George W. Bush has his Texas ranch. Reagan had Santa Barbara. Now you can buy a presidential retreat of your own. Former President Gerald Ford’s Beaver Creek, Colorado, home is for sale for $14.9 million.
The ski-in/ski-out, 10,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom house is on the market for the second time in two years. Investor Kevin Hayes bought the home in early 2007, a few months after Ford died, for $6.65 million, according to published reports
Hayes said he put more than $4 million into renovating the home’s wiring and plumbing as well as remodeling the kitchen, adding new floors and upgrading landscaping. The home has a gourmet kitchen, separate catering kitchen, climate-controlled wine room, theater and the only indoor private pool in Beaver Creek Village.
During his presidency, Ford and his family frequently took ski vacations in Vail. When the Beaver Creek resort was developed just west of Vail in the 1970s, Ford was given his choice of lots. The home is within walking distance of Beaver Creek Village.
Ford owned the ski retreat for decades and during that time was a strong advocate for the Vail-Beaver Creek area. Vail’s premier summer entertainment venue is named in his honor. The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater seats 1,260 guests in covered seating and an additional 1,300 on its expansive lawn. In 1982, Ford spearheaded the AEI World Forum, an annual gathering of politicians and executives in Beaver Creek. The president and his family were popular around town. In the late 1980s, local rugby clubs were often hired as supplemental security when the Ford family hosted parties at the Beaver Creek home.
Matt Fitzgerald and Anna Menz of Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate in Vail have the listing. For details about the listing, click here…