“It would seem that this is a district that does not fear insecurity, people seem to sleep soundly there, there are little birds singing, we are in the heart of Paris, but we have the impression of 'to be in the provinces… ”These words are those of a yellow vest, broadcast live on Facebook, September 12, 2020. A few minutes earlier, a group of around thirty demonstrators came to disturb the eternal tranquility of the inhabitants of the neighborhood by infiltrating it.
Never seen.
This district is that of the Villa Montmorency, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.
As much as it inspires dreams, the Villa Montmorency could have been a major tourist spot in the capital, like the rue Crémieux or the Campagne district in Paris.
"It could very well be a place where we would walk," confirms a real estate agent.
But it is not: here, nobody enters without authorization.
At the gate, a sign threatens: "Offenders may be prosecuted and their vehicles immobilized."
Even Google, which with its Google Street View service digitizes the streets of the whole world, could not access it, making this islet one of the few impossible to visit in Paris, even virtually.
A hundred houses
The only entrance to the residence, rue Poussin, is guarded there 24 hours a day by a team of guards who patrol, day and night.
"It's unique in Paris," says Nathalie Garcin, head of the real estate agency Emile Garcin.
No need to hope to see something by going around it: when it is not buildings that obstruct the view, large walls hide the villa.
The few photos of the interior of the neighborhood, available on the Internet, are in fact photos published by real estate agencies.
The Villa Montmorency is closed to the public.
LP / Aubin Laratte
The history of this district of 6 hectares and six avenues (which are in fact more streets), very close to the Bois de Boulogne, goes back to the middle of the 19th century, when the Pereire brothers bought the Château de Boufflers and its park from the Montmorency family, with plans to turn it into a station - that of Auteuil - and a luxury real estate project.
Today, the station, which served the inner city, is no longer.
The upscale housing estate has remained and even developed.
“There are now around a hundred houses,” explains Laure de La Rivière, the manager of exceptional properties at Barnes.
Within the Villa Montmorency, Nathalie Garcin was able to go there on several occasions.
“There are small houses, 150 square meters, but you can also have very large ones, up to 1000 square meters,” she explains.
A view of the sky above the district attests to this: each house has its corner of greenery, its terrace, its trees… "It's a countryside in Paris", smiles the real estate agent.
Laure de La Rivière abounds: "The architecture of the houses is similar to those that can be found in seaside resorts, in Deauville or Arcachon."
When you ask who lives here, real estate agents are not very helpful.
At Sotheby's International Realty, the director of the Auteuil agency, David Samama, who works in the sector, writes to us via his communication agency: “In order to preserve the confidentiality that binds us to our clients, I cannot naturally not to communicate to you information on our activity within the villa Montmorency. "
For fear of "espionage", another real estate agency refuses to tell us about it by phone.
Proof that discretion is essential ...
People and a former president
“There are a lot of famous people who live there, people from show business, big bosses… People who don't want to be bored, who are looking for peace and security,” explains Nathalie Garcin.
And to evacuate: "There are names on the Internet anyway ..." "Villa Montmorency is a refuge of personalities: there are major industrialists, actors, entrepreneurs, politicians too", abounds Laure de la Rivière.
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Under the “Personalities living or having lived in the Villa Montmorency” tab, the Wikipedia page of the residence is updated according to the departures and arrivals of new celebrities announced in the press.
Live or have lived there?
Isabelle Adjani, Alain Afflelou, Vincent Bolloré, Arnaud Lagardère, Sylvie Vartan, Xavier Niel… Gérard Depardieu and Thiago Silva have also put their bags there.
Nicolas Sarkozy is installed with Carla Bruni in a beautiful house adjoining the Montmorency villa, and has a private entrance overlooking another street.
The villa is monitored 24 hours a day by guards.
LP / Aubin Laratte
At the Villa Montmorency, wealthy stars are pampered (with, in return, high co-ownership charges ...).
Beyond the non-stop security guard, there is a rare calm in the capital.
The vehicles of those who work there, for waste collection or minor work, are electric to avoid any nuisance.
In 2008, Challenges recounted "the ire of the founder of NRJ", Jean-Paul Baudecroux against employees using a thermal blower, too noisy, and not electric, which is less so.
“As all co-owners have money, they do everything for their quality of life,” explains Nathalie Garcin.
Four or five sales per year
Access to this little "paradise" is not allowed to everyone.
"There is nothing below three million euros then after, it's without limit, we can reach up to 50 million", explains Nathalie Garcin.
“The price per square meter can range from 12,000 euros to 20,000 euros, or even more if there is a large lot,” explains Laure de La Rivière.
His agency, Barnes, currently has "a few houses" for sale, but we will not know more: at Villa Montmorency, it is most often "off market", without media fuss or advertisements published.
When a house is put up for sale, customers are immediately called.
“We have people who only want Villa Montmorency,” explains Barnes' real estate agent.
So it suffices that it corresponds to their demand and the sale can be done very quickly. ”
“There is always a craze to live there,” adds Nathalie Garcin.
Sales are rare: four or even five per year, estimates Laure de La Rivière.
"We have years when we do not have any to sell", testifies the boss of Emile Garcin.
A dive into the data of land values, published by the General Directorate of Public Finances, reveals some transaction amounts in recent years.
They are staggering: 25 million euros for a house of 800 square meters with a large garden in June 2019 avenue des Tilleuls, 16 million euros, a little further, the same month, for a house of 570 square meters and his garden, more than 8 million euros in August 2018 for a house of 420 square meters, avenue de Boufflers ...
