Lavish Versace Mansion at Miami
Versace mansion in Miami sold at auction for $ 41.5 million hit the headlines few months ago in the United States. It is one of America's landmark homes, the Miami Beach mansion that once belonged to Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, was sold at an auction recently for a whopping $41.5 million to a business group that includes VM South Beach, a company affiliated with New York's Nakash family, which controls Jordache Enterprises. Recently the Nakash family of New York purchased the villa, and has turned it into a luxury boutique hotel.
This beautiful Italian-style villa was the home of the late fashion designer Gianni Versace. This 23,000-square-foot property is located on the iconic Ocean Drive street in South Beach, Miami. Featuring elaborate rooms decorated with mosaics, marble, hand-painted frescos and decadent furnishings, it impresses viewers with the sheer luxury.
The designer bought a neglected three-story, Mediterranean-style home, originally built in 1930 by Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman, and a dilapidated hotel next door in 1992 and spent $33 million on renovations. He added the gardens and pool. The 23,000-square-foot mansion has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, an open-air courtyard, 7 fireplaces, a garage for 12 cars and a guesthouse. Each room has a fantastical theme creatively designed by Gianni Versace himself.
In 1997, Versace was gunned down at the mansion's entrance gate by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Three years later, Versace's family sold the property to Loftin, who is now facing bankruptcy and who had been trying to sell the house for more than a year.
The history of the house is very interesting. Starting with the name, Casa Casuarina, the source of inspiration is unverified. Some guess that it was named after a casuarina tree on the site, one of many planted by pioneer John Collins; that is doubtful, however, because the house was built full-site with a Cuban style courtyard but no garden. More likely, the name came from the 1926 collection of short stories by W. Somerset Maugham, THE CASUARINA TREE.
History of Copious Manor
Built in 1930 by Charles Boulton and Alden Freeman, two life-long bachelors, one (Freeman) an eccentric millionaire and the other (Boulton) a younger landscape designer; the residence has always been equated with extravagance. Originally named Casa Casuarina, after a lone Australian Pine (Casuarina tree) left standing after the Great Hurricane of 1926, the name was also inspired by a collection of six short stories from author W. Somerset Maugham's "The Casuarina Tree" about a group of British adventurers in Malaya. Freeman used brick from this ancient house in the construction of Casa Casuarina.
Freeman was a great admirer of Maugham's writings. Casa Casuarina was a masterpiece. The house was designed as an exact replica of the Alcazar de Colon in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). That residence, constructed between 1506 and 1510, was the home of Diego Columbus (son of Christopher Columbus) and Dona Maria de Toledo, niece of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. A brick from this original residence is prominently featured in the front façade of today's Villa by Barton G. Boulton and Freeman incorporated great works of art and sculpture throughout the building. Freeman updated the mansion with Moorish tile, mosaics and tapestries, and classical busts. He liked to entertain his free-spirited friends there, including the philosopher and artist Raymond Duncan.
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By 1935, the name was changed from Casa Casuarina to Amsterdam Palace after its new owner, Jac Amsterdam. The name Amsterdam Palace lingered on for decades. In the early 1980s, British tour operator Bryn Roden moved into the Penthouse of a now very subdued mansion. It served as a 30-unit apartment building. Many artists resided there, attracted by the architecture and beauty of the mansion.
The house had long since declined to become a bohemian low-rent apartment building. The building was controlled by Gerry Sanchez, a cigar-smoking wheeler dealer in the early days of South Beach, who drove around in a white Rolls Royce. Sanchez would often ask Roden for rent in advance. Roden would pay him three months in advance for two months free.
