versace house tour in miami beach

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Versace Mansion: An In-Depth Tour of Gianni Versace House in Miami

Gianni 's house photos.

Updated on April 20, 2021

Unless you’ve been living under a rock your entire life, you’ve at some point heard the name of fashion designer Gianni Versace or Versace Mansion, or seen a star or two strolling down the red carpet flashing one of his brand’s exceptionally crafted Versace dresses that probably cost more than your car. 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.

It’s incredible to think this guy went from working as an apprentice at his mother’s sewing business to founding one of the largest and most famous fashion houses in the globe. Even after his death in 1997, Gianni Versace’s name, as well as his brand, continue to live on. Much like his designs, Gianni Versace’s former mansion in Miami is every bit the spectacle of pure decadence that you’d expect from the fashion giant. Join us as we take an inside look at Gianni Versace’s life, his career, and his lavished mansion.

Gianni Versace Mansion Miami

Gianni Versace’s mansion in the sunshine state stands out as a prime example of what a fashion designer’s home should be. Built in 1930 as an apartment complex by Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman, the Spanish Colonial-style structure originally featured 24 apartments that Alden used to facilitate friends and other visitors. In 1937, following Freeman’s death from illness, the property was purchased for $100,000 by Jacques Amsterdam and renamed Amsterdam Apartments.

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 (a statue that was commissioned by Freeman and had resided on the property since he had ownership) 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.

After throwing down a staggering $32 million on renovations and expansions which included actually knocking down the neighboring hotel to make way for a garden, pool, and south wing, Gianni Versace’s 23,000 square foot Miami palace was finally beginning to take shape. The 24 units in the building were converted into 10 spacious suites; additionally, the finished home featured a library, a bar, 10 bathrooms, 3 living rooms, 2 kitchens, and a swimming pool with 24-karat gold mosaic tiles.

Versace home also featured some of the most exotic, beautiful artwork and furnishings available at the time – all commissioned (and some even designed) by Gianni himself. The exterior of the property, protected by a black wrought-iron gate trimmed in gold, was home to a lush, tropical garden with a large medusa head mosaic built at the very center. On the third story of the home, Versace even installed a rooftop observatory painted navy blue with gold stars.

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.

All suites were outfitted with only the finest décor, but it was Gianni’s master suite that really stole the show – which not only had a private balcony overlooking the front of the property but also a lavished drawing room attached to his bedroom – all of which was decorated with vibrantly colored fabrics and extravagant artwork.

For his family, Gianni designed special rooms for his closest relatives that suited their taste – the “Azure Suite” was designed in light powder blue for his nephew Daniel, the “Signature Suite” was designed for his brother Santo, the “Aviary Suite” was for his niece Allegra, and finally the “Venus Suite” was created especially for his beloved sister Donatella.

Donatella Versace’s room, in particular, was the grandest of all the family suites, boasting a whopping 1,500 square feet and featuring the only double balcony that overlooked the garden. The ceiling featured a mosaic of white roses, painted in Milan by artist Fontana Decorazioni and imported to Miami specifically for her suite.

The Versace mansion where Gianni lived and was tragically murdered is located at 1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139. The building is part of the Art Deco historic district in South Beach.

Who owns the Versace mansion?

After Gianni’s death in 1997, the Casa Casuarina was left to the Versace family, who would go on to sell the home in 2000 for $19 million to Peter Loftin, a wealthy entrepreneur. Loftin transformed the property into a luxury boutique hotel and restaurant. After some financial troubles, however, Loftin was forced to go bankrupt, and the Casa Casuarina was sold at auction in 2013 to VM South Beach, LLC, for $41.5 million, a number that many were disappointed with since the original asking price for the mansion was set at $125 million.

Donatella Versace House

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. Many famous figures have spent time at the villa, including Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Mann, Walt Disney, and George Simenon.

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.

Donatella Versace Home Milan

Once the home of her brother Gianni, Donatella’s home in Milan is extraordinary. Little is known about the size and value, but she gave Vogue an exclusive tour during her episode of their hit series 73 Questions . Check it out below.

Versace Hotel Miami

In its present incarnation, what was once Gianni Versace’s dream mansion is now open for all to enjoy as a luxury hotel!

Villa Casa Casuarina

Like anything Versace, you’re gonna have to be prepared to dish out some serious cash to stay at this perfect slice of opulence – since it appears booking a room at Villa Casa Casuarina can cost you anywhere between $750 to $1100 a night (depending on the room you stay in). 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 hotel offers guests the chance to stay in any one of the luxury suites in the mansion, including Gianni’s suite. So, if you’ve always wanted to see how this fashion icon lived, you can book a stay at his former home and experience the extreme lavishness that is Villa Casa Casuarina for yourself.

Versace Mansion Dinner

Another popular hotspot at the Villa Casa Casuarina hotel is Gianni’s, a restaurant that offers a night of fine wining and even finer dining! This is an absolute must for anyone staying at the hotel – seriously they say the food there is amazing!

Casa Casuarina Restaurant

Gianni’s offers guests a delicious selection of Italian Mediterranean dishes and fine wines. Guests can choose to enjoy their meal in the decadent dining room or near Gianni Versace’s famous gold-tiled swimming pool. Whether you want to try the Tuna Tartar from the lunch menu, the prime filet mignon for dinner, or simply try out the truffle fries on the Bar Bites menu, you’re guaranteed a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience at Gianni’s (hungry after all this food talk? You’re not alone).

Versace Mansion Tour

Though the mansion used to provide guided tours in the mid-2000s, it appears that this is no longer an option as of 2019. If you want to explore the interior of Casa Versace Miami, there are two ways to do so – either you can reserve a table at Gianni’s or book a night at the hotel.

Gianni Versace Net Worth

Considering that Gianni was a 50% stakeholder in the company, which is now worth $1.7 billion, his net worth as of 2019 would have reached a staggering $800 million!

Some reports suggest he was worth $1.4 billion at the time of his death, but those predictions are unsubstantiated as far as we can tell. Who cares, though – he was rich by any measure!

100% of the Versace family shares were recently sold to the American fashion label, Michael Kors Limited, for $2 billion.

Gianni Versace Death

So, what happened to Versace? On July 15 th , 1997, at 50 years of age, Gianni Versace was shot twice on the steps of his Miami, FL home upon returning from his morning stroll down Ocean Drive. On most days, Gianni would have his assistant get his coffee and morning paper for him, but his decision to walk to the shop on his own that day would prove to be fatal.

The man who committed the murder was serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who was reportedly obsessed with Gianni Versace and frequently boasted that he was close friends with the fashion designer, although this was simply a delusion of grandeur, and he was known to claim he had met and befriended other celebrities in the past.

What is believed, according to the FBI, is that Cunanan and Versace had met in San Francisco in 1990, but details surrounding exactly what their relationship remained a mystery. A 2008 article published in Vanity Fair suggested that perhaps the two had met on several occasions during those times since both parties allegedly mingled in sex-for-hire circles throughout San Francisco and Miami, but the Versace family has always denied that Cunanan and Versace knew each other, or even met, for that matter.

