On Monday, November 18, 2002, I stood in the Entrance Loggia of Vizcaya listening to the hail of gun shots. When it was over I looked outside in time to see actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence walk away from the mansion toward the main entrance. I had unknowingly walked into a movie being filmed at Vizcaya and Gardens -- “Bad Boys II”. The Waymark’s photos and still shots are the Entrance to the Main House and The Casino (with its secret passageway). The Tea House and The Casino were decorated with dark brown wicker furniture with white cushions and tropical plants. There is a photo of the East Facade taken from The Tea House.Vizcaya, also known as James Deering Estate, is located at 3251 S. Miami Avenue in south Miami. This historical site was once the winter home of Chicago industrialist James Deering (1859-1925), half-brother of Charles Deering, who owned the Deering Estate at Cutler to the south. It was purchased in 1952 by Miami-Dade County and opened it as a historic art museum. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
Leaving the littered sidewalks and noisy streets, you enter the native hardwood hammock forest to explore the palatial Italian Renaissance, Mission/Spanish Revival-style villa and the grounds at the edge of Biscayne Bay. The mansion was constructed of steel-reinforced concrete stucco. Limestone was also used extensively; much of it excavated in Miami and the Florida Keys. The villa was completed in 1916 and showcases an extensive collection of art and furnishings that was purchased throughout Europe. The formal gardens that were completed in 1921, includes a maze garden, a "Secret Garden”, pools, fountains, statues, and The Casino. It was originally an estate of 180 acres.
The Will Smith and Martin Lawrence movie "Bad Boys II" is a very noisy, overlong sequel that pits the Miami Police Tactical Team against a whacked-out Cuban drug lord who lives in a mansion (Vizcaya) with his daughter and mother. The film seemingly exists for shootouts, blowing things up and crashing vehicles, which is does well and often.
The MacArthur Causeway, the main route to South Beach in Miami, was shut down for several days for filming a wild chase scene. This caused literally thousands of people to have to go miles out of their way to get to and from Miami Beach in early August 2002.