Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: Preserved with Style By Monalisa Gangopadhyay Welcome to the wonders of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami. Like a sparkling diamond in an enchanting ring setting, the spectacular mansion of Vizcaya is anchored by 10 acres of elaborate Italian Renaissance formal gardens. Built in 1916 by industrialist and socialite James Deering, the founder of International Harvester, the lavish estate was once used as a winter retreat by him and his family. Reflecting the excesses of the Gilded Age, Vizcaya, named after a northern province in Spain, is often called the “Hearst Castle of the East.” With soaring ceilings, sinuous staircases, beautifully textured walls, and monumental columns, Vizcaya is no shrinking violet! Today the 50-acre property overlooking Biscayne Bay, is owned by Miami-Dade County, and has been marked as a National Historic Landmark. With its beautiful architecture, lush hammock forests, and elegant gardens, the property attracts over a quarter of a million visitors each year. And with good reason! The sheer luxury of the property is overwhelming. The mansion has 34 beautifully decorated rooms that boast 15th through 19th century art and furnishings. While blending together harmoniously, there is nothing subtle about the elaborately carved furniture, voluminous drapes, ornate carvings, and the richly colored tiles. The intent is to convey the excesses of wealth, which it does, albeit with grace and elegance. Interestingly, the mansion was also home to a range of conveniences such as a central vacuum system, a switchboard, elevators, and fire sprinklers, which was very advanced for the times. The surrounding gardens are equally extravagant. Combining Renaissance Italian and French influences, t... ... middle of paper ... ..., Vizcaya is also a popular choice for the filmmakers. From Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Any Given Sunday, Bad Boys II, Airport '77, Haunts of the Very Rich, to The Money Pit, Vizcaya has been the backdrop of many a memorable movies. The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a coveted spot for weddings, quinceañera (15th birthday celebrations for girls) and other events. It is also a popular site for formal photography, especially with newly engaged couples. Whether you are visiting the estate or are celebrating a special occasion, take your time and absorb the beauty of your surroundings. As you walk through the rooms and hallways, peer at fabulous paintings, itch to touch the rich fabrics of the furnishings, meander through the decadent gardens, put your imagination to work, and you can almost picture The Great Gatsby-style of pomp and party that happened decades ago.
The house was built in 1917 by William Bowers Bourn, a San Francisco millionaire whose wealth came from gold mining . Construction of the large property took 2 years, while it took 12 years to build the formal gardens, which were completed in 1929. Its name was created by Bourn, using the first 2 letters from the key words of his credo: “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.” After the deaths of Bourn and his wife in 1936, it was purchased by William Roth, another prominent San Franciscan, who pr...
As soon as you walk into the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there is an overpowering sense of culture and aesthetics. One work you’ll notice as soon as you enter the museum is the Great Hall, which is both grand and visually attractive. It contains intricate moldings on the surface of the walls, with a ceiling height comparable to an ancient Catholic church. The Great Hall isn’t the only visually appealing work; the Moroccan Courtyard is as well. The courtyard leaves you mesmerized by sheer beauty and openness of the courtyard. The hand-crafted patterns and shapes crafted on the wall are similar to those visible on linen clothing. Both the Great Hall and Moroccan Courtyard are architectural examples that not are only works of art but in fact differentiate in their composition as well as serve varying structural purposes, for the museum.
chambers in the mansion (p. 11)," the atmosphere of the room lingers an ominous and creepy
The Monticello mansion lies atop a mountain which bears its namesake, the home is surrounded by an elaborate garden which grows an unrivaled variety of plants. The complex possesses forty-three rooms is 110 feet long, 90 feet wide, and over forty feet high in some areas. This combined with the thirteen feet thick walls, culminate to offer roughly eleven thousand square feet of living space. The home possesses an iconic octogonal dome over its central portion, numerous skylights, and an altogether unique design, reflecting the innovative mind of its owner. Monticello borrows heavily from Roman and Renaissance styles, with some influence from Enlightenment France as well, culminating in a masterpiece of engineering. The home is symmetrical
The private residence built by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, California is quite a site to behold. Originally named La Cuesta Encantada it is now often referred to as Hearst Castle. It is located on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The estate took 28 years to build and includes the main house, guest houses, two pools, and acres of gardens, terraces and walkways. Its rooms and gardens are decorated with an impressive collection of antiques from around the world. One particularly interesting building is the Roman Pool.