Andrew Cunanan was unemployed and frequently worked his way into the lives of wealthy older men so that he could spend their money. He went on to murder 5 people within 3 months, Versace included, until finally shooting himself on a houseboat in Miami Beach. He committed suicide with the same .40-caliber gun he shot and killed Gianni with as well as his other victim, former boyfriend David Madson.

The days leading up to Versace’s murder are depicted in the second season of the FX series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace .

Versace Death Photos

The photos of the crime scene where Gianni Versace was murdered are gruesome and tragic. In those old photos, dried blood can be seen along the steps leading up to the Versace Mansion, the scene grotesquely displayed in the morning sun and framed with police tape as homicide detectives analyzed the site of the murder.

On the days following Gianni’s assassination, numerous people visited the scene on Ocean Drive to leave flowers and pay their respects to the late fashion designer Gianni Versace.

What happened to Versace after his death?

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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Versace

https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/a27274615/historical-look-versace-mansion/

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/g14749593/versace-mansion-hotel-miami-beach/

https://www.curbed.com/2012/10/9/10319802/real-estate-legacy-of-late-fashion-designer-gianni-versace

https://www.vogue.com/article/versace-mansion-american-crime-story-history?verso=true

https://www.businessinsider.com/gianni-versace-donatella-versace-family-life-story-2019-4

https://www.bustle.com/p/what-happened-to-gianni-versaces-mansion-after-his-death-the-american-crime-story-subjects-home-still-welcomes-a-list-guests-7912475

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/us/versace-mansion-a-south-beach-star-faces-auction.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34439-d6731449-Reviews-The_Villa_Casa_Casuarina_At_The_Former_Versace_Mansion-Miami_Beach_Florida.html

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/g28638178/donatella-versace-buys-italian-lake-house/

http://vmmiamibeach.com/

http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/versace-tours

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/fashion-trends/a14446251/versace-net-worth/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Versace#Death_and_legacy

https://www.crimeonline.com/2018/02/20/gianni-versace-crime-scene-photos/

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Sarah has written and edited for numerous media outlets in a variety of different niches – though entertainment is her all-time favorite topic to cover. When she is not hard at work researching and writing about Hollywood’s top talents for Velvet Ropes, Sarah enjoys working on her fiction novels, developing her blog, and gaming. You can follow Sarah on Twitter at: Twitter.com/tuspock91

Tour Inside Gianni Versace's Mansion in South Beach

The former miami beach home of fashion designer gianni versace.

World-famous Ocean Drive is one of the most photographed stretches of Miami Beach. Here we find, nestled among low-rise Art Deco hotels, Villa Casa Casuarina – better known as the Versace Mansion. The Versace mansion is the third most photographed house in the United States behind Elvis’ Graceland and the White House.

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 translates to “house of the Australian pine”.

The Mediterranean Revival style palace, lined with the designer’s signature Greek mythology Medusa logo in gold bas relief, has been the subject of fascination for locals and tourists alike on Ocean Drive ever since Gianni Versace’s untimely murder on its front steps in 1997 at age 50.

You can stay at Villa Casa Casuarina

The mansion is not open to the public for tours or a look inside lending to the home’s mystique about the lavish world that exists beyond those wrought iron gates.

Luxury Versace Style

The most impressive sight is the elaborate Mediterranean-style Mosaic Garden courtyard with an enormous Medusa medallion inlaid on the floor that leads to the 54-foot long Thousand Mosaic swimming pool.

The pool is made from more than one million mosaic tiles and lined with thousands of 24-karat gold pieces. Versace’s pool drew inspiration from a scarf in his “Marine Vanuras” collection.

His fashion label was reflected throughout Versace’s Miami home

Versace appreciated Greek and Roman mythology, as demonstrated in his label’s logo of a snaked-adorned Medusa head. He placed this logo throughout his property: in the poolside mosaic garden, on gates and railings, and on shower drains.

These mosaics were crafted in Versace’s home town of Reggio Calabria in Italy, and then taken apart and shipped to Miami Beach in pieces where they were reassembled.

Statues around the pool are from a French chateau. 

Eight-Person Turkish Hamman

Versace built 11 custom bedrooms in the mansion, originally designed for his famous friends and guests which included Cher, Madonna, Elton John, Princess Diana and Versace’s sister, Donatella. 

The designer’s former 1,174 square-foot Villa Suite bedroom is available to guests for a truly intimate peek into Versace’s life. The room like the rest of the mansion’s interiors is an over-the-top glitz and glamour.

Elaborate Gilded Wooden Headboards

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.

Versace’s mansion was luxurious but it was also a home

The Miami mansion was luxurious and filled with works of art such as Picassos but it wasn’t a museum-like space. He made it a comfortable place to live with his partner, Antonio D’Amico. 

Ways to Explore Inside

Book a table at the restaurant Gianni’s for lunch or dinner in the courtyard by the pool or in the dining room served on Versace-designed Rosenthal china.

Reserve a room. If a $1,000 plus a night hotel room is out of reach, the public can dine in the villa’s Baroque grandeur with a reservation at Gianni’s.

The Mansion is also available for corporate events  and weddings. 

Versace mansion history.

The historic mansion was built in 1930 by Alden Freeman, a philanthropist bachelor who was heir to The Standard Oil fortune, who modeled the Mediterranean Revival palace after the Alcazar de Colon in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Alcazar de Colon, a 16 th century palatial residence, had been built by Christopher Columbus’ son.

Many of the architectural details of the house, including an observatory, key lime coral flooring and about 100 medallions of notable figures installed on the walls - Cleopatra, Gandhi, Rockefeller, Mussolini and Lenin – date to Freeman’s time in the house.

It was purchased by Versace for $2.95 million in 1992. At that time, Ocean Drive was still an odd collection of small hotels, modeling agencies and senior citizen’s homes. In 1993, Versace bought the Hotel Revere, located next door, for almost $4 million which he tore down to make a pool, garden and south wing area for his house.

Versace then spent $32 million in renovations over three years to transform the historic property into a mansion fit for a king and a celebrity destination.

Versace’s presence on Ocean Drive and the flashy celebrity parties at his mansion were in part responsible for South Beach’s renaissance during that era.

The property’s current owner is the Nakash family of Jordache Enterprises who purchased it at auction for $41.5 million in 2013.

Mansion mysteries

As with many famous buildings, Casa Casuarina has its share of mystery. The villa has several secret doors and hidden passageways throughout the mansion that Versace’s celebrity friends would use to get about the property unbothered. 

Secret PASSAGES

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.

The hotel’s intricate wall art has been maintained for years by an artist on staff that works to keep up and carefully restore the many murals on the property.

It is also said that Versace maintained a pigeon coop beneath the rooftop observatory and would use the messenger pigeons to send notes to friends.

The best-known property on Ocean Drive

The opulence of Casa Casuarina made it a location for filming the TV series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”, which premiered in 2018 and tells the story of the designer’s life and death, and his most infamous home. 

Versace found inspiration in Miami

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 pastel colors and palm tree prints, showed up in his collections.

