The Forgotten Vizcaya, Chapter III: The Secret Vizcaya! Hot Off the Presses, the Miami News, Oct. 27, 1963. In this riveting installment of our fearless exploration of our favorite Italianate villa on Biscayne Bay, we will explore a fascinating shadow side to the house and grounds that, in recent years, appears to have been almost completely forgotten (again). Sometimes it seems that history involves discovering yet again that which has been previously uncovered, and then lost once more to the great unknown. Yet Villa Vizcaya is so completely magical and unlikely a place, that it somehow only stands to reason, and even seems logical, that *of course* there would be every manner of darkly fabulous and mysterious intrigue, going on quite literally beneath our feet as we walk the floors of the house, and its grounds. The text that follows is a complete transcription of the article, written by reporter Marilyn Lane. The illustrations all accompany the 1963 article. Thank you. ________________ Secrets Of Vizcaya A Miami News photographer last week stumbled onto an elaborate network of secret passageways and tunnels at Vizcaya, the fabulous estate built by the late James Deering. Newsmen who went galloping happily along the musty corridors soon learned, however, that the tunnels were no secret to the people who run the county-owned museum. Just visitors, it seems, to the Italian-style palace on Biscayne Bay, just south of Rickenbackers Causeway, have been kept in the dark about Deerings penchant for passageways. Jefferson T. Warren, museum director, explained that over- enthusiastic sightseers might get hurt. The tunnels are too dark and narrow stairways to steep to be safe for the general public. Besides, Warren added, the tunnels are impossible to patrol adequately. Still, the fun is in the finding—as photographer Joe Rimkus discovered while on routine assignment. Rimkus noticed a glass bookcase door slightly ajar in the Adams library. Coming closer, he found the books in the panel were dummies. Sniffing suspiciously, he closed in. There… behind the bookcase… a strange passageway. Walled in parquet-design wood, no less-- a typical touch of Deering splendor. One find led to another until four secret tunnels, several mysterious rooms, and a hidden spiral staircase were exposed. Walls swing open on hinges; doorways are cleverly camouflaged in the paneling; vines cover passageway grates; and a solid- looking rock wall suddenly slides open-- all in the best tradition of haunted castles. Why all the mystery? The Deering heirs were out of town and could not be reached for comment. However, old-timers pointed out that no self- respecting millionaire back in the 20s could afford to be without a place to store whisky. Prohibition was in full swing during the heyday of Vizcaya and one former Deering employee recalls seeing case upon case of liquor stacked in one passageway. Warren said some of the passageways merely provide easy access from room to room. And the underground tunnels served as wine cellars. The tunnels and hidden rooms, he added, appear in the original drawings for the estate, which has been valued anywhere from $50 million to $100 million. Only Deering knew-- and he always just smiled when asked the price. With Vizcaya gardener Sammy Sands, whose father worked with Deering in building the estate, leading the way, the Adams Library passage led to the Marie Antoinette Salon, where the wall opens out on hinges. The Espagnolette guest room has a doorway hidden behind an apricot-colored, silk chaise lounge, leading to the balcony that connects with Deerings second-floor bedroom. A small, winding dark stairway with concave white doors goes down to the tunnels under the house. One tunnel runs north and south, directly under the entrance loggia, from one end of the building to the other, said Joe Miklasz. It has a large room that centers out at the bowling alley (now the guest shop). Another tunnel room runs under the garden and has a ground- level, overhead grate, obscured by vines. This, Sands said, may have been used for ventilation purposes. A third tunnel runs under the south side of the building, from the South arcade to a large vault with a heavy door under the music room. Stocks of champagne reportedly were kept in the vault. On the north bay side of the palace, the most mysterious tunnel starts about halfway under the north arcade. Only partly explored, it probably goes under the organ room to the end of the building, and perhaps, even further. At the southern end of the beautiful estate, grottoes surround a mound built to keep the glare of the old three-acre lake (now a narrow river) off the palaces many windows. Several rooms are hidden inside the artificial hill. An outer coral door turns on a pivot for access to an inner, heavy wooden door that has been sealed. In the casino at the south end of the mound is a shoulder- wide, circular staircase winding to the top, where a trap-door slides back on chains. Deering, a slender man, used to climb to the roof, hidden by fancy pinnacles, and scan the harbor for approaching ships-- perhaps bringing provisions for his fabulous parties. __________
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:19:03 +0000
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