Modern Miami is a symbol of the arts and culture; it boasts a stream of new design hotels, historic landmark properties like Vizcaya, and serves as a hub for Art Basel. But there is one architectural wonder South Beach is best known for: Casa Casuarina, also known as the Versace Mansion. The home was made famous by fashion designer Gianni Versace when he purchased the property in 1992. Oddly enough, he wasn't looking for it–the late designer discovered the estate by chance during a quick visit to Miami to visit his sister, Donatella, on his way to Cuba.
In 2001, Donatella revealed to The New York Times how her brother came to own Casa Casuarina, now more commonly known by the Versace name. 'We took a walk in South Beach, and 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.'
But how did the villa become an apartment building? Or come to be adorned with some of the most lavish interiors the U.S. has ever seen? According to Casa Casuarina's history of the property, it was originally built by Alden Freeman, heir to Standard Oil Trust, the Rockefeller's company. Freeman retired at the age of 27 to travel and made his way to Florida and the Dominican Republic, where he fell in love with the Alcazar De Colon in Santo Domingo, built by Christopher Columbus' son, Diego.
Upon his return to Miami, Freeman built Casa Casuarina as an homage to the Alcazar De Colon. The property was divided into apartments, aimed at housing a community of artists and bohemians Freeman dreamed of living amongst. He lived on the top floor until his death in 1937, after which the home was purchased for £70,157 by Jacque Amsterdam, who renamed the complex 'Amsterdam Palace.' Amsterdam was responsible for installing an elevator and moving the statue of Kneeling Aphrodite ( for which the home is known) to the front terrace. Coincidentally, it was that Grecian statue which caught the eye of Gianni Versace on that first walk through South Beach with Donatella.
The apartment complex passed through a number of owners until Versace laid eyes on it in 1992 and transformed it into one of the country's grandest mansions. Along with the Casa Casuarina, Versace also purchased Hotel Revere on the lot next door for £2.6 million. Hotel Revere later became the site of Versace's garden, epic swimming pool, and the home's south wing.
Along with the initial costs of purchase, Versace invested an additional £22.5 million into renovations over the course of three years. He turned what was once a 24-apartment complex into a grand estate the world would come to know as the Versace Mansion, complete with 10 suites and an additional two suites in the south wing. 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.
Gianni Versace was killed on the steps of his home by Andrew Cunanan, a story detailed in FX's new series American Crime Story: The Assasination of Gianni Versace.
After Versace's murder, the house sat empty for three years before Donatella sold it. After passing through the hands of two new owners, the mansion was purchased at auction for £29.12 million and is now operated by Victor Hotels Management as The Villa Casa Casuarina. Now, guests can host events and weddings at the Versace Mansion, spend the night (or many), and dine at the hotel's restaurant, appropriately named Gianni's.