It was one of the only private residences on Ocean Drive so he could quickly walk to his favorite nearby News Café every morning.

Unfortunately, this was where he was returning from on July 15, 1997, when he was shot and killed on the steps of his beloved home.

Paola Bortolin

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See Inside Gianni Versace's Mansion, Now a Luxury Hotel in Miami Beach

Rates start at $749 per night.

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.

The three-story building was originally built as an apartment complex by Mayflower descendant and Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman in 1930.

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.

Versace turned the 24 apartments into 10 large suites in the original house.

The designer built an additional two suites in the south wing.

He lined the pool with 24-karat gold tiles.

The Victor Hotels group paid $41.5 million for the property at a 2013 auction. (Donald Trump reportedly put in a bid, too.)

In addition to the guestrooms, it operates the restaurant Gianni's, which " offers a delicious blend of Italian and Mediterranean food and wine selections ." Decadent dishes include gnocchi di granchio, with New Orleans blue crab, vermouth wine, shallots, parmigiano-reggiano, truffles, and filetto di manzo rossini, with eight-ounce Wagyu filet mignon, pomme confit, grilled asparagus, pan-seared foie gras, and Bordelaise jus.

Reservations are required for dinner, but guests can walk into the bar for drinks.

American Crime Story was filmed over the course of about a month at the hotel.

Producer Ryan Murphy told the New York Post he couldn’t believe that he received permission to shoot the series there . "I don’t think I could have made the show if I couldn’t have gotten that house,” he said. “There was no way you could build [a set] of it. Two of the rooms were made out of seashells. [Gianni Versace’s sister] Donatella [Versace] took all the furniture and the art when she sold the house, but through pictures we were able to recreate them."

A resident artist maintains the artwork that Versace commissioned for the property.

"We actually have preserved what Versace created here and just augmented it with some modern touches for the convenience of our hotel guests and restaurant patrons," Chauncey Copeland, the hotel’s general manager, told the Associated Press .

They include this mosaic of Versace's signature Medusa head.

The Villa Suite is the designer's former room.

The Venus Suite was where his sister Donatella Versace stayed.

Rates for one-bedroom suites start at $1,199 per night .

The hotel is on Ocean Drive, a few steps away from the Atlantic Ocean.

The blue-and-cream-colored Azure Suite includes a king bed and two full-sized beds/sitting alcoves.

Rates for a Superior Suite, like this one, start at $749 a night.

What are you waiting for?

Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene.

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What You Need to Know About Sandringham

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Miami - Dade

Miami Beach

• South Beach

Gianni's at the Former Versace Mansion

• Good for special occasions

Make a reservation

Private dining.

Book your next event with us

Additional information

• Dining style Fine Dining
• Price $31 to $50
• Cuisines Italian, Mediterranean
• Hours of operation Lunch Daily 11:00 am–3:30 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 5:30 pm–10:30 pm Fri–Sun 5:30 pm–11:00 pm
• Phone number (786) 485-2200
• Website https://vmmiamibeach.com/giannis/
• Payment options AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
• Dress code Business Casual
• Executive chef Chef Valter Mancini
• Catering Catered Events can be organized to suit any occasion in the historic atmosphere of The Villa Casa Casuarina, the former Versace Mansion, for up to 300 persons.
• Private party facilities With private dining options for groups from 18 to 40, the former Versace Mansion provides Miami's most elegant surroundings for private dining, whether a corporate gathering, a celebration or a romantic dinner for two. Menu starts at. $79++
• Private party contact Diana Mahrouk: (786) 485-2200
• Location 1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139
• Neighborhood South Beach
• Cross street Between 11th and 12th Streets on Ocean Drive
• Parking details Valet parking. There is also street parking and garages in the immediate area.
• Public transit Several bus stops one block west on Collins Avenue.
• Entertainment Live entertainment on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings during Dinner service.
• Additional Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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100 miami / southeast florida restaurants to love this valentine's day, the 12 most beautiful miami restaurants to visit right now, popular dishes, truffle gnocchi.

Home-Made Potato Gnocchi White Truffle Sauce Pecorino Romano with Freshly Shaved Truffle

Fried Shrimp

Tempura Fried Served with Spicy Mayo

Cacio e Pepe

Spaghetti Served in a Pecorino Cheese Wheel

We proudly serve top quality, additive free products

Kobe Beef Carpaccio* $28.00

Thinly Sliced Raw Kobe Beef, Mushroom, Arugula, Shaved Pecorino Romano, Carpiccio Sauce

Gianni's Salmon Carpaccio* $24.00

White & Yellow Chopped Egg, Black Caviar, Red Onion, Parsley and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Capers

Kusshi Oyster*

Served on Half-Shell over ice with Traditional Mignonette

• Half Dozen $21.00
• Dozen $39.00

Tuna Carpaccio* $29.00

Yellowfin tuna thinly sliced, frisee salad

Fried Shrimp, Calamari and Zucchini $28.00

Served with Pomodoro Sauce

Octopus Carpaccio $26.00

Thinly Sliced Octopus, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion, Potatoes, Lemon Vinaigrette

Tuna Crudo $26.00

Sashimi Grade Tuna Spicy Jalapeno

Shrimp Puttanesca $18.00

Shrimp, Cherry Tomato, Red Sauce, Capers

Burrata $24.00

Tomato, Basil and Olive Oil

Mansion Board $29.00

Chef's Selection of Cured Meats and Cheeses Served with Traditional Accoutrement

Eggplant Tortino $19.00

Crispy Eggplant Layers with Tomato Sauce, Basil and Parmesan Cheese

Artichoke a la Romana $17.00

Artichoke, Sauteed Garlic, Mint, Parseley, White Wine

Soup & Salad

Lentil soup $16.00.

Slow Cooked Lentil and Potatoes Soup

Artichoke Salad $18.00

Baby Arugula, Shaved Parmesan, Lemon Dressing

Caesar Salad $18.00

Baby Gem Lettuce, Croutons, Parmesan Cheese

Gianni's Salad $18.00

Baby Arugula, Cherry Tomato, Avocado, Onions, Cucumber, Lemon Dressing, and Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Greek Salad $18.00

Fresh Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Onions, Cucumber, Kalamata Olives and Feta cheese

Featured Items

Osetra caviar $250.00.

Creme Fraiche, Blinis and Traditional Accoutrement

Champagne by the Bottle $180.00

Veuve Cliquot Brut "Yellow Label", Reims, NV

From the Sea

Whole branzino $42.00.

