Versace Mansion Gets A Facelift
Former Casa Casuarina Set To Open As 'The Villa'
POSTED: Friday, March 12, 2010
UPDATED: 4:06 am EDT March 15, 2010
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Gianni Versace's former mansion on 11th Street and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach is set to take on a new identity.The 1930's Mediterranean-style mansion became a Hollywood hot spot after Versace bought it in the early 1990s. In 1997, the famed designer was murdered on the mansion's front steps.Three years later, entrepreneur Peter Loftin bought the property and turned it into a hotel, restaurant and private club called Casa Casuarina. But the project struggled and four months ago, it closed.In November, Miami restaurant owner Barton G. Weiss signed a 10-year lease with Loftin."This is a magical place. There's nothing quite like it in Miami," Weiss told Local 10's Jonathan Vigliotti during a tour of the reinvented mansion, which is now called The Villa.The previous management didn't use the property or really respect the property as much as it should have been respected," said Weiss.The 10-room hotel will stay under Weiss' management. For $5,000 a night, guests can stay in Versace's room.Weiss will also keep the 70-seat restaurant inside the home. But the $50 tours of the mansion and the private club that used to sell annual memberships for $50,000 will be eliminated."Overall, the changes are subtle but they take the space to a whole new level," Weiss said. "I am really paying respect to Gianni while putting my own touch on it."Weiss said he spent more than $1 million on renovations. Most of the money went to refurbishing the property's ornate mosaic walls and restoring the building's architecture.Weiss hopes that having his name on the building will bring the luxury of Versace back to the mansion.The restaurant is opened to the public but reservations are required. Memberships to the former Casa Casuarina will be honored at The Villa.
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