Burrall Hoffman was the architect, Iwahiko Tsumanuma (also known as Thomas Rockrise) was the associate architect, Paul Chalfin was the design director, and Diego Suarez was the landscape architect. Miami-Dade County now owns the Vizcaya property, as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, which is open to the public.

Industrialist James Deering (1859-1925) built Vizcaya between 1914 and 1922. Deering arrived for his first winter residency in the Main House on December 25, 1916. Vizcaya is located in the Coconut Grove area of Miami. The estate was entirely surrounded by subtropical forest along the shores of Biscayne Bay.

Today, the property is worth an estimated $9 billion. Following Deering's death, care of the estate was handed over to his family. However, due to high maintenance costs over the following decades and harsh bay weather conditions, his family began selling off parts of the surrounding land and gardens.