Casa Casuarina Miami

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”.

GIANNI’S SUITE
Enter The Villa Suite through its unique round foyer and you are transported to the quarters of the man who made the mansion famous.

With its decadent custom double king-sized bed and mural-covered walls, The Villa Suite features two balconies – one overlooking Ocean Drive – a bedroom sitting alcove, his and hers closets and a custom oversized double-head shower and bidet. The most coveted room in South Florida, The Villa Suite is an unparalleled experience for the most discerning traveler.

THE AURORA SUITE
Overlooking The Thousand Mosaic Pool, The Aurora Suite is bathed in a golden light from the ample stained glass windows lining the bedroom and sitting room. The four-poster king-sized bed topped with swans assures sleep and relaxation fit for royalty.

THE EMPIRE SUITE
The Empire Suite shares a private foyer with The Villa Suite. With a sitting room and king-sized bed, The Empire Suite returns visitors to the Ottoman Empire with its murals of sultans and features a soothing honey and jewel-tone color scheme.

THE MEDALLION SUITE
Climb the poolside spiral staircase to The Medallion Suite, with its rotunda overlooking one of the most beautiful mosaics in The Villa. The Suite, with its patio overlooking the mosaic pool, features a sitting alcove, a king-sized bed and an oversized, custom shower.

MIAMI’S ULTIMATE LUXURY
Miami Beach’s most exceptional experience awaits for you 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 ten 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 19,000-square-foot Villa or venture steps from the property to enjoy fine dining, shopping and entertainment. The Villa is your oasis in South Beach.

INTIMATE MIAMI BEACH WEDDINGS
The Villa Casa Casuarina, Miami Beach invites you to embark on the journey of marriage embraced by a profound sense of peace, from the serenity of Asian-inspired surroundings, to intuitive luxury and personalized service.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS
The Villa Casa Casuarina, offers an array of extravagant spaces for your special event, with exclusive Miami Beach event venues, including Thousand Mosaic Pool and two private lounges, ten custom guest suites.

AN EXQUISITE DINING EXPERIENCE
The stunning atmosphere of Gianni’s as night in the former Versace Mansion rivals the best locales in the world to dine. In the history-steeped dining room, or under the stars poolside, Gianni’s offers a wonderful, unique luxurious experience.

Rooms: 10

Price: from 523 EUR per night

Source: www.vmmiamibeach.com