With the closing of the Miami Science Museum, the neighboring Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has begun even more seriously planning for their eventual accession of the science museum's grounds, which were originally a portion of Vizcaya's historic farm village. A series of public meetings are being held in the upcoming weeks to guide the masterplanning of the site.
Although there seems to have been some discussion of the science museum land going to some other use (both it and Vizcaya are county-owned) language in a voter-approved referendum in 2004 reverts the land to Vizcaya, says Vizcaya Director Joel Hoffman. Plus it just makes a lot of sense. Many of Vizcaya's remaining farm village buildings, a fascinating collection of structures designed like a rural Italian hamlet, are right next door and directly interact with the site. "The Village is an important place for us to tell the story of the service functions it provided and agriculture at Vizcaya," Hoffman told Miami Today. "Vizcaya has been focused on being a more vital educational community resource." Built by James Deering, a partner of International Harvester, and a lover of landscaping and plant conservation, the agricultural side of the estate was vital to what Vizcaya originally was. "Mr. Hoffman and Vizcaya's staff members see an opportunity for an urban agricultural program and focusing on the farm-to-table movement. Additionally, he said, they'd like to link Vizcaya into the Underline pathway under the Metrorail." says Miami Today.
·. Finding use for former museum [Miami Today]
· Miami's kitschy little science museum closed last week [Curbed]
· What to do with the Pan Am Globe? [Curbed]
· Vizcaya restoring historic farm [Curbed]
· Here are Vizcaya's plans for the science museum site [Curbed]
· Vizcaya Museum and Gardens coverage [Curbed Miami]
· Miami Science Museum coverage [Curbed Miami]