The Deering Family in South Florida

Figure 1: Portraits of Charles Deering at Brickell Point (left), and James Deering (right), which were painted by famous portrait painter John Singer Sargent in 1917.

This podcast episode shares the story of the Deering family’s impact on South Florida during the first half of the Twentieth Century. The family first arrived in South Florida in 1900 when the patriarch, William Deering, purchased a home in Coconut Grove. His sons, Charles and James, would follow him to the region and each of the Deerings would make a tremendous impact and contribute to the community.

James Deering purchased property in the Brickell neighborhood from Mary Brickell in 1912 and built his Vizcaya Estate. Charles Deering acquired land in today’s Buena Vista and South Dade, where he constructed the ‘Deering Estate’. Prior to his death, William Deering, along with William Matheson, acquired most of Key Biscayne in 1913.

Figure 2: The Deering Estate from Biscayne Bay. Courtesy of the Deering Estate Museum.

Tune into this week’s podcast episode to hear more about the Deering family and their contributions to South Florida. You can download this episode on your favorite podcast platform (iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Spotify), or listen directly on the Miami-History website. Please remember to click on the subscribe button and to provide a rating and comment on any of the aforementioned platforms.