Grilled Mediterranean Whole Branzino served with Baby Vegetables

Faroe Island Wild Salmon $36.00

Pan Seared Wild Salmon served with Baby Vegetables

Pan Seared Sea Scallops $34.00

served with Black Truffle Sauce

Dover Sole $68.00

Lemon, Parsley, Brown Butter, Baby Vegetables

Chilean Sea Bass $46.00

Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass served with Sautéed Spinach

Grilled Jumbo Tiger Prawn $54.00

served with organic "Misticanza" Salad

Signature Quality Meats

All our steaks are served with roasted garlic

Prime Filet Mignon

• 6 oz $45.00
• 8 oz $59.00

New York Steak

• 12 oz $65.00

Prime Bone-In Ribeye

• 20 oz $72.00

T-Bone Porterhouse

Served with Roasted Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables; Serves Two

• 32 oz $120.00

Australian Lamb Chops $48.00

Served with Broccoli Mashed Potatoes

Chicken a la Rotisserie $35.00

Oven Roasted Chicken, Demi Glaze and Roasted Potatoes

Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli $32.00

Home-Made Pasta, Ricotta, Spinach, Sage, Brown Butter

Truffle Gnocchi $39.00

Home-Made Potato Gnocchi, White Truffle Sauce, Pecorino Romano with Freshly Shaved Truffle

Home Made Rigatoni $32.00

Lamb, Wild Mushroom and Crispy Onion

Lobster Spaghetti $52.00

Home-Made Pasta, Whole Lobster, Cherry Tomato and Basil

Gianni's Spaghetti Pomodoro $24.00

Home-Made Pasta, San Marzano, Tomato, Basil, Olive Oil

Cacio e Pepe $32.00

Mushroom risotto $35.00.

With Shaved Parmesan

Seasoned Asparagus $12.00

Sautéed broccolini & baby carrots $12.00, roasted potatoes $10.00, truffle potato purée $12.00, sautéed spinach $10.00, what 14,709 people are saying, overall ratings and reviews.

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

• 4.5 Service
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Staying at the Versace Mansion in Miami

By Ashley   |    Updated On: March 9, 2024   |   11 Comments

This post may be sponsored or contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

If you walk down Ocean Drive in Miami without knowing what’s there, you might just miss it. But tucked between hotels and restaurants is one of Miami’s most iconic former residences: the Versace Mansion. However, it’s now known as the Villa Casa Casuarina and the outside of the hotel is lined by a wall and shrubs. The only glimpse you might get of the opulence within is from behind the bars of the wrought iron gate. That is…unless you are dining or staying at the Versace Mansion.

About the Versace Mansion

The Versace Mansion is located in the heart of South Beach on Ocean Drive between 11th and 12th Street. It’s come a long way from where it was when Gianni first set eyes on the property.

Apparently, Gianni Versace was only in Miami to see his sister, Donatella, on a short stopover on his way to Cuba. He saw the building while walking down Ocean Drive on his layover and took a tour of the property. They were apartments at the time and Versace decided to buy it right then.

He bought it for $2.95 million and then proceeded to do a whopping $32 million in renovations. The apartment building became an eight bedroom home, complete with two kitchens, ten bathrooms, three sitting rooms and more.

In addition, Gianni bought the hotel next door for $3.7 million so that he could extend his property and put in a guesthouse, pool and garden.

The house has intricately painted rooms and (at the time) hidden passages to get from room to room. There were Picasso’s on the wall and Versace upholstery on the furniture.

The Famous Pool

One of the most famous parts of the house is the pool made of Italian mosaic tiles. The pool was reportedly made in Italy, then broken down into sections and shipped to Miami where it was then rebuilt at Versace’s house. The pool is filled with colorful tiles, including thousands of 24-karat gold tiles.

But can you swim in it? Well yes and no. Read on and find out 😉

The Death of Gianni Versace

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.

After his death, the house was bought by an owner in 2000 for $19 million who turned it into a members-only club. However, in 2013, the owner filed for bankruptcy and it sold at auction for $41.5 million in CASH. The buyers? A hotel group called VM South Beach. They turned it into The Villa Casa Casuarina, the boutique hotel it is today. The hotel did a great job keeping the hotel as similar to Versace’s vision as they could and even used old photos to guide them.

In 2018, American Crime Story did a special on Versace’s assassination that reignited interest into the fashion designer’s life and the house itself. The show was filmed at the mansion and gave an inside look into the house.

So how can you see it?

On a normal tour around Miami Beach, you’ll only be stopping out front to look through the gates and at the front door. There are no outside tours allowed at the Versace Mansion and you can’t walk in and pay for a tour. So how do you see it?

The most affordable way to get past the front gate is to make a lunch or dinner reservation at the hotel. The tables of the restaurant are either on the balcony outside overlooking the garden or right on the lawn itself. And for dinner, the tables are right next to the pool. You can take pictures of the pool at dinner but you won’t be able to see much more of the house.

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.

To be able to see it all, you need to be staying at the Versace Mansion. 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. So basically, to get the full experience, you’ll have to stay there .

Staying at the Versace Mansion

There are now ten rooms you can stay in at the Villa Casa Casuarina, I believe. I think Gianni created eight and possibly somewhere in the renovations, two were added. The hotel has largely maintained a lot of the original interior and the hotel group purchased a lot of the original furniture at auction.

Room prices vary depending on the season and depending on which room you choose. On the high end you can spend upwards of $2k and on a slower month, only $550. It may get pricey, but it’s definitely worth exploring the world of Versace. And it’s one of the more memorable things to do in South Florida .

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The room my friend and I stayed in has pastel colors on the walls and an ornate bed frame and light fixtures. It was a large room with a seating area and little nooks in the wall that had cushions and pillows. They were nearly large enough to sleep in as well.

The main sink area in the bathroom was a circular dome with beautiful floor tiles and painted details on the wall. The entire place is covered in intricate details, like the tiled designs you’ll see in many places.

Staying here allows you to explore freely, sit at the pool while others are dining, and of course, take a dip in the famous 24-karat gold-tiled pool.

While it’s not large, the pool is so intricately designed that it is pretty special to use. And if you don’t feel like stripping down to your bikini in front of a group of lunch diners, opt for the time between meals.

Gianni’s: The Versace Mansion Restaurant

The restaurant at the Versace Mansion is called Gianni’s and you’ll need reservations ahead of time. The cuisine is an Italian + Mediterranean mixture. Breakfast is for guests only and then anyone can make reservations for lunch or dinner.

This was included with our room stay and was a fairly standard, but good breakfast. We had mimosas by the pool with a traditional American breakfast. It was quieter for breakfast since there aren’t many rooms and therefore, not that many people staying there.

I’ve had dinner here twice. The first time, I remember it being really good. Then when I stayed here, we had dinner reservations one night and it was unfortunately underwhelming. I ordered the branzino, which was recommended. I hate to say it, but it was bland. The dish my friend ordered (I can’t remember what) was also just ok. Miami has SO many good restaurants and this one just did not hold up this time around.

Bar food & drinks

There’s also a little saloon type room with a bar where you can order drinks and snacks. I assume you still have to have some sort of reservation to go here (whether at the restaurant or the hotel).

The truffle fries at the bar were delectable and the dragon fruit drink was amazing! I would drink it all day.

My friend and I had ordered a pomegranate drink by the pool earlier in the day and it was nearly undrinkable. Incredibly strong. One of those drinks knocked my friend out and she napped by the pool while the lunch crowd came in.

Update: Lunch

Before now, I’d only ever had dinner and breakfast here. But recently I went for lunch. I ordered the dragon fruit drink and the lunch preset menu. The preset menu includes an appetizer, entree and dessert for $29, which is amazing because dinner entrees alone are like $40-60. If you’re trying to be boujee on a budget, lunch is your friend.