At the Hands of Gianni Versace
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In 1992, the mansion was purchased by the famous Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace, for a price of $2.9 million. He also purchased an empty hotel next door, the Revere Hotel, and used the property to make added space for an expansion. Versace added on a south wing, garage, swimming pool and garden areas, and also made many renovations and embellishments. Versace's demolition of the Revere Hotel was very controversial at the time. In 1993, the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) opposed the demolition of the 1950 hotel, noting that it was an important historic site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After 6 months of struggle, Versace was allowed to go ahead with the demolition. Critics believe the MDPL's efforts were no match for the Versace's fame, influence, and buying power. He also bought the adjacent 1950s Revere Hotel for $3.7 million in 1993. Controversial at the time, demolition was allowed for the hotel after a 6 month deliberation. The corner lot was used for a garden with a spectacular swimming pool and a new two-story wing plus a garage.
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Apparently he was fascinated by Christopher Columbus and was known to dress in costume as the explorer from time to time. The house is said to be inspired by the 1510 palace of Columbus' son, Alcazar de Colon Santo-Domingo, now the Dominican Republic. Although part of the palace no longer exists, there are no obvious similarities. A brick said to be from the palace and brought back by Freemen is set into the facade, however. The design of the house is more like the typical characteristics of the Mediterranean Style popular at the time.
The oceanfront house was designed by Arthur Laidler-Jones of Henry La Pointe & Arthur Laidler-Jones Architects, according to most sources although it may have been a joint effort between the two. It was unusual because it was built with twenty three suites, usually occupied by friends rather than rented as apartments, and the twenty fourth being the owner's quarters, occupying the third floor. Versace received an award from the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District for his contributions, with Hawrylewicz & Robertson, no longer in business as a partnership, the architects of record.
Renzo Mongiardino's Designs
Noted Italian designer Renzo Mongiardino had been a guiding force in the Milan and Lake Como homes of Versace but there is no evidence of his contributions to this house except for the influence of his multi-layered neoclassical decorating style. The rich, theatrical schemes are still evident except that almost all the fabrics are of Versace's own design. In many cases, the fabrics were especially designed for Casa Casuarina, and later adapted for use in the Versace Home Furnishings Collection.
The terracotta figure of Marcus Aurelius on horseback after the Antique, placed on a mahogany omolu-mounted pedestal, realized $52,500 in the auction. The original model, which stands in the Piazza Campidoglio in Rome, is regarded as one of the most important statues to survive unburied from antiquity.
The walls of the Master Bedroom were painted with fantastic tropical scenes from baseboard to cornice to give visual height to the relatively low ceiling. The bed, a mahogany ormolu-mounted lit d'alcove from the first quarter of the 19th century features some mounts of a later date.
Versace created a Dressing Room of unstained mahogany with ebonzied accents to showcase part of his art collection. The Salon is unusual as it is one of the few rooms with a high ceiling. The transitional Louis XV/XVI giltwood console from the third quarter of the 18th century worth of $82,000. The 'Knole' style upholstered furniture designed by Versace was covered in his "Wild Paisley" cotton velvet; along with two matching chairs and two ottomans, the lot was estimated at $7,000 to $9,000 but sold for $66,875 during auction.
The neoclassical bedroom features pilasters in what appears to be finishes to resemble porphory, lapis lazuli, and malachite with gilded ionic capitals. Due to the center doors, there are two beds, made in the Empire style with covers in Versace's 'Portrait Gallery' fabric; estimated at $70,000 to $90,000, the beds cost was for $104,250. The biblioteque on stand which had been bought at Dalva Brothers, New York City and the estimated cost of the same was $41,000.
The corridor to the Swimming Pool is decorated with marble mosaics covering the vaulted ceiling and furnished with modern reproductions of classic black figure pottery kraters and jars. The spectacular Swimming Pool is located in the new garden created by the demolition of the Revere Hotel. The existing house and the new wing form two sides of the garden with this wall backing up to 11th Street on the south and another wall to the east to shield the traffic of Ocean Drive. The pool is completely covered in mosaic tiles.
