The Deering Estate at Cutler, a Miami-Dade County Park, preserves and interprets two historic homes – the Richmond Cottage and the Stone House – along with their unique antique collections.
Thanks to the Deering family’s preservation of the natural land surrounding their estate, this park contains a rare showcase of native Miami-area habitats, from pine rocklands near the parking area to the dense tropical forest of the Addison Hammock and the mangrove-lined shores of Biscayne Bay.
Nature trails provide a way to explore the botanical beauty of the hammock and the shoreline in the vicinity of the historic homes, while a guided walking tour lets you delve deeply into the botanical and archaeological secrets of the tropical hammock.
Resources
Overview
Location: Cutler Ridge
Lat-Lon: 25.615014, -80.309074
Fees: $15 adults, $7 ages 4-14
Open: 10 AM – 4 PM daily
Home tours offered at 10:30 and 2:30, Natural Area tour at 12:30. To confirm tour times, call 305-235-1668.
Location
16701 SW 72 Avenue, Miami, FL
Details
In 1896, the Richmond family settled on the edge of the village of Cutler and built a grand home overlooking Biscayne Bay. In 1900, they opened the Richmond Cottage, the first hotel between Coconut Grove and Key West.
Purchased by industrialist Charles Deering in 1913 as a winter home, the Richmond Cottage wasn’t sturdy enough to house Deering’s extensive collection of art and artifacts from Spain.
He commissioned construction of the Stone House, a grand Mediterranean Revival manor with three floors, overlooking a boat basin built for his family along Biscayne Bay.
The Stone House has the distinction of surviving Hurricane Andrew and every other hurricane that has hit this coastline.
Deering – a cousin of James Deering, the owner of Vizcaya – used the Stone House as a winter retreat until his death in 1927. These two buildings are among the last examples of early frame vernacular architecture in South Florida.
In 1985, after the last of the Deering heirs passed away, The Nature Conservancy worked with Miami-Dade County to purchase this well-preserved natural area and its cultural treasures.
The park encompasses nearly 450 acres and includes a portion of the Addison Hammock.
Visited in 1904 by John Kunkel Small and Percy Wilson on their botanical collecting trip along the Cutler Ridge, it continues to be home to rare species like the Miami-lead plant and liguus tree snails.
Addison Hammock can only be visited during guided walks with a naturalist. These are offered daily at specific times.
The hike showcases the archeological and biological significance of the hammock, including the site of the original pioneer village and a burial mound from the 1600s. The guided hike is well worth it, as shown in this video.