I asked for recommendations and AGAIN was recommended the branzino (Why do people keep recommending that??) I instead ordered the burrata, spinach & ricotta ravioli (the other recommendation), and the brownie.

The burrata was a decent portion and I could hardly finish the entree (because I ate all the burrata 😅). BUT, and it pains me to say this again, it just wasn’t that great! All three things, I was just like, ‘meh’. I wanted to love it, I really did.

And on top of that, the dragon fruit drink was also incredibly strong and I don’t remember it being that strong the previous times. I am conflicted about this though. The drinks are nearly $25 a piece, so like, they better be strong . You do get your alcohol content for what you pay, and one drink can make you tipsy. But, it was almost to that too strong point of just not tasting that good. There’s a fine line between being strong and being undrinkable, and this was teetering on the line. But on the other hand, no one wants to buy a $25 drink and feel like they’ve ordered a lemonade.

They also gave everyone a free glass of champagne at lunch for some reason, so that was nice. The thing is, is that they don’t really need to have amazing food because people are still going to go. Would I go back? Yes. Because it’s the Versace Mansion.

What to Wear at the Versace Mansion

If you’re coming to the property for lunch or dinner, you’re probably wondering what to wear. The dress code for the Versace mansion is typically cocktail attire for dinner and business casual for brunch. No ripped jeans, flip flops or beachwear attire is allowed–this is the former residence of a fashion icon after all.

Dinner in Miami is always a chance to dress up. For men, a collared shirt, nice slacks and dress shoes are sufficient. Suit coats are not required. For women, party dresses, cocktail dresses and heels are what you’ll usually see.

Famous Clientele

A flock of celebrities have stayed at the Versace Mansion at some point. Elton John, Princess Diana and other close friends of Versace stayed there often. Madonna supposedly stayed in the tower suite for a month (you can glimpse the tower in the picture above) and Drake supposedly wrote songs in the observatory. Kelly Clarkson famously jumped into the pool after she won an MTV award.

Other famous people like The Kardashians, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Aniston have all stayed there as well.

Whether it’s the Versace name, the celebrity clientele or the Crime Story intrigue, the mansion on Ocean continues to draw people in. My favorite part? Is that I’ve actually walked by it myself without seeing it. But it’s there, in the middle of one of the most famous streets in Miami, Florida , lined with restaurants, shops and tourists.

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Reader Interactions

February 10, 2022 at 7:03 pm

Last year we stayed in the same room as you did. I think it’s the most booked room there. Next time ask to go to the sister hotel to use the pool. You’ll be amazed.

February 10, 2022 at 7:31 pm

Oh, I’m curious now! I’ll have to look that up.

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The Versace Mansion

Anyone who ever passes through Ocean Drive will have a glimpse of the majestic and renowned Versace Mansion of South Beach, Miami. Perhaps, you might have seen it, but you were not sure that it was – after all – the famed Versace mansion. It is easily spotted among cafes, restaurants, and hotels as a huge mansion that has an observatory on its roof on Ocean Drive.

If you are still not sure  which is it, it is the only huge mansion on Ocean Drive with plenty of people at its gate snapping photos – because it is the third most photographed house in all of America, right behind the White House and Graceland. Before we bite right into the juice, let’s take a moment to take some history lessons on the Versace mansion. Well, before you get upset because you don’t like learning history – this is different – because it is interesting. Read on!

Brief Bio of Gianni Versace

Gianni Versace was born on the 2nd of December 1946, and as you might already know – he is a world-class Italian fashion designer, and the person responsible for the establishment of the Gianni Versace international fashion house. Gianni’s partner, Antonio D’Amico were both openly admitted gays, and they were all over the international party scene. He was very well known, and among his friends were the likes of  Elton John, Madonna, Lady Diana , and plenty of people who are icons today.

Gianni Versace’s tragic death story

Gianni Versace always took a morning walk down the  News Café on Ocean Drive to have his breakfast, it was considered to be his morning ritual. It was in 1997, and Gianni was 50 years old – still at the top of the fashion world. Unfortunately, when Gianni returned home, he was greeted by a bullet shot by Andrew Cunanan , a psychotic serial killer who had stalked Gianni for over a year. Cunanan ran and hideout at a nearby boat near the docks. Police surrounded him, and it was a dark day in Miami. As a final resort to escape, Cunanan pulled the trigger on himself, committing suicide.

A Short History of the Versace Mansion

The  Versace Mansion , also known affectionately as  Casa Casuarina  was built and designed by renowned philanthropist and architect, Alden Freeman in 1930. It was inspired by another home in Santa Domingo, which is the oldest existing house called the Alcazar de Colon in the western hemisphere. The Alcazar de Colon was the house of the son of world explorer Christopher Columbus, and it was built in 1510. The Casa Casuarina contains a piece of Alcazar de Colon, as one of its cornerstones uses an original brick from the Alcazar de Colon itself.

How did Casa Casuarina become the Versace Mansion?

During a trip to Miami in 1993, Gianni Versace saw the Casa Casuarina for the very first time. Although it looked diminished, Versace fell in love with it, and he purchased the unmaintained mansion for the price tag of 3 million dollars.

Gianni put in another 33 million to refurbish and renovate the broken-down home.

That is a total of 36 million Gianni Versace invested into the house. Every single one of its features was restored, embellished, and expanded. There are also certain parts of the Casa Casuarina he demolished to make space to build the pool, garden, and South wing area. Finally, it was done, and the world laid eyes as one of the greatest-looking mansions in Miami, with its triumphant Italian touch. He exquisitely restored, expanded, and embellished all its features.

What happened to the house after Versace’s Death

Gianni Versace  had a huge fortune to be divided after his unfortunate death. It took quite a long time for it to be settled.  Allegra Versace , his niece, was left with half a billion dollars, and she was only 11 years old back then. The house fell into Gianni’s sister, Donatella Versace, who continues to run the fashion brand. In the year 2000 however, Peter Loftin, an Executive from a telecom company bought the house for 20 million dollars. It was, however, unfurnished. Donatella sold the furniture separately, and it all came to be worth 90 million.

Loftin had always dreamed of owning the Casa Casuarina when he first saw Gianni restore it. Being a huge fan of it, Loftin did not make any structural changes, but instead, he made restorations to preserve the history and architecture of the house – as well as bring new vibrant life to the house and furnished it inspired by Versace’s style.

What has become of Casa Casuarina now?

Casa Casuarina is now simply a luxury hotel –  losing Versace’s glamour epochal – however, some bedrooms are restricted access from guests. Certain areas are off-limits as well. It is certainly a beautiful sight to see even if, the new management, is a little scorbutic.

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The villa casa casuarina.

The former Miami Beach home of fashion designer Gianni Versace

The wrought iron gates of the Versace Mansion, lined with the designer’s signature Greek key pattern and Medusa logo in gold bas relief, have been a fixture of fascination for passersby on Ocean Drive ever since Gianni Versace’s untimely murder on its steps in 1997 at age 50.

