Vizcaya Gardens and Museum
Written by: William Sergio
Recently, BioResponse Restoration became the primary disaster mitigation, water restoration, and mold remediation vendor of the Vizcaya Gardens and Museum. Notably, few locations in Miami are as historically significant as Vizcaya Gardens and Museum. Vizcaya Gardens and Museum is listed in various articles, publications, and websites as one of the best things to do in Miami. Vizcaya Gardens and Museum has a rich history and is also a massive piece of land (over 50 acres).
Who was James Deering?
Who was James Deering? James Deering was a member of the Deering family whose wealth was accumulated from their stake in the J.P. Morgan bank. Then, James Deering made a fortune from agricultural machinery. After accumulating massive amounts of money, James Deering decided to build a massive villa in Miami.
At first, Vizcaya Gardens and Museum was just meant to be a winter villa vacation home, but it ended up becoming Deering’s primary estate towards the end of his life. Deering had another estate that he lived in called the Deering Estate, but it is not the same as Vizcaya Gardens and Museum.
James Deering
History of Vizcaya Gardens and Museum
In the early 1900s, Florida was essentially a giant swamp. When they decided to build Vizcaya Gardens and Museum, they were building it on a swamp within inland tropical forests.
John Deering wanted to conserve the forests and preserve many of the natural elements when building his massive villa. Originally Vizcaya was over 180 acres, but now it currently is around 50 acres. Over the years it was sold off in pieces until eventually, it became the property of Miami Dade County.
It took 8 years to complete Vizcaya Gardens and cost roughly $15 million. One of the fascinating aspects of Vizcaya Gardens is that they imported European designs and layouts mixed with Cuban limestone stonework. The exterior garden architecture is based on Italian Renaissance villas and gardens.
Vizcaya Today
What became of the massive villa in the heart of Miami?
Eventually, it became a museum for people to visit. After years of being owned by the Deering family and their estate, they eventually started selling off acres of land until eventually, it became the property of Miami Dade County.
Over the years, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has expanded its assortment of plants. There are over 2,000 specimens of orchids and other plants in Vizcaya Gardens and Museum. Inside the museum, you will find that much of the original furnishings and artworks are still intact. Back in 1971, there was a robbery where some of the precious items stolen were not recovered.
Throughout the years, Vizcaya Gardens and Museum has been used to conduct important events and ceremonies. In 1987, Ronald Reagan met with Pope John Paul II. Then in 1994, Bill Clinton hosted the First Summit of the Americas at Vizcaya Gardens and Museum where 34 world leaders met to talk about trade benefits.
Restoration of Vizcaya
How did we become a vendor for the historical landmark that is Vizcaya Gardens and Museum?
Vizcaya was looking for a vendor to provide equipment, labor, and materials in emergency preparedness and remediation. Specifically, for hurricanes, but also any storm, fire, natural disaster, or related insurance losses. As a 15-year Miami Dade County vendor and having performed remediation work on historic properties including Miami’s first schoolhouse, BioResponse Restoration was selected from a large pull of applicants.
Words cannot even begin to express how grateful we are to be vendors of such a historical landmark. The president and co-founder of BioResponse Restoration said it best, “As a born and raised Miamian I am proud to have the honor of protecting this Miami Community jewel. I’ll never forget the first time visiting this beauty, going to the Halloween parties and other great events as well as the many times I’ve taken visitors to see it from the Bayside.”
Miami Restoration and Remediation Services
Why choose BioResponse Restoration?
With over 15 years of experience, we are a professional and licensed mold remediation, biohazard, water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, COVID-19 decontamination, and emergency roofing company.
Starting as one of Miami’s premier biohazard companies, we shifted into mold remediation and water damage restoration where we began to make a name for ourselves in South Florida. BioResponse Restoration is a preferred vendor for Miami Dade County, City of Miami and now we can proudly add Vizcaya Gardens and Museum to our list of accomplishments.
