For an island that doesn’t even span 10 square miles, St. Barts has taken on an outsized importance in the world of luxury living.
It’s what Michael Gross — bestselling author and “premier chronicler of the rich and the jet set” — writes about in his new book “Treasured Island: St. Barts and Its Barbarians, Billionaires, and Beauties.” Gross sat down with The Real Deal’s Amir Korangy for our latest Coffee Talk to discuss all things about his book and St. Barts.
Gross walks Korangy through the origins of St. Barts as a hideaway for the elite, including David Rockefeller, Edmund de Rothschild and Remy de Haenen. Over time, it turned into an “it” destination with paparazzi flocking to take pictures of Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow and other celebrities.
The rich and richer have transformed the island into an elite destination where nine-figure villas become home to the Rockefellers and those with loads of tech and hedge fund money. St. Barts attracts a certain type: yacht owners, oligarchs, global elites, many of whom are able to stay in the shadows of the trees, hidden from prying eyes.
That change has led to an existential question over what the future of St. Barts should be. Do billionaires pouring money into the island have the right to overdevelop it as their own playground? Or do locals and environmentalists deserve the biggest say in preserving their home?
“The reason why I love real estate as a framework for social history is that it reflects the evolution of power,” Gross says.
Gross says there are plenty of misconceptions about St. Barts, which is a tourist destination for those who don’t have a net worth worthy of the Forbes billionaires list, too.
Check out more above from our exclusive interview with Michael Gross.
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