The Most Exclusive Zip Code in America
33139 is probably the most exclusive ZIP code in America. It’s the designation for Star Island, an 84-acre, man-made island in the Biscayne Bay, Florida.
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The island was created by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1922 by dredging sand in the nearby waterways to make the bay deeper for commercial vessels.
There’s a good reason it’s called “Star” Island. Among the 98 residents on the island are J-Lo and A-Rod, Sean Combs, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Don Johnson, Rosie O'Donnell, Xuxa, Shaquille O'Neal, and Phillip Frost.
Some History
Carl Fisher was a self-made man who started out repairing bicycles, transitioned to automobile parts and, eventually, real estate development. Fisher was responsible in part for popularizing the automobile and highway lifestyle in the United States, creating popular destinations for motorists. Miami Beach was one of his favorites.
The early 20th Century realized the potential of Miami Beach as a resort town, and entrepreneurs and the government began improving the land. Part of this improvement involved draining marshes and leveling islands as well as making totally new islands. Star Island was one of these.
Star Island quickly became prize real estate, with famous architects like Walter De Garmo building large mansions for some of America’s wealthiest. New residents have torn down many of the old mansions and built new ones, but the exclusivity and glamor of the island remain.
The Rich and Famous Lifestyle
The lifestyle on the island is one of great luxury. Star Islands residents enjoy their privacy. As opulent as they are, the houses all manage to be tucked away and secluded.
There are almost as many pools, pool houses and tennis courts on the island as there are mansions, along with large guest quarters, of course. Many of them have been seen in music videos and films. There are also service people like gardeners, pool cleaners, yacht crews, and drivers coming and going. The residents of Star Island are used to having everything they need at their beck and call.
Architecture
Star Island is well known for its architecture. It’s a point of pride as well as occasionally a point of contention. Many of the homes were built by famed Miami architect Walter De Garmo who was active in the early 20th Century.
De Garmo’s work is considered neo-Classical, Mission Revival, and Mediterranean Revival, which means a lot of structures call back to colonial Spanish or Venetian architecture like white-walled stucco villas featuring courtyards, arches, clay shingles, and columns.
In 1987 a doctor named Modesto Mora and his wife Lourdes Sanjenis, who is also a doctor, bought an undeveloped two-acre lot at #8 Star Island Drive that has 200 feet of water frontage looking directly out onto Miami's skyline in the distance. The price they paid in 1987? $1.4 million, the same as around 46 kilos of cocaine, which was the preferred form of payment in 1987 Miami.
In 1993 the doctors completed construction on a 17,000 square-foot mansion on the property. The home features 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. You can park a large yacht out front at the private dock.
Modesto Mora died in 2013, and Lourdes decided to put the property on the market in August of 2021. She just found a buyer. The price that buyer is paying? $75 million! Pretty nice ROI!
$75M – for some sand and dirt
The buyer’s name is so far undisclosed, but according to Lourdes, the property is likely…a teardown. Yes, that 17,000 square-foot mansion will be razed because, apparently, 30+ years of waterfront living is not good for the bones of a mansion and the new buyer will probably need to start from scratch. So, the buyer will eventually need to spend tens of millions more constructing a new mansion on his/her $75 million plot of sand and dirt. Stunning.
Today the island features approximately 30 mansions. The average price for a home on Star Island is $29.6 million according to Zillow. As of the beginning of 2022, there were three properties on the market, with an average asking price of $32 million. To put that in perspective, it comes to $4,552.14/sq. ft.
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