Gianni Versace’s former New York mansion goes on sale for $70 million

Written by Sana Noor Haq, CNN

Gianni Versace’s former townhouse in Manhattan has gone on sale for $70 million.
The late fashion designer bought the seven-bedroom mansion in 1995 and fully refurbished the interior, according to the Sotheby’s International Realty listing.

The mansion, built in 1950, offers the buyer the chance to “live like royalty” and “own a piece of real estate and fashion history,” the listing says.

Boasting 17 lavishly decorated rooms spread across six floors, the property overlooks Fifth Avenue and borders Central Park.

The floors are Italian marble and Austrian parquet. There are five fireplaces, painted walls and ceilings and mosaic.

Versace furnished the New York townhouse in a distinctive Italian Baroque style.

Versace furnished the New York townhouse in a distinctive Italian Baroque style. Credit: Travis Mark for Sotheby’s International Realty

“Versace’s genius and vision is revealed over the first 4 floors, each presenting the designer’s legendary taste and permeates the home,” the listing adds.

Every floor of the mansion has a different theme.

The entrance opens to a marble staircase and gallery with a decorative Greek key pattern border, and the garden level has hand-painted canvas walls inspired by an English neoclassical manor.

The rooftop terrace features a gazebo and offers a view of the midtown Manhattan skyline.

The rooftop terrace features a gazebo and offers a view of the midtown Manhattan skyline. Credit: Travis Mark for Sotheby’s International Realty

On the third level there is a ceiling that resembles the vault of the Sistine Chapel, alongside restored 19th-century panels Versace sourced from a Florentine palazzo.

The level above offers a double bathroom spa that the listing describes as “one of the grandest in the city,” and the fifth and sixth floors house bedrooms and a Moroccan-style media room.

Gianni Versace

Gianni Versace Credit: Globe Photos/MediaPunch/AP

Versace was one of the most influential figures in fashion in the 20th century.

He emerged with his first independent collection in Milan in 1978, and established his brand with his brother, Santo, and his sister, Donatella, according to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

His designs are known for their seductive silhouettes and theatrical flair, and have been worn by pop culture royalty including Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez and Elton John.

Versace was shot dead on the steps of his Miami Beach villa in 1997. Since his death, Donatella Versace has continued to lead the brand’s creative vision — now under US company Capri Holdings, which bought the label in 2018.