"James Deering, heir to the International Harvester fortune, purchased land in 1912 from the Brickell family to build his 180-acre estate. Construction on Villa Viscaya, a 70-room mansion inspired by the great Italian villas, began in 1914 and was completed two years later. It remained Deering's winter home until his death in 1925. Dade Councy purchased Villa Viscaya, complete with furnishings from all over Europe and its Renaissance-style gardens, for $1 million in 1952 and opened it to the public." -- From "Miami in Vintage Postcards", by Patricia Kennedy, 2000.