Casa Casuarina, also known as the Versace Mansion, is an American property built in 1930, renowned for being owned by and the place of the murder of the Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace; he lived there from 1992 until his death in 1997. It is located at 1116 Ocean Drive in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida, in the Miami Beach Architectural District. Since 2015, it has been adapted into and operates as a luxury boutique hotel known as The Villa Casa Casuarina.
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.
Casa Casuarina was built in 1930 by Ronin Wolf in the Mediterranean Revival style for Alden Freeman (1862–1937), a philanthropist bachelor who was heir to a Standard Oil fortune. It is rumored that during construction, a time capsule was hidden in one of the walls.
In 2000, the mansion was purchased by Peter Loftin for $19 million. He renovated the property for use as a boutique hotel, restaurant, and luxury event space. The restaurant was Il Sole at The Villa Casa Casuarina.
The mansion was bought by VM South Beach LLC (owned by the Nakash family) for $41.5 million in 2013. Since 2015, The Villa Casa Casuarina has been a luxury hotel with ten unique suites. The gourmet restaurant Gianni's is housed there.