Vizcaya: A Classical Home a Stone’s Throw From Miami

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we see a home inspired by classic Italy in southern Florida.

Vizcaya’s 54-room mansion opens up to lavish tropical gardens and views of Biscayne Bay from the dock. The property was designed as an indoor-outdoor pavilion with a courtyard plan defined by two axes: east–west and north–south. A lush forest shields the home from the sights and sounds of modern Miami. Robin Hill/Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

The modern skyline of Miami is less than three miles away, yet its contrast with the classical beauty of Vizcaya could not be greater. This classical home was built between 1914 and 1922 for industrialist James Deering (1859–1925) on the shores of Biscayne Bay. Deering chose Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr., who had attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, to plan the overall architecture.

The 45,225-square-foot home (almost 10 times the size of a professional basketball court) incorporates Deering’s design ideas and elements that he acquired in Europe, especially from the 18th-century country estates in the Veneto region of northern Italy.