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Versace removed the elevator, replaced the fountain, reconstructed the observatory, and had plans to turn the vacant lot to the north of the property into a second garden before his death in 1997. In 1993 Versace purchased the Hotel Revere, located next door, for $3.7 million. It had also seen better days, but as it had been built in 1950, didn't have the same historic designation as his other purchase.
Hotel
In a tight space no bigger than a walk-in closet, a porthole window not far off the floor lets in morning sun reflected off the ocean. A curved bench seat holds cushions in neon blue velour and throw pillows the color of moonlight. From the bench, the walls of the domed room are finished first in brick. Above that begins an arched ceiling, azure blue, dotted with twinkling gold stars between vertical stripes bringing your gaze upward. It is believed that the home’s original owner, Alden Freeman, put a time capsule in the house when it was built in 1930. The item was never uncovered during Versace’s renovations of the home but it is thought to be hidden in the building’s cornerstone, which was left untouched during the remodel.
Gianni Versace Mansion Miami
Along with the Casa Casuarina, Versace also purchased Hotel Revere on the lot next door for $3.7 million. Hotel Revere later became the site of Versace's garden, epic swimming pool, and the home's south wing. On a trip to Miami, Gianni Versace fell in love with a rundown apartment building that he would transform into an over-the-top mansion. He called it Casa Casuarina, the original name from when the building had been constructed in 1930 (the name may refer to a tree on the property or to W. Somerset Maugham's novel Under the Casuarina Tree). Versace spent three years and millions of dollars to create a home he loved, and one where he often hosted friends and family. Though he would be killed on the steps of this home on July 15, 1997, the space he created still offers insights into Versace and his life.
THE GIANNI'S GALLERY
However, it ended up being sold at auction in 2013 for just $41.5 million (at the time, Donald and Eric Trump were unsuccessful bidders for the property). But not only can tourists (and fans of FX's upcoming American Crime Story miniseries, which focuses on the murder) photograph the house, they can stay there overnight. Scroll down for a look inside the boutique luxury hotel known as the Villa Casa Casuarina. Now a boutique hotel called The Villa Casa Casuarina, Versace’s house retains his glamorous designs and opulent lifestyle.
The Venus Suite was where his sister Donatella Versace stayed.
The room is now known as The Villa Suite, and, like the rest of the mansion's interiors, it's as over-the-top on glitz as Versace's collections. The most arresting feature, also available in Donatella's bedroom, the Venus Suite, is a custom-made double-king-size bed. Other famous people like The Kardashians, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Aniston have all stayed there as well.
Inside Gianni Versace's Mansion and What It Revealed About the Late Fashion Designer - Biography.com
Inside Gianni Versace's Mansion and What It Revealed About the Late Fashion Designer.
Posted: Mon, 01 Jun 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Alden Freeman
Alden Freeman modeled the mansion after the oldest house in the western hemisphere, the “Alcazar de Colon” in Santo Domingo — built in 1510 by Diego Columbus, the son of explorer Christopher Columbus. And some parts of it are far more interesting than the gruesome murder tales it’s been reduced to over the years. In fact, people stop here every day to pose for pictures in front of the home where Versace was fatally shot by Andrew Cunanan in 1997 — making it one of the most photographed homes in America. Today, Versace's mansion still stands and is now used as a luxury resort and event venue in Miami Beach called Casa Casuarina. The venue is also home to "Gianni’s Restaurant," which offers a blend of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Authorities conducted a manhunt for Cunanan that lasted eight days before he fatally shot himself on a houseboat in Miami on July 23, 1997.
The house sat empty for about 3 years and in September of 2000, Donatella finally sold the property to Peter Loftin, a telecommunications magnate from Raleigh, N.C. Loftin used this house as a private residence as well as a hotel, membership club and private events venue from 2001 to the end of 2009. It’s calming to linger for a moment, the stars on the domed ceiling twinkling. But it’s impossible to take in the view of the mansion’s courtyard below or the sand beyond it, as the morning sun gleaming off the ocean hides everything in its glare. Taking a step back, the room is dark again, with only the twinkling stars catching the light. Maybe, like me, you’ll imagine Versace there, staring up into the stars.
