railroad tycoon henry flagler created whitehall on the shores of palm beach. the late 1800s and early 1900s were responsible for the most opulent and impressive homes in american history. it was now time, james deering decided, to plan his miami estate, which would become an ambitious masterpiece. >> it's amazing. so you have no antiquity laws. you have no income tax. you have all this money and no heirs. this is james deering, why not build vizcaya. >> deering's friends always knew him as a deliberate man, generous, and kind. privacy was a priority. his plan to build a castle in the sun did not imitate the trends of other american aristocrats who were building their seaside mansions up the coast, in palm beach. >> well, i think he was somewhat elusive. and, he wasn't someone who's out there trying to draw attention to himself. he was artistic and especially his brother charles, he was very close to his brother charles. >> both his half brother charles and his father william built homes in the pioneer town of miami in the early 1900s. charles, like james, soug