Visiting the Deering Estate
There is so much to see in South Florida.
Following a fun morning at the Redland International Orchid Festival, my one-day visit to the area continued with a tour of the Deering Estate, one of Miami’s premier landmarks and former home of Chicago industrialist, early preservationist, environmentalist, art collector, philanthropist, and first Chairman of the International Harvester Company, Charles Deering. The estate features several outbuildings including the Richmond Cottage, and the Deering's mansion, Stone House. Charles lived on the property from 1922 until his death in 1927. The Deering Estate remained with his heirs until 1986 when it was purchased by the State of Florida.
Enjoy these photos.
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- The Deering Estate, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, sits atop the geological formation known as the Miami Rock Ridge. This ridge has elevations up to 25-feet above sea level and serves as a topographical barrier between Biscayne Bay and the interior basin of the southern Florida peninsula. (Photo courtesy of Deering Estate)
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- Here is the main pathway to the estate. This pathway is lined with royal poinciana trees, Delonix regia, native wild coffee plants, and native gumbo limbo trees, Bursera simaruba.
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- This is a chenille plant, Acalypha hispida. It is also known as the Philippines Medusa, red hot cat’s tail and foxtail. The chenille plant is native to Hawaii and features rich, red clusters of soft pendulous flowers.
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- The Stone House was designed by Beaux-Arts architect, Phineas Paist, who is also known for his work alongside George Merrick in Coral Gables. The structure is made of poured concrete with Miami oolitic limestone. The Stone House and courtyard were completed in 1922 as a fireproof structure to store the massive art collection Charles transported from his homes in Spain, New York, and Chicago. Charles also brought in renowned botanists, David Fairchild and John Kunkel Small, to work on the property’s outdoor grounds.
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- Here is a view of the front lawn from the corner of the Stone House. The columns were hand carved when the house was constructed.
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- Here I am on the front lawn with the key-hole shaped boat basin and Biscayne Bay behind me. The Deering Estate is part of the Biscayne Bay IBA, Important Bird Area, and Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail – a two-thousand-mile, self-guided trail traversing 500-sites located throughout Florida.
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- Just outside the Stone House front window is this red button ginger, Costus woodsonii, with vibrant red torpedo-shaped inflorescences rising above the lush green foliage.
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- Nearby is Richmond Cottage, originally built in 1896 by Samuel and Edith Richmond and used as an inn. It was a modest two-story balloon frame vernacular home. Wood used in the construction was locally available Dade County pine, a particularly dense building material, resistant to termites and decay. In 1916, Charles purchased and renovated the Richmond Cottage and established it as a winter home for himself and his wife, Marion.
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- We toured the inside of Richmond Cottage. This is the entrance hall with a view of the dining room in the back.
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- This is the reception room. On the table is a framed advertisement for the hotel and pages from Edith Richmond’s hotel register. A land survey tool sits in the back corner and on the wall – maps of the Town of Cutler.
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- On the opposite side of the room is the Florida bobcat – this is a taxidermy specimen donated to the Deering Estate for educational purposes. Other bone and shell artifacts from the area are displayed on the left.
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- This is the dining room inside Richmond Cottage – the table is set with the Deering china as they would have preferred.
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- This side table displays etched crystal glassware from Charles and Marion Deering’s collection.
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- Other pieces of the Deering’s dinnerware include gold and red embellished China plates from England, and silver pieces handed down from the Deering family.
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- This icebox dates back to the 1920s and is original to the home.
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- Here is a closer look at the icebox. Iceboxes were the predecessors of the modern-day refrigerator. The earliest versions date back to around 1830. The hollow walls were lined with zinc or tin and packed with insulating materials. There were several storage compartments, including an ice compartment.
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- At one point, Charles grew tired of the ice-man dripping water through the house. This icebox drained directly into the ground and had two doors on the outside of the Cottage, allowing the ice-man to deliver ice without coming inside.
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- Here is the Richmond Cottage Kitchen – decorated with a prep table in front of the oven.
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- Old cake stands made of tin hold faux cakes.
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- The tile plaque is an 18th-century azulejo, or Portuguese glazed tile piece, likely inspired by Dutch tin-glazed earthenware, Delft pottery. Charles Deering’s Spanish residence Maricel in Sitges, Spain, had a rooftop terrace and cloister filled with various azulejo works.
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- Here is one of the old pie tins – I love the saying at the bottom.
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- In one small alcove – this built-in bench, which is also original to the house.
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- And back outside is this lofty fig tree – here when the Deerings lived on the property. Lofty figs are originally from Malaysia. One tree can reach 100-feet in height when mature and almost six-feet in diameter. Its aerial and supporting roots not only entangle the plants, but also form a forest of one tree. What a great day to see this historic estate. If you’re ever in the area, try to visit Deering Estate.
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