Hedge-fund director Philip Falcone—founder of Harbinger Capital—has put an estate in the Antilles up for sale. He is looking for a new owner with $57.4 million to spend. Falcone purchased the estate in 2008, for $39 million.
The property is located on St. Bart’s. It has been christened ‘Grande Maison des Etoiles,’ which might romantically be a reference to the heavenly arc of skylights visible above the home on clear nights; more pragmatically, it’s the name of the gated community where the property is situated: ‘Les Etoiles’.
The size of the residential compound is certainly considerable: nine bedrooms, 10.5 baths, and three swimming pools distinguish the self-contained living spaces on the property: two water view villas, and a caretaker’s cottage. The lot measures a little over two acres.
The style of the villas is contemporary, although the interiors are often fairly traditional. Craftsmanship is excellent—check out the hand-hammered bathroom basins and hand-inlaid stone instead of tile, or the exterior walls built from the volcanic rock blasted away from the property during the initial phase of construction. Bedrooms are equipped with private terraces, and residences feature foldable glass walls. There is a great deal of interior hardwood, which may be sapele.
The three swimming pools incorporate some interesting design elements, such as the incorporation of a skylight that illuminates a lower living space, or a footbridge leading to the rest of the property. The place was designed as a social getaway, and is very much a trophy estate.
Philip Falcone founded Harbinger Capital in 2001. He also founded LightSquared—rebranded as Ligado in early 2016—which is positioning itself as a satellite-to-earth interconnectivity service pioneer. His net worth was estimated at $1.2 billion in 2013.