Miami is home to spectacular mansions. Unfortunately the closest you can get to most of then is via a boat tour around Biscayne Bay. I tried to access some of the mansions on Star Island from the MacArthur Causeway, however, once I saw the security gate I turned around. Fortunately there are two mansions that are easily accessible and open to the public: Villa Vizcaya and The Coral Castle.
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VILLA VIZCAYA
John Deering created the company international harvester in the late 1800s and used his earnings to construct an Italian / Mediterranean style mansion on Miami's southern shores for winter retreats. Villa Vizcaya is 100 years old but constructed to make it look like a 400 year old Italian mansion. The property has been featured in numerous films, most notable as the setting of a dinner party in Ace Ventura, including the outdoor pool who's railing Ventura deftly maneuvers around. I made a mental note twenty years ago that if I was ever in Miami I'd check the place out - it turns out the mental note wasn't necessary as the mansion is listed as a top attraction in every guide book. |
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Photos are not allowed of the interior, which isn't that photo worthy anyway. For as impressive as the building is from the outside, aside from the courtyard, the rest of the interior is relatively bland. A lot of the American wealth acquired in the 1800s was used to purchase antiques from Europe. As a result each room in Villa Vizcaya is decorated with wall carpets and ornamental furniture.
The outside gardens and the view of the back of the house from the boat dock are the movie inspirational views.
The outside gardens and the view of the back of the house from the boat dock are the movie inspirational views.
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THE CORAL CASTLE
The Coral Castle takes Miami mansions in an opposite direction. Ed Leedskalnin was a Latvian who after having his heart broken moved to the US. After a few odd jobs, Ed moved to Florida in an attempt to unsuccessfully cure his tuberculosis. This part of Florida has coral bedrock starting six inches below the ground. Ed began digging and building and after 28 years had completed a castle. The castle has various features that indicate Ed never quite got over having his heart broken and the castle seems to be as much a form of physical therapy as it does a building. Beyond the physical feats of lifting 30 tons of coral, there are also minor engineering feats, such as the only sun dial in the world that tells the time, day, month, and season. |
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