With a velvet rope and stern security guard ever present at the entrance, curiosity about the lavish world that exists beyond those gilded gates lends the home its mystique. It’s not open to the public for tours or a look inside.

Ultra Luxury, Versace-style

The digs beyond the gate are certainly lavish. The most impressive sight is the famed Mosaic Garden courtyard with an enormous pebbled Medusa inlaid in the deck leading to the 54-foot-long Thousand Mosaic swimming pool , which is lined in 24-karat gold and designed by Versace, himself.

With custom bedrooms originally designed for Versace’s friends and frequent guests, including Madonna, Elton John, Princess Diana and Versace’s sister, Donatella, the original artwork and flourishes are a feast for the eyes.

Palm fronds are painted on ceilings with twinkling chandeliers hanging from the center. Elaborate gilded wooden headboards adorn double-king-sized beds, and tapestries are layered on top of marble floors in an array of detailed Baroque patterns.

The effect is excessively luxurious, bordering on gaudy (Donatella’s room is covered in animal print on every surface imaginable). But with so many opulent details, including a storm drain adorned by a tiny Medusa head, you’re never at a loss for a new discovery.

The designer’s former 1,174 square-foot Villa Suite bedroom is even available to guests for a truly intimate peek into the man’s life.

Ways to Explore Inside

So how does one get beyond the gates to see the inside of this iconic home and sumptuous world created by Versace? Access can be gained one of three ways:

• Reserve a room
• Book a table for dinner at Gianni's for an evening in the courtyard by the pool or in the dining room feasting on lobster served on Versace-designed Rosenthal china.
• The mansion is also available for buyouts, often catering to corporate events and weddings.

Versace Mansion History

The historic mansion was built in 1930 by Alden Freeman, who modeled the Mediterranean Revival marvel after the Alcazar de Colon in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was purchased by the fashion designer in 1992.

Versace’s presence on Ocean Drive and the flashy celebrity parties at his mansion were a hallmark of South Beach’s glittery resurgence in that era.

While the property has changed hands a few times since Versace’s death, its most recent acquisition was by the Nakash family of Jordache Enterprises for $41.5 million in October 2013. The family also purchased the Hotel Victor South Beach next door.

August 15, 2022 | Shayne Benowitz

Michelin Guide's Point of View

MICHELIN Selected: a high quality stay

The old Versace mansion is back, this time as a luxury boutique hotel, under a new name: The Villa. This patchwork Italian-style palace is still every inch a monument to excess; the difference being that these days it’s open to the public — or at least ten suites' worth of the public.

General Amenities

All-Suite Hotel

One of our Miami Boutique Hotels... An exceptional Miami Beach experience awaits at The Villa, inside the former Versace Mansion, where unparalleled service and elegant style are sure to please the most discriminating travelers. Luxuriate in one of the Villa's 10 custom guest suites featuring king sized beds or custom double king beds, custom Italian marble oversized bathrooms with two shower heads, expansive closet space, separate living rooms or sitting areas and balconies or patios. Amenities at The Villa include Frette linens and WiFi throughout the property. Guests can find respite inside the walls of the 19,000-square-foot Villa or venture steps from the property to enjoy fine dining, shopping and entertainment. The Villa is an oasis in South Beach.

Meeting and Event Space

Meeting Space: 450.00

Meeting Rooms: 1

Sleeping Rooms: 10

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Gianni’s At The Villa

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The True Story of the Versace Mansion

By Katey Rich

Even before its owner, Gianni Versace, was shot on its front steps, Casa Casuarina was a tourist attraction in Miami Beach. One of very few privately owned homes on glitzy Ocean Drive, it was an attention-grabber even for those who did not know who lived there: black iron gates trimmed in gold framed the Mediterranean-style mansion outfitted with elaborate balconies, and just enough visible glitz to promise even more inside.

But for all the historic importance implied by the name and the classic style, 1116 Ocean Drive was famous because of Versace—and may become even more so, now that the FX series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which filmed in part in the actual Casa Casuarina, is premiering Wednesday. Notorious for its over-the-top style and the horrifying death that happened at its gates, Casa Casuarina has a fascinating backstory all its own—one that begins with a possibly closeted oil heir, comes dangerously close to Donald Trump, and ends with the opportunity for you, yes you, to sleep in Gianni Versace’s old bedroom.

For more discussion of American Crime Story and its real-life inspiration, subscribe to Vanity Fair ’s new podcast Still Watching: Versace.

The mansion was originally commissioned by Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman in 1930, and was named for the only tree on the property, as Maureen Orth writes in her book about Andrew Cunanan, Vulgar Favors —or possibly, as the Miami Herald speculated last year , for the W. Somerset Maugham collection of stories The Casuarina Tree. Freeman, who had retired at 27 to travel the world, designed the house as a copy of the Dominican Republic home built for Christopher Columbus’s son Diego in the early 16th century. Freeman only lived in the mansion for a short time, in the company of his adopted son, Charles Boulton; according to Miami Beach historian Carolyn Klepser, interviewed by the Miami Herald, Boulton may have in fact been Freeman’s lover.

After Freeman’s death in 1937, Boulton sold the mansion for $100,000 to Jacques Amsterdam. He turned it into the Amsterdam Palace, a 24-room apartment building that, by the 80s, mostly rented by the month to artists and anyone else willing to live in what was, by then, a rundown South Beach. The Art Deco buildings that had defined the resort town’s heyday in the 30s and 40s were crumbling; preservationists struggled to convince city officials they were worth protecting at all. “Until recently, the city had the idea that nothing was worth saving in the Art Deco District,” Miami Beach redevelopment director Stuart Rogel told the Herald in 1987. “It looked old, it looked bad and we wanted to get rid of it. Now we realize we are sitting on top of a resource of immense value.”

A fountain in the courtyard of Casa Casuarina as seen in the early 2000s; The swimming pool today.

The legend of Versace’s arrival in South Beach leans heavily on chance. Versace told the Herald in 1993 that, passing through town on his way to Cuba, he asked a cab driver to show him something “fancy and fun” about South Beach. Then he fell in love. Speaking to The New York Times , Donatella Versace remembered walking though South Beach with her brother and stopping in front of the rundown Amsterdam Hotel. “Gianni just stopped in front of the building and said, ‘I want this house.’ Just like that, ‘I want this house.’ But it wasn’t a house; it was literally an apartment building, and people were living in it! I said, ‘Gianni, how are you going do that?’ It was 10 o’clock in the evening. He said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get the lawyers,’ and he did it, I don’t know how. Like many things in his life.”

The mansion had been given historic designation in 1979, and as The New York Times wrote in 1993, South Beach preservationists cheered Versace as the building’s savior. He ran into trouble, though, when he announced plans to tear down the adjacent Revere Hotel to make room for a pool and a garage. Built more than 20 years after Casa Casuarina, the hotel didn’t have historic designation, and plenty of Miami officials didn’t think it deserved it. “The Revere is not a very impressive building at all, and there is no one who can tell me it is,” Miami Beach mayor Seymour Gelber told the Times. “Personally, I don’t feel it is a great loss.”