The Versace: American Crime Story Cast and Their Real-Life Counterparts
2 men found dead at former Gianni Versace Mansion - TODAY
2 men found dead at former Gianni Versace Mansion.
Posted: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]
He renovated the property for use as a boutique hotel, restaurant, and luxury event space. Serial killer Andrew Cunanan murdered Gianni Versace on the front steps of the fashion designer's Miami Beach mansion in 1997, and now those stone steps provide the backdrop for dozens of tourist photos on a daily basis. The death of the iconic Italian fashion designer stunned South Beach and sent police scrambling to find the murderer.
GIANNI’S MASTER SUITE
Donatella Versace sold the property three years after the murder and it changed hands several more times, eventually becoming a hotel owned by the Nakash family, founders of the Jordache clothing/jeans brand. The home gained infamy after Versace’s tragic murder in the property, prompting world-wide interest in the residence. After his death, the mansion was sold in 1997 to a telecommunications entrepreneur, Peter Loftin, for $19 million. Under the Nakash family’s ownership, Casa Casuarina remains a hotel, one still hot enough to host Art Basel parties and charge over $1,000 a night for a room in one of its 10 suites. For all its opulence, though, the building’s value may be mostly in its infamy; according to the Herald, the Casa had an estimated 2017 market value of $23.4 million.
He was a great collector of Greek and Roman statuary, and of masterpieces of art, both classical and modern, including contemporary pieces by artists ranging from Picasso to Warhol. He was at once a man of his time, undeniably so, but also one who looked to the past as the only way to understand and create the future. A fountain in the courtyard of Casa Casuarina as seen in the early 2000s; The swimming pool today.
Richard Barreto, Miami Beach's police chief at the time of the murder, says the department was criticized for an issue that occurred just days before Versace's murder. As a precise tailor and an artisan who knew how to construct clothes that would make a woman feel beautiful, Gianni Versace was perhaps one of the world’s most creative forces. But not only did he seek to create it, he also surrounded himself with it.
The outdoor pool is so beautiful that the one hour I spent for lunch at the Versace Mansion was sincerely my favorite moment of my entire Miami and Miami Beach trip. By the 1980s, the building fell into disrepair, although most of the original fittings and artworks survived. Versace purchased Casa Casuarina in 1992, after falling under the spell of the Magic City and the Spanish architecture of the grand house. The Medusa mosaic was crafted in Versace's hometown, Reggio Calabria, Italy, and then taken apart and shipped to Miami Beach in pieces, where it was painstakingly reassembled. The preset menu includes an appetizer, entree and dessert for $29, which is amazing because dinner entrees alone are like $40-60. There’s also a little saloon type room with a bar where you can order drinks and snacks.
One morning in July, in 1997, Versace left his mansion and walked down the street to a cafe. As he was walking up the marble steps to his home, he was shot, execution style, in the back of the head. The shooter was supposedly a wanted man (having committed other murders) and fled the scene. He was never arrested but was found 2 weeks later having committed suicide.
Being a guest at the hotel allows you to see the hotel, take tours and yes, you are able to swim in the famous pool. You’ll be able to see the courtyard when you walk in, the tiled hallway leading to the pool area and then the pool area which doubles as the dining area. Their subject matter is very eclectic, ranging for portraits of Cleopatra, Mussolini, Gandhi, Lenin and John D. Rockefeller. Essentially, they portray people, places, and historical events that intrigued Alden Freeman, including many of his own personal friends, his own ancestors, and their accomplishments.
The auction earned the liveblog treatment from Curbed Miami, and the eventual winner was VM South Beach LLC, a company whose principal owners are the Nakash family—owners of Jordache. Since Versace's death -- he was shot dead on the steps of his mansion in 1997, thus the camera-wielding tourists outside -- the property has changed management a couple of times. Or perhaps the suite where Madonna used to stay when she visited Versace in the '90s and helped put the Miami Beach neighborhood of South Beach on the national scene.
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