...hey have entered the house, and then keeps it as you pass through the disappearing walls, pivoting doors, retractable stairs, and floating floors. It incorporates architecture, interior architecture and furniture design to create a total design that can be modified for different occupants. It truly is functional space.
Daniel Murphree, “Perpetuating a Mythical Paradise: Transnational Visions of the Colonial Floridas,” Terrae Incognitae 37 (Jan. 2005): 41-52.
All the shiny items to the back of the room caught my eye instantly because they appeared to look rich and prestigious. On the right of the big main entrance door in front, there was a silver tree, and on the opposite side of the room on the left side of the door, there was a gold tree. Money hangs on the tree, and I thought that was an interesting feature to have. As I looked around the room, I noticed the red carpet below me, and everyone was sitting on small rectangular pillows. The main speaker told me that pillows were located in the big container next to me, so I grabbed one and sat down. The...
Henry B. Plant is featured in the article “Florida’s hidden treasures: Museums, cultural parks” written by Copley News Service in the Washington Post for talking about his dreams. Plant had the goal of turning the Florida wilderness in to a “shining utopia.” His dreams came true, Plant created a historic museum in the Pinellas Suncoast. He’s able to provide historical information to the public whil...
Like the real-life apartment, the impossibly wealthy setting of her daydreams about owning a mansion strengthens her unhappiness and her avoidance of reality. All the rooms of her fantasies are large and expensive, draped in silk and filled with nothing but the best furniture and bric-a-brac. M...
At the beginning of the story, the narrator is moving into a house that she is renting while her house in being renovated. She describes the house as "The most beautiful place! It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village. It makes me think of English places that you read about, for there are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people" (105). This quote reflects that she considers this house as a place only the noble could live in. She has only read about homes like this, and she never thought that she would be living in one. She seems happy that she will be able to rent such a house. She adds that "There is a delicious garden! I never saw such a garden--large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them" (105). This adds to the elegant and royal qualities that the narrator believes the house has.
Shireman, Candace S. The Rise of Christian Heurich's Mansion: a Study of the Interior Design and Furnishings of the Columbian Historical Society's Christian Heurich Mansion, Washington, D.C., 1894-1914. 1989. Print.
One of the world’s most significant buildings is Buckingham Palace. This building has over 50,000 people visit each year for banquets and royal events (NWE 1). Representing the British Empire, the palace symbolizes the British royalty (NWE 1). They constructed it for the Duke of Buckingham (EBP 1). In 1761, George III wanted to buy the house for his wife, Queen Charlotte, to have a home close to St. James Palace. Here, many court occasions took place. Some of these court occasions included official receptions, royal marriages, and christenings. People referred to this house as The Queen’s House (History 1).
In conclusion, the Wuthering Heights Estate has many important parts to the house, including the furniture, windows, gates, and the vegetation. It sets the mood for the scenes that take place there, and reflects its inhabitants. Without the description of this estate the scenes would not be as sullen and dark as they are.
The State Hermitage Museum is recognised as one of the world’s oldest art museum and boasts a wide collection of Dutch and Flemish artist, staying true to the founder’s, Catherine the Great, love of these types of artworks. The State Hermitage Museum has similar floor plan to that of the Smithsonian where it consists of several building that also double as buildings that are integral to the identity of Russia. Located in St Petersburg, the State Hermitage Museum is regarded as one of the original, publically accessible art museums and identifies itself as one of the greats in the world of museums. One of the key aspects that the State Hermitage Museum prides itself on being up to date, and even leading in, is the development of technologies