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Versace got his way—the pool is featured prominently in American Crime Story —and the bad blood seemed to dissipate quickly. In 1995, he accepted an award from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation for Meritorious Achievement in Residential Rehabilitation.

Ricky Martin as Antonio D'Amico and Edgar Ramirez as Gianni Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

The mansion became a landmark, not just as an emblem of the new celebrity status of South Beach, but for the lavish parties Versace threw, and its famous houseguests— Madonna, Princess Diana, and Elton John are all frequently cited as some of the biggest names who spent the night at Casa Casuarina. “All of a sudden, what was going on in L.A. moved here when Gianni came here,” Donatella Versace told The New York Times in 2001. “All the fashion shoots were happening here. Music people, fashion people, actors—he attracted everyone here. He had that power. In the courtyard, right here, you’d see Italian architects, writers, Richard Avedon, Madonna, a mix of people.”

In 1997, Vanity Fair ’s Cathy Horyn spent time with Donatella in her brother’s mansion; the issue containing that story, with Princess Diana on the cover, was on newsstands when Gianni was shot on July 15. (The opening moments of American Crime Story show him buying a copy at a newsstand down the street.) Horyn describes Versace as having “the most outrageous taste anybody has ever seen, but the underlying message is absolute freedom.” The dining room, she writes, has “marble and shell reliefs and scrolling mosaics running on for 30 feet.”

Bruce Weber’s photographs from the December 1994 issue of Vogue capture even more elaborate detail: the dining room turned into a pebbled grotto, Donatella Versace’s bedroom with a canvas painted in Milan on the ceiling, and the central courtyard featuring four busts, preserved from Freeman’s original designs, each representing a different continent.

Versace’s highly public death made his mansion a grim tourist attraction for several years, but Casa Casuarina’s strange story was far from over. By February 2001, Sotheby’s was preparing to auction many of Versace’s belongings; as Donatella told the Times , she had even made an effort to remove the Versace Medusa logos embedded within the house—at least, as many as she could. The property was sold to Peter Loftin, a telecom entrepreneur who, according to the Herald, began using the house to host parties for $10,000 a night, and later turned it into an invitation-only club with yearly dues of $3,600. (Loftin was already a member at Mar-a-Lago, owned by Donald Trump, who will show up again in this story soon). By 2005, the club had opened up to high-roller guests willing to spend up to $4,000 a night to stay in one of Versace’s former bedrooms .

The trouble for Loftin began in 2009, when Scott Rothstein, a Fort Lauderdale-based lawyer who had joined as a minority investor in the club’s restaurant, was arrested for running a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Later, the Casa reopened as a hotel, under the leadership of Barton G. Weiss, though Loftin remained the majority owner . That only lasted until 2013, when Loftin filed for bankruptcy and put the mansion on the market, with an initial, staggering asking price of $125 million.

By the time the building went to auction in September 2013, the asking price had been reduced to $75 million—but the spectacle was in full bloom. None other than Donald Trump was making a bid , sending Eric Trump to the auction because the future president, as he told the Herald, was busy touring a golf project with Jack Nicklaus. 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. The final selling price? $41.5 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.

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The Villa Casa Casuarina

History of the property.

Casa Casuarina  was built in 1930 by Alden Freeman.  Alden Freeman’s father, Joel Freeman was Treasurer of  The Standard Oil Trust (also known as Rockefeller’s Company) and left Alden a fabulous wealth when he passed away. That gave the young and wealthy Alden the opportunity to retire at the age of 27 from being an architect and travel all over the world. Alden was also a descendent of the Mayflower on his mother’s side and felt a very strong tie to history. Freeman, always well-travelled and very intelligent, loved the adventurous spirit of Christopher Columbus and on one of his many trips around the world, went to visit the  Alcazar De Colon  in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) which was built by Diego Columbus (Christopher Columbus’s Son) and is known for being the oldest residence in the western hemisphere. Alden was so inspired by the house that he decided to build his own home in Miami Beach as homage to the Alcazar De Colon and bought back 2 bricks from the house. One sits to the right hand side of the main entrance and one sits in his former house in the city of Santa Barbara, California (named the “Montarioso” estate, which was later donated to the city and was then restored and studied by the Pearl Chase Society of Santa Barbara). Alden dreamed of living in a bohemian society with all of his friends from local areas such as Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. In addition, on his many trips abroad he would meet fascinating people and always invite them to hang out in his beautiful home here in Miami Beach.

The Hubbell & Hubbell Company was the contractor responsible for the construction of Casa Casuarina. If you look down, you will see that the ground is original key lime coral, which was part of the original house designed by noted 1920s interior designer Addison Mizner who virtually created West Palm Beach.

The property had a total of 24 apartments. Freeman lived in the top-floor-front apartment on the southeast corner. The remaining 23 apartments in the building were available for rent and to house many of Freeman’s friends that visited Miami Beach.

Alden Freeman died at Casa Casuarina on December 29, 1937 following a prolonged illness. The house was then sold to Jacque Amsterdam for $100k, who continued to run the house as an apartment complex that he named the “Amsterdam Palace. In April 1939, Amsterdam did a small renovation of the house in which he installed an elevator shaft (where the current bell is located), replaced the lily pond in the Courtyard with terrazzo flooring and moved the kneeling Aphrodite statue to the front terrace. Rooms were rented for $600/month during winter season and $30/month in the summer.

In the ensuing years, Amsterdam Palace passed through the hands of several owners and hundreds of tenants. For a short time in the 1980’s, the house was called Christopher Columbus Apartments. After a while, the building gradually felt into disrepair, but miraculously, most of the original fittings and artworks survived.

In 1992, while on vacation with his family in Miami Beach, Versace took a walk down Ocean Drive and was immediately attracted to the house by the “Kneeling Aphrodite” statue and fell in love with the unique Spanish architecture of the property. Obsessed with Greek and Roman mythology, Versace purchased the original house built by Freeman for $2.95 million and the lot next door, an old art deco hotel called the Hotel Revere. Although this neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and despite strong opposition from the Miami Design Preservation League, Versace bought the Revere Hotel next door for $3.7 million in order to demolish it and put in the Garden, Swimming pool and South Wing.

Versace invested an additional $32 million in renovations in which he added the south wing, the pool and garden and turned the 24 apartments into 10 large suites in the original house and an additional 2 new suites in the south wing. He also removed the elevator shaft in the Courtyard, replaced the fountain and reconstructed the observatory, including a new copper dome. Versace had planned to buy the then-vacant lot next door to the north in order to put in a second garden, but when his death intervened it became part of the Victor Hotel.

The renovations took almost 3 years to complete and in July 15, 1997, only 5 yrs after purchasing the home, Versace was killed on the front steps of the house on his usual morning walk home from News Cafe.

In addition to Gianni Versace, the house was also used by his many close friends and family members. His brother Santo’s bedroom is now called the Venus room, his sister Donatella’s bedroom is the Signature suite.

Some contents of when Versace lived here were auctioned in New York City in April of 2001 for a reported $28 million. What still remains here from the Versace era are the richly decorated walls, floors, ceilings, and windows, as well as the pool, garden, and the entire south wing.