Amsterdam Palace to Versace Mansion
The house traded hands again, selling for $1 million dollars to a local investor. Then, in 1991, on his way to Cuba, Italian designer Gianni Versace stopped in Miami to visit his sister Donatella who was here on a photo shoot for an advertising campaign. He hired a local driver to show him what was best to see in Miami. The astute driver took Versace to News Cafe so that he could witness the action of a nascent fashion industry and its plethora of models, cameramen and wannabes. Versace was entranced. He felt the energy that was coalescing around South Beach. Versace stopped in front of the aging Amsterdam Palace and told his sister that he wanted the house.
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Versace paid $2.9 million dollars for the Amsterdam Palace and then, after realizing that he was going to feel quite confined in the building's little courtyard, he paid $3.7 million dollars for the derelict 1950 Revere Hotel next door. Then he promptly tore the Revere down. This move angered many activists in the town's preservation community and Versace had to make amends by funding an effort to tighten South Beach's preservation ordinances. He was also persuaded to fund a salary for the city's first preservation officer. The teardown of the Revere did give Versace room to expand and he built a breathtaking mosaic pool surrounded by a verdantly landscaped courtyard and a complimentary addition to the original mansion.
He brought in craftsman from all over Europe and decorated sumptuously in a combination of Empire style and his own over-the-top baroque designs. Versace's presence also drew the A-list of jet-setting celebrities: Gwyneth Paltrow, Elton John, Cher, Madonna, Sting and an endless parade of other illuminati and European dignitaries. South Beach was at its zenith and Versace was the host of the party. The party all came to an end on July 15, 1997, when a serial killer who had been stalking Versace approached him that morning while he was mounting his front steps and shot him in the back of the head.
Unable to live with the awful event that had happened there, Donatella Versace sold the house to a North Carolina telecom millionaire by the name of Peter Loftin for $19 million dollars. Loftin turned the mansion into a private club and continued to welcome celebrities, models and all of the beautiful people. After operating the house for quite a few years, Loftin reached out to Barton G. Weiss, a catering phenomenon with a high-powered clientele culled from his work in New York and Miami. Weiss took over the mansion in a long-term contract and rebranded it "The Villa by Barton G."
He created a clothing line for Bloomingdales and Saks. He moved to Miami in the early '90s. When he did eventually settle here, he had a huge vision which he was told was "not obtainable here. "Unable to find a company to buy that matched his criteria, he started his own. Beginning in a garage, Barton G expanded rapidly, bringing in catering and lighting crews from New York. After establishing a reputation as one of the most sought-after caterers in Miami, Weiss was offered the opportunity to take over Versace's former mansion.
The new vision that Weiss laid out for the mansion and for all of Ocean Drive was to bring back the locals and reassert Ocean Drive as a cultural hub. In a grueling 90 day, 24 hour a day, seven day a week schedule, Weiss restored every element of the house. This included tracking down rare European artisans to restore the frescoes, glass, mosaics and overall architectural features.
The finished result is a 10-room hotel with butler service from the moment you enter the building (no check-ins); elite, hand-picked social functions; and a restaurant that is limited to 50 guests a night. The property also features an in-house spa, the "G" Lounge, and an offering of shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, massage oils and fragrances created by Barton G. Weiss himself.
Weiss employed his design talents to create brilliant original fabrics in the rooms. Although careful not to change things that were already great, he has brought his own, highly-evolved design sense to the mansion. Alden Freeman, Charles Boulton and Gianni Versace would be pleased with the care and stewardship that is being put into 'their' house.
References:
http://www.ba-bamail.com/content_14958/Step_Inside_Versaces_Unbelievable_Miami_Mansion.aspx?position=related_articles
http://southbeachstories.com/versace-mansion
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2423757/Gianni-Versaces-Miami-mansion-finally-SOLD-41-5m-firm-Jordache-label.html#ixzz3WslrhZN2
http://tdclassicist.blogspot.in/2012/08/versaces-casa-casuarina.html (For images)