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Many famous figures have spent time at the villa, including Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Mann, Walt Disney, and George Simenon. Yeah, we’re talking about THAT Versace, as in one of the biggest fashion empires in the world with a massive collection that includes everything from apparel and accessories to fragrances, cosmetics, and even home furnishings. In 1992, Versace purchased the original house for $2.95 million and the Revere Hotel next door for $3.7 million. He spent an astonishing $32 million on renovations that included demolishing the Revere to make way for a pool, garden, and new south wing of the home. 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. Famed Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was gunned down outside his South Beach mansion in a murder that stunned South Florida along with the rest of the world.
Jacques Amsterdam acquired the house for $100,000 and converted it into a 24-unit apartment building, naming it The Amsterdam Palace. It changed hands several times and was renamed as the Christopher Columbus Apartments, in commemoration of its architectural features referring to Mediterranean style. Versace spent $32 million and three years on renovations to transform 24 apartments into a home with 10 luxurious suites, 11 bathrooms, a library, and more.
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One of the home's secret passages made it easy to get from the bedroom to a communal area. Murals were commissioned for walls and ceilings, stained glass was placed in windows, a marble floor was added, and a $10,000 marble toilet with a seat covered in 24-karat gold was installed. It had been built in 1930, so a historic designation limited the changes he could make.
The sprawling estate on the Venetian Isles first hit the market for $20 million in 2019 and was last asking $13.5 million. The villa at 921 N Venetian Drive is a massive 27,250 square feet and comes with 175 feet on Biscayne Bay. Freeman was the son of Joel Francis Freeman (1836–1910), who served as treasurer of Standard Oil. The younger Freeman lived in the house with his adopted son Charles Boulton and Boulton's family. Major architecture features included an observatory and a small replica of the Homage Tower from the Fortaleza Ozama in the Dominican Republic. About 100 medallions of notable political figures, including Lenin, Mussolini, and Julius Caesar, are installed on the walls.
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But when you consider that you’ll be staying in a place that has played host to both Hollywood royalty as well as actual royalty, the price of a room at the villa makes sense. The men were found dead a day before the 24th anniversary of that killing, but nothing in a police report indicates there is any connection. The preliminary investigation revealed the deaths to be a double suicide, Miami Beach police spokesman Officer Ernesto Rodriguez said, but the medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The mansion was sold in 2013 VM South Beach LLC which also owns the Hotel Victor next door to the former mansion. Allan Kleer and Fabian Garcia Diaz with One Sotheby’s International Realty represented the seller, the estate of the late, Texas-based financier Ken Hill. The buyer ia trader/investor Josh Patkin, who posted some “closing” photos by the home on his social media.Michael Kuritnik of Compass repped Patkin.
The mansion was again put up for sale in 2012, this time at a price of $125 million. An estimated $32 million in renovations over three years transformed the historic property into a manse fit for a style king. Next door was an Art Deco Hotel called the Hotel Revere, which Versace also snapped up, and demolished to make way for his garden, pool and the south wing, which used to house one of his libraries. The most elaborate Medusa can be found in the Villa's 54-foot-long pool, inspired by Versace's "Marine Vanuras" collection and said to be made from more than one million mosaic tiles, thousands of them 24-karat gold.
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However, its construction had been inspired by Alcazar de Colon, a 16th-century palatial residence in Santo Domingo that had been built by Christopher Columbus'son, so it had a solid architectural foundation. There is something completely stunning about the beauty of the mansion that transports you to a different world. Did I mention that Versace had this pool deconstructed and brought over from his home in Italy? I’d say this was a “bit extra” if it wasn’t for his 24-karat-gold-encrusted mosaic windows. Adjacent to the garden, in the "new wing" that Versace built when he acquired the mansion, is The Moroccan Lounge, which used to be his gym, and still houses his eight-person hamam Turkish steam room and shower. No longer on show is Versace's $10,000 marble toilet with 24-karat gold-plated seat -- one of the items auctioned off by Donatella after her brother's death.
In one interview, Versace shared his appreciation for Miami, noting, "I wake up and I work. I’m very serene here." Miami influences, such as pastels and palm tree prints, showed up in his collections. The Miami mansion was luxurious and filled with works of art such as Picassos, but it wasn't a museum-like space. Instead, he made it a comfortable place to live with his partner, Antonio D'Amico.
This home, built with imported Italian materials and artisans, took almost eight years to complete. Versace not only enjoyed life in his mansion, but he also drew energy from its surroundings. It was one of the only private residences on Ocean Drive, so he could quickly walk to a favorite cafe.
Some massively famous names once wined and dined with Versace at this home – including friends Princess Diana, Elton John, and Madonna. In fact, close friends of Gianni were assigned their own specific rooms when they decided to stay the night. It would continue to change hands and exist as apartments until 1992, when Gianni, enamored with Miami at the time, noticed the bronze statue of Greek goddess Aphrodite that decorated the front entrance of the property and decided he had to purchase it. Versace nabbed the complex for a meager $2.95 million along with the Revere Hotel next door for $3.7 million. Versace turned the 24 apartments into 10 large suites in the original house.
It’s believed one of the reasons that Donatella decided to purchase the home, in addition to it being gorgeous, was the fact that it is located not far from her late brother’s villa on Lake Como. Donatella’s estate features over 15,000 square feet of living space as well as a stunning view of Lake Maggiore. The home has four floors and boasts 20 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a study & library, and a massive fireplace that holds the signatures of all the estate’s guests, including Hemingway and Disney. Much like her brother, Donatella Versace has quite the eye for real estate – in August 2019 she purchased an incredible historic Italian lakefront villa for $5.6 million. The 50-room vacation home is located in Northern Italy and was previously owned by Italian publisher, Arnoldo Mondadori, who purchased the breathtaking property in the 1920s.
Inside Their 50-Year Love StoryFred and Joanne Rogers shared a long and loving relationship, which she honored by carrying on his legacy after his 2003 death. If you’re an American Crime story nerd you’ve probably watched the excellent Netflix show that was filmed inside this lavish personal palace. 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.
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. He restored the original name and returned it to private use, creating 8 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, 3 sitting rooms, 10 bathrooms, a bar, a library, and 4 living rooms.
Abitare just opened the first Authorized Dealer for Versace Home in the USA in the summer of 2013. Since 2015, The Villa Casa Casuarina has been a luxury hotel with ten unique suites. He renovated the property for use as a boutique hotel, restaurant, and luxury event space.
Versace Home Accessories
Gianni Versace’s remains were cremated and returned to the Versace estate near Cernobbio, Italy. The ashes were buried in the family’s vault located at Moltrasio cemetery, not far from Lake Como. His funeral, which was held at Milan Cathedral, had over 2,000 attendees, including Sting, Giorgio Armani, Elton John, and Princess Diana.
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