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. for $19 million. 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.

In December of 2009, Events impresario and restaurateur Barton G. Weiss leased the property and took over the Mansion, imprinting his own signature style on the storied house and reopened as The Villa by Barton G. In September 2013 Florida business connected to Jordache Enterprises bought the Mansion at auction with a winning bid of $41.5 million.

Legend maintains that Casa Casuarina was the original name given to the house when it was built in 1930 as homage to the only remaining tree in the lot after the 1926 hurricane that hit South Florida. Freeman was forced to cut down the tree in order to make room for the construction of his new house.  Casuarina esquisetifolia  is the botanical name of the tropical tree popularly known as the “Australian Pine”.

HISTORICAL ITEMS

Bronze statue: The Kneeling Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of love) is a very special statue to the house and has been here since the house was built. It was sculpted in 1928 by a relatively unknown Yugoslavian sculptor named Vuk Vuchinich (Vukinich).

 Vuchinich was one of Freeman’s protégés and was listed in Who’s who in American Art when this statue was first seen in a Sculpture exhibit in San Francisco in 1929. 

The kneeling Aphrodite sat in the courtyard until Jacque Amsterdam moved it to the front of the house to welcome people with love. Walking into the Courtyard: On the left wall of the staircase, you will see a circle with a medusa in it. The medallion is meant to symbolize the shield of Perseus, who be-headed Medusa and put it on his shield to protect him when he went into battle. He later gave this shield as a gift to Athena, the goddess of all the gods to keep her protected from evil spirits. 

The Fountain: The fountain in the Courtyard was purchased by Peter Loftin. The base was created in 2004, when Peter made some changes to the house but the fountain itself was an antique, purchased in France and restored in the US. It’s an amazing fountain that combines all the different and unique aspects of the house. 

The 4 White Pillars: These 4 white pillars that surround the courtyard are called the “pillars of democracy” and were designed by Ulric Henry Ellerhusen. 

These 4 pillars represent the 4 continents along with the 4 characters that Freeman felt most influenced the new world: 

• Europe (Columbus), Asia (Confucius), Africa (Frederick Douglass) America (Pocahontas). The Bell: A mission bell from California also decorated the Courtyard when Freeman lived in the property. The original bell was later replaced by a different bell made in Philadelphia in 1851 during Versace’s renovations.

 Portrait Medallions: Approximately 130 mostly disc-shaped decorative medallions line the upper story of the Courtyard. Approximately 85 identical or similar plaques still exist at Freeman’s “Montarioso” house in Santa Barbara. 

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.

 Mosaic Garden: As you walk down to the base of the stairs please note that everything past the white wall is all part of the “New Wing” Versace built in 1992. You will also notice that the new wing is almost completely made up of small mosaic tiles. 

At the base of the stairs you have Neptune, the God of water and sea. The Medusa in the pool garden is the largest in the whole house. This Medusa was done in Versace’s home town of Calabria Italy, broken apart and then shipped to Miami Beach in numbered segments. The Medusa in the pool garden is also his logo which is the Medusa surrounded by the Greek key which represents an infinite pattern. When used in a circle can also mean Infiniti which is how Versace used it. 

The Pool AKA the “Million Mosaic Pool”: The pool was inspired by Versace’s “Marine Vanitas” collection and contains thousands of 24k gold tiles. The main character of the pool is Poseidon, the God of the Sea. 

The 4 Large Urns on both sides of the pool were designed by Versace and have another sometimes sing to people and gods and enchant them; distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck or run their ships aground. 

Other stories have them squeezing the life out of drowning men while attempting to rescue them. If you look around the pool, you will see the same symbolism Versace loved (circles, squares and triangles). 

Open Rotunda: Rotundas are widely used all over Europe, especially in Greece and Rome for their natural air-conditioning benefits. The large rug that is hanging on the wall was purchased by Versace and framed in beautiful stone. 

The rug depicts the village of the gods welcoming home Aphrodite-Goddess of Love and even shows a woman getting a little cupid ready for Aphrodite. 

On the top right, you can see the Temple of the Gods with Athena and Zeus as well as Poseidon, who is sitting with his Triton. The floor is a pattern of triangle and diamonds within circles around the shells and pearls in the center.

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Brittany Mahomes rocks pink gingham Versace outfit at F1 Miami Grand Prix 2024

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She’s feeling very va-va-vroom.

Brittany Mahomes looked ready for some racing action in a pink gingham Versace corset top ($1,790) and miniskirt ($1,290) at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs WAG, 28, and her quarterback husband, Patrick Mahomes, also 28, attended the F1 event alongside Travis Kelce, who went for a green peapod-print Givenchy look .

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The fitness trainer — who shares daughter Sterling Skye, 3, and son Bronze, 1, with her husband — wore her hair down and accessorized with a dainty Van Cleef & Arpels diamond pendant ($8,500) and clear-framed sunglasses.

Meanwhile, Patrick went casual in a tan button-up shirt, a duo of diamond chains and statement shades.

The duo have been spotted partying in the Sunshine State since Friday when they kicked off F1 festivities at Sexy Fish.

“They were seen canoodling at the table, kissing and hugging,” an eyewitness told Page Six. “It was full-on party mode for the group!”

The couple celebrated alongside a group of friends as they were “toasting champagne” during DJ Guy Gerber’s set.

The mom of two took to Instagram to commemorate the date night with a sweet snap of her kissing the NFL star on the cheek.

They also stepped out for the Boardroom x Coinbase Miami Brunch at Casadonna on Saturday as Brittany donned a sporty orange Dior minidress, white sunnies and a Chanel flap bag to match.

Patrick opted for a powder blue shirt-and-shorts set and futuristic white Oakley shades.

The duo held onto each other while walking to their destination.

They also palled around with LeBron James and other A-listers at Carbone Beach on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Kelce — who spent all weekend without girlfriend Taylor Swift — wasn’t yet in attendance as he attended the Kentucky Derby Saturday .

The foursome has become closer than ever post-football season, having recently taken a trip to Las Vegas together for the 15 and the Mahomies charity gala , where Swift donated tickets to her Eras Tour .

And the star is preparing to head back on the road in Europe, with her tight end boyfriend following — and the Mahomeses set to make an appearance overseas as well.

At last year’s Miami Grand Prix, Brittany sported a Chanel F1 dress to the race, with her white tank-style design featuring floral embellishments and a racecar graphic.

Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, also showed off a piece from the French fashion house’s Formula 1-themed cruise 2023 collection, wearing a $4,450 crop top during a trip to St. Barts in December.

As for the rest of this weekend’s F1 fashion moments, watch this space.

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Hozier performs on stage at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, on May 10, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Michele Eve Sandberg/Contributor)

Attendees at the Hozier concert at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, on May 10, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Michele Eve Sandberg/Contributor)

Attendees during the Hozier concert at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, on May 10, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Michele Eve Sandberg/Contributor)

Rory Doyle performs on stage with Hozier at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, on May 10, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Michele Eve Sandberg/Contributor)

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