Outrageous Mansions In S. Florida
Deering Estate
16701 Southwest 72nd Avenue
Palmetto Bay, FL 33157
(305) 235-1668
www.deeringestate.com
Located along the edge of Biscayne Bay, the 444-acre Deering Estate is an environmental, archeological and historical preserve. But it's also the site of Charles Deering's home. After his death in 1927, the Deering Estate sat frozen in time for nearly six decades. The houses were immaculately maintained and filled with fine art and antiques (now in private collections and museums worldwide) but virtually unoccupied. The Estate offers daily tours of the historic houses– the Stone House and Richmond Cottage, the first hotel between Coconut Grove and Key West.
Casa Casaurina
1116 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33033
(305) 576-8003
This 3-story Mediterranean-style mansion once belonged to fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was shot and killed on the steps of the famed mansion in 1997. It was the only private home on Ocean Drive. Since then, morbid curiosity has led plenty of people to visit the steps where the murder took place. The palatial estate was built in the 1930s with intricate Italian architecture. Casa Casuarina is now a private club and 10-room hotel.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
3251 South Miami Avenue
Miami, FL 33129
(305) 250-9133
www.vizcayamuseum.org
This Italian Renaissance and Baroque style mansion in Miami was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and now is a museum and botanical garden that is open to the public. Villa Vizcaya was the summer home of James Deering, a vice president of the International Harvester Company, from 1916 until he died in 1925. The estate is located on 10 acres of land on Biscayne Bay, and it has more than 70 rooms decorated with furniture from the 16th through 19th century.
Bonnet House Museum & Gardens
900 North Birch Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304-3326
(954) 563-5393
www.bonnethouse.org
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Ft. Lauderdale landmark, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is a mix of art, architecture, history and ecology. The estate covers 36 acres and was once the winter retreat of the Birch/Bartlett family. The historic house designed by Frederic Clay Bartlett, and built in 1920. On display are collections of art and personal treasures. The surrounding grounds of the estate remain a virtual oasis of coastal wilderness and informal gardens, nestled amid the commercial development of the Fort Lauderdale beachfront.
The Kennedy Compound
1095 N. Ocean Blvd.
Palm Beach, FL 33480
The 11-bedroom home called "La Guerida" which means "bounty of war", served as the "Winter White House" during the John F. Kennedy administration. Originally built in 1923, the house was sold in 1933 to Joseph Kennedy as a family vacation home for $120,000. It was totally renovated in the 1990s and went on the market in 1993 for $7 million. It finally sold in 1995 for nearly $5 million to New York banker John K. Castle, who has preserved the "Winter White House" for future generations.
