Ventura:+Pet+Detective+1994 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective]</ref><ref name=aceventloc>{{Cite web|url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/a/aceventura.html|title=Ace Ventura - Pet Detective filming locations|access-date=2008-06-21|archive-date=2010-01-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131123938/http://movie-locations.com/movies/a/aceventura.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Any Given Sunday]],''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146838/locations|title=Any Given Sunday (1999) - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref> ''[[Bad Boys II]]'', ''[[Airport '77]]'', ''[[Haunts of the Very Rich]]'', ''[[The Money Pit]]'', ''[[The Champ (1979 film)|The Champ]]'', ''[[This Thing of Ours (film)|This Thing is Ours]]'', ''[[Dostana (2008 film)|Dostana]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1185420/locations|title = Friendship (2008) - IMDb|website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref> ''[[Daring Game]]''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Villa+Vizcaya+-+3251+S.+Miami+Avenue,+Miami,+Florida,+USA|title=Filming Location Matching "Villa Vizcaya - 3251 S. Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida, USA" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)|website=IMDb}}</ref> and ''[[Iron Man 3]].'' The music video for [[The Cover Girls]]' 1988 song "Promise Me" was filmed at Vizcaya,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_MkSoEKkpg][[The Cover Girls]]<span> song "Promise Me"</span> at [[YouTube]]</ref> as were the music videos for [[New Edition]]'s "[[I'm Still in Love with You (New Edition song)|I'm Still In Love With You]]" and [[Cristian Castro]]'s song [[Si Tú Me Amaras]] from 1997. Vizcaya was often used as the setting for the South Florida filming of the wedding reality show ''[[Four Weddings]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/events/fl-xpm-2012-07-25-sfl-four-weddings-on-tlc-features-broward-brides-20120725-story.html|title=TLC's "Four Weddings" features Fort Lauderdale brides|first=Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun|last=Sentinel|website=Sun-Sentinel.com|date=July 25, 2012 }}</ref> The daytime soap opera ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' also had scenes filmed at Vizcaya.<ref name=":0" />

The estate can be seen in the background of various photographs taken by photographer [[Bunny Yeager]] of model [[Bettie Page]] during their working relationship in the 1950s.<ref>''Bettie Page: Queen of Curves'' (2014) Petra Mason (Author), Bunny Yeager (Foreword){{ISBN|9780789327482}}</ref>

Vizcaya is also an extremely popular location for weddings and other special events, given the site's architectural and natural beauty. For decades, the estate has been a subject of photography, and is a favored site for photographs of women celebrating their [[quinceañera]] (15th birthday).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Vizcaya-Museum-Seeks-Quinceanera-Photos-For-Exhibition-302191521.html|title=Vizcaya Seeks Quinceañera Photos Through the Years|work=NBC 6 South Florida|access-date=June 22, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

On April 18, 2012, the [[American Institute of Architects|AIA]]'s Florida Chapter placed Vizcaya on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.floridapeopleschoice.com/|title=Start Voting for Your Favorite Florida Architecture!|website=2021 People's Choice Award (Florida Architecture)}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="160px" mode="packed">
File:Vizcaya-front-entrance-for-wikipedia-by-tom-schaefer-miamitom-DSC08337-513x402a-1-.JPG|Estate Entrance at S. Miami Ave.
File:VizcayaMansion.JPG|Vizcaya: Entrance drive view of north Villa facade
File:Vizcaya from south gardens.JPG|West view of Villa from the [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]] gardens.
File:Vizcaya-view-from-the-mound-for-wikipedia-by-tom-schaefer-miamitom-DSC08675-412x515-1-.jpg|Vizcaya: west Villa [[Façade]] from the garden [[casino]]
File:Caravel suspended from ceiling at Vizcaya IMG 20190917 160349481.jpg|Caravel suspended from the ceiling at Vizcaya
File:Spiral staircase at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, ground floor looking up.jpg|Spiral staircase inside the house at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
File:Organ - Vizcaya.jpg|Living Room Organ at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Architecture|Gardening}}

* [[Charles Deering Estate]]
* [[List of botanical gardens in the United States]]

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* Griswold, Mac and Weller, Eleanor (1991) ''The Golden Age of American Gardens, proud owners-private estates 1890 - 1940'' New YorkL Harry N. Abrahms. {{ISBN|0-8109-2737-3}}
**A comprehensive account
* Harwood, Kathryn C. (1985) ''Lives of Vizcaya''. Banyan Books, Miami.
* Maher, James T. (1975) ''Twilight of Splendor: Chronicles of the Age of American Palaces''. Boston: Little, Brown.
**A comprehensive account.
* Ossman, Laurie (text) and Sumner, Bill (photographs) (1985_ ''Visions of Vizcaya''. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens/Miami-Dade County, Miami.
*Urbec, K. (2023). Exploring Archival Silences: A 1922 Estate Manager’s Diary Offers a New Voice From the Archives at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. ''Collections'', 19(4), 583-599. https://doi.org/10.1177/15501906231189210
* [[Witold Rybczynski|Rybczynski, Witold]] and Olin, Laurie (text); Brooke, Steven (photographer) (2006) ''Vizcaya:  An American Villa and Its Makers'' Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press 
**In depth study of villa, gardens, and the creative team.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://vizcaya.org/}} <!-- https://blaknissan.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/villa-vizcaya-florida-millionaire-estate/ -->

{{Greater Miami}}
{{North America topic|Architecture of}}
{{Revivals}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Florida}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Vizcaya Museum and Gardens| ]]
[[Category:1923 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Architecture museums in the United States]]
[[Category:Botanical gardens in Florida]]
[[Category:Coconut Grove (Miami)]]
[[Category:Gilded Age mansions]]
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[[Category:Houses completed in 1922]]
[[Category:Houses in Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida]]
[[Category:Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums]]
[[Category:Italian Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:Italianate architecture in Florida]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Revival architecture in Florida]]
[[Category:Museums in Miami]]
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[[Category:Tourist attractions in Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:Villas in the United States]]
[[Category:Visionary environments]]