Saturday was a free admission day to the old Charles Deering Estate. I hadn't been there in years so we decided to check it out.
Charles Deering's brother, James, built the magnificent Vizcaya further north on Biscayne Bay. This place is not nearly as ornate and extravagant as Vizcaya, but certainly has it's own charm.
Looking out the back door of the house, this is what you see...it sure must've been nice to wake up to that each day!
The house is not really furnished completely like Vizcaya is. It was virtually destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, so I imagine a lot of things were lost. Besides, I believe the place was still owned by the Deering family at that time, so who knows really what original things were still in the house.
Below is the dining room. I love the bookshelves!
This was the only painting hanging on the wall that I knew who the artist was.
The doors look like wood in the picture, but they are copper.
Right next door to the "Stone House" is the "Richmond Cottage". It appears to be used mainly as a place for the "resident artists" to hang their works. No furnishing inside, but it is still cute. I could definitely see myself living in that place!
My favorite room in the cottage.
The grounds of the estate are have yielded some very important archaeological artifacts. The Tequesta used to live there and many tools and fossils have been unearthed there.
Out back is the old carriage house.
All in all, I'd say we had a good day, but it would've been more interesting if we had gotten in on one of the guided tours. If you're ever in Miami and want to see something more than the beach, I recommend taking a drive down Old Cutler Road to the Deering Estate...it's just fun to imagine what it must have been like to live there a hundred years ago.
