Gianni Versace's New York City mansion

Manhattan, the most emblematic of New York's neighborhoods, is often taken as an example of real estate excess through its ever-taller towers and its residences with astronomical prices. The latest property to make the news is undoubtedly one of the most opulent houses on the island of Manhattan. It is the former townhouse of the late designer Gianni Versace.

Gianni Versace in the States

Versace, who launched his eponymous fashion house in 1978, acquired the house for $7.5 million in 1995. The following year, the Versaces opened an iconic five-story boutique on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. In July 1997, Andrew Cunanan, a 27-year-old serial killer, murdered the 50-year-old designer Gianni Versace on the front porch of his Miami Beach mansion.

The Mansion

Built in 1950 by architect Irving Margon, also known for The El Dorado, an iconic Art-Deco building on the West edge of Central Park, the stately six-story limestone mansion is located on East 64th Street, surrounded by embassies and luxury jewelry stores. It has a rooftop terrace overlooking Fifth Avenue and Madison. Neighbors include big names from Wall Street, the 7th art and also music with Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) living a few doors down. The fashion titan acquired this superb building of 1317 sqm in 1995.

Work done by Gianni Versace

To expand the building and renovate it to his liking, Versace called on MSM Architects and Laboratorio Associati, New York and Italian firms specializing in structural engineering for the former and Italian period architecture for the latter. The two firms found solutions to add two more floors and design Italian baroque interiors with painted ceilings, Austrian parquet floors, marble bathtubs and lots of gold details. Gianni Versace infused the home with his signature Italian Baroque-inspired style, which is also the DNA of his eponymous brand. To this day, four floors of the property still feature finishes installed by Versace himself - among them marble floors, painted ceilings and walls, and classical columns.

Work done by the new owners

Although they retained and restored many of the original elements of the house, the current owners, a Swedish hedge fund management couple, nevertheless chose to part with some of the original decorations to make some more to their liking. While the ceiling of the great hall is still adorned with restored 19th-century panels recovered by Versace from a Florentine palazzo, the top two floors have been completely redesigned. The fifth level has a large multimedia room with deep red walls and Moroccan accents: lamps, sofas, marquetry, fabrics, everything is done to immerse the room in another culture. There is also a games room with several arcade games. Are available on the sidelines of the sale Versace-inspired furniture to complement this exceptional property.

An oasis in the middle of Manhattan

Among the mansion's many assets are its French windows overlooking a sunken espalier garden; a balcony that runs the length of the back of the property and also overlooks this beautiful green space. At the top, a rooftop terrace features a gazebo with views of Fifth Avenue and Madison. The mansion is currently on the market for $60 million and its future owner will be a new link in the exceptional history of this property - a priceless piece of New York fashion and real estate history.

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