Villa Paula is an historic building located in the

Little Haiti Little Haiti (, ), is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. It is known historically as Lemon City, Little River and Edison. It is home to Haitian immigrant residents, as well as residents from the rest of the Caribbean. The area i ...

neighborhood of

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. It was designed by

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

government to send a message "about the cosmopolitan civilization enjoyed by Cuba in contrast to the relatively provincial tastes of Miami" at the time. To that end, all of the home's building materials and workers were imported from Cuba. By 1930, political upheavals in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, and a resulting economic depression, led to the consulate's closure. Domingo and Paula moved out of Villa Paula in 1930 and the building ceased to serve in any official capacity for the Cuban government. Paula died two years later at the age of 61. A widely-reported claim that she was buried in the home’s garden was debunked in a 2019 Miami New Times investigation. After the Milords left the home in 1930, it was purchased by Helen Reardon, a wealthy widow from Wisconsin. Reardon lived at Villa Paula until her death in 1970. Villa Paula changed hands several times after 1970 and briefly operated as a senior citizens' residence. By the mid-70's, as the surrounding neighborhood grew blighted, Villa Paula was left vacant and fell into disrepair. Later that decade, it was purchased by Clif Ensor, who restored the home to its original condition and who, also, began telling Miami media outlets that the home was haunted. His claims of paranormal experiences at the home led to widespread media coverage of Villa Paula, which has persisted until today. In 1983, the city of

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

designated the structure historic. In 1987, that designation was amended to include the interior and an adjacent lot. Ensor sold the home to Haitian pediatrician Lucien Albert in 1987. Albert then sold Villa Paula to its current owners in 2003. Despite several modern references to Villa Paula as Miami’s “first Cuban consulate,” it was, in fact, the city's second. The first Cuban consulate, as reported by the

Miami News ''The Miami News'' was an evening newspaper in Miami, Florida. It was the media market competitor to the morning edition of the ''Miami Herald'' for most of the 20th century. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called ''The Miami ...

at the time, opened on April 10, 1909, in the now-demolished Watson Building on 13th Street and Avenue D (later renamed ‘

Miami Avenue Miami Avenue is a main north–south street running through Coconut Grove, Brickell, Downtown, and Midtown in Miami, Florida. It is the meridian road dividing the street grid of Miami and Miami-Dade County into east and west avenues. Route ...

’). Villa Paula, eventually, came to represent the depth of the Cuban community's roots in

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

. It would, however, more often make headlines due to Ensor's and later residents' paranormal claims. Villa Paula now serves as a private art gallery.

References

{{Diplomatic missions of Cuba Buildings and structures in Miami Buildings and structures completed in 1926 Diplomatic missions of Cuba