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Show Page 18 fiomt Magazine, THMiLY.JiKRAWJFeiKlsy.Stembw Vm resys a Varidorbi Versa ce By BARBARA MAYER For AP Special Features Gianni Versace, who commands top dollar for his Italian fashions and home furnishings, has spent a lot of lire transforming a derelict Vanderbilt mansion into a New York emporium. y The townhouse, one of two built in a French neoclassical style for George W. Vanderbilt, was completed in 1905. George, grandson of Cornelius, also conceived and built the Biltmore, the opulent retreat in Asheville, N.C Vanderbilt hoped the marble-face- d twins would stem the march of commerce up Fifth Avenue. But by 1924. one had been turned into an art gallery. In J 950, the other was raed to make room for a dry goods More catering to the carriage trade. In the 1970s, a glass and steel skyscraper, Olympic Tower, replaced the retailer. By the time Versace arrived in New York in search of a worthy address for a flagship store, the remaining townhouse, a city landmark, was empty. While the upper portion of the facade had retained its magnificent pilasters and Corinthian capitals, the ground level and the interior had been altered as commercial space. Versace leased the building and began a restoration to approximate its original grandeur, at a cost that would exceed the $9 million estimate. Now complete, it joins restored architectural landmarks in Italy, Switzerland and Paris that also are important shops in his fashion, home furnishings and retailing empire. Versace, who also prefers historic buildings as homes, appreciated the historical associations of the townhouse. designed by the sons of eminent architect Richard Morris Hunt for one of America's richest and most pretentious families. Using what was left of the facade, period photographs and architectural drawings as reference, Kocco Magnoli and Lorenzo Laboratorio of Carmellini the Associati of Milan the exterior. They also original interior plan of three large rooms, or bays, per floor. is an inexact Restoration process in which luck often plays a part. In this case, the architects were lucky to find a source in Cararra, Italy, for the Vermont marble that once faced the lower part of the building. It isn't unusual for firms in Cararra, world center of marble fabrication, to have stock from around the world. And it was cheaper to cut what was already there than for the architects to have more shipped from 2 five-stor- the Danby, Vt., quarry. Using a laser, Italian artisans recreated the unusual pattern of cuts, known as vermiculation, that imitate the meanderings of worms in wood. They finished the work by . hand. "This was the most expensive way of working marble, involving g to make extensive the pattern," says Enrico Como, architect. "So, of hand-carvin- :; . ir : i''''"''''.'"5"'??"-- -- ' ,, AP Photof Copyright Fetar AanxV Esto The grand marble stair case with bronze bauiustrade was designed by Laboratorio course, it was appropriate for the Vanderbilts." Versace's people declined to discuss costs, but Xenophon Galinas, president of Olympic Tower Associates, the landlord, said that most large retail corporations spare no expense on their flagship stores. In that context, he said, "The Versace installation is one of the most expensive found in the market today." Association of Milan for Gianni Versace's Fifth Avenue emporium. The flagship new York What Versace got for the money is a luxurious commercial space in what was once a magnificent residence. The key interior feature is a marble staircase with bronze balustrade that winds its way through each level. The stairwell is lit by a skylight, evoking the original light well of the Vanderbilt residence. Each level has custom-mad- e store, less than a block from' SL Patrick's Cathedral was once a Vanderbuirt mansion. lerrazzo paving, and the home furnishings department on the fifth floor has inlaid wood. Throughout the store, recessed wall vitrines display accessories against plaster walls ornamented with classical pilasters. While the Vanderbilts lacked no amenities in their mansions, the reconstructed townhouse has something the original didn't: a sixth floor. From the original roof hand-trowell- ed line rises a Palladjan-styl- e temple on a mosaic pavement. It offers a breath of fresh air and a birds-ey- e view of Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center. The addition's interior, styled like a pavilion, is to be a haven for the rich and famous. Along with a kitchen and reception area are private dressing rooms for Versace's best clients - Madonna, Prince and Elton John among them. Rating programs measure home's energy efficiency By KEN SHEINKOPF Orlando Sentinel Q. 1 read an article several months ago that said the federal government had expanded the energy-efficiemortgage program to encourage people to buy homes. How can energy-efficietell if a home companies mortgage is efficient? A. Many states have eneigy rating programs (hat evaluate the energy use in a home to determine if it will qualify for new mortgage programs. In Florida, for example, the statewide system measures the benefits of energy-efficieimprovements. The energy-efficiemortgage program, backed nt nt nt the Federal by Housing Administration, specifies that a rating be used to qualify for the program. The program allows the net value of the lifetime energy savings to be added to the mortgage principal with no additional homeowner qualification required. In other words, prospective homeowners can buy more house than they might otherwise qualify for if the home is rated energy efficient. The Jaw is voluntary in Florida, but all home buyer can rater request that a measure a home's energy efficiency. Other states have similar procedures. Other new programs are developing that will build upon rating state-certifi- like these. The programs Environmental Protection Agency uses energy ratings to give homes an Energy Star designation, which is a sign of energy efficiency. These programs are establishing benchmarks for measuring the energy efficiency of a home. As the programs grow in popularity, more homes will be rated, giving prospective buyers a way to compare energy usage of different homes. . Q. We recently retired and moved to the South after living all our lives in Wisconsin. Several houses we looked at had heat pumps. I am not familiar with these types of systems. Do you recommend them? How do they work? A. Heat pumps are essentially air conditioners that you can run in reverse in winter to heat your home. Ihey are especially cost- effective in areas and where they replace electric resistance heating. The system moves heat from one location to another to keep you more comfortable. In the summer, it collects the heat and humidity indoors and sends it outside, k) winter, it takes heat from the outside air and brings it inside to warm the indoors. The major types of heat pumps are water-to-ai- r, and a newer technology called ground-sourc- e heat pumps. warm-weath- er less-efficie- nt ir, |