(Realtor.com) - The stunning Martha’s Vineyard retreat where Barack and Michelle Obama used to spend their summers with their two daughters has been put on the market for $39 million—as the former first couple continues to face a barrage of speculation over the state of their marriage.
Known as Blue Heron Farm, the sprawling Massachusetts property paid host to the Obamas for three consecutive summers starting in 2009, with reports at the time suggesting that the family paid a staggering $50,000 a week to rent the abode.
At the time, the 30-acre property in Chilmark, MA, was owned by Mollie and William Van Devender; however, they offloaded the stunning dwelling to architect Norman Foster and his third wife, Elena Ochoa Foster, in 2011 for $22.4 million.
Since then, Foster—who founded architecture firm Foster + Partners and has since been involved in the design of several iconic U.K. structures, including The Gherkin and Wembley Stadium—has made several significant updates to the property, which features a main residence and an additional guesthouse.
In total, there are 13 bedrooms spread throughout the various properties on the land, which also includes a design studio, gym, tennis court, equestrian riding rings, and paddocks.
A 150-year-old barn that was originally built in Pennsylvania before being relocated to the Martha’s Vineyard site is the first structure to greet guests as they make their way up the lengthy drive to the main residence, which offers 7,000 square feet of living space and a beautiful wraparound porch that offers a perfect spot for rest and relaxation.
During his ownership of the abode, Foster added an expansive—and very modern-looking—pool house, which completes the array of outdoor structures, joining a waterfront boathouse that was already located on the property.
“This historic estate with notable farming roots has been meticulously updated and modernized over the years, with significant investments made in timeless renovations, extensive foliage planting, and build-out for new amenities across the property,” a statement about the listing reads.
The home’s many amenities are rounded out by a private dock and a private stretch of beach, allowing guests and residents to enjoy all manner of outdoor activities—while still maintaining a sense of privacy and seclusion.
It was that feeling of safety that first drew the Obamas to the home, according to listing agents Maggie Gold Seelig, of MGS Group Real Estate and Brian Dougherty, of Corcoran Property Advisors, who said in a statement that the property was “chosen for its incredible privacy, serenity, and significance.”
In an interview with The New Yorker in February, Foster revealed that Obama had actually approached him about renting the home again—saying that he met the former president at a neighbor’s house and noted that the father of two had applied “jokey pressure” to encourage him to continue leasing out the property as a summer rental.
“[He] was quite amusing about it,” Foster said but noted that Obama’s humorous plea had done little to change his mind about leasing the property, recalling that he told the former president: “Sadly, no.”
The change in ownership of the Martha’s Vineyard abode did not deter the Obamas from continuing to summer in the tony neighborhood—with the family pivoting to rent another nearby dwelling in 2013.
Then, in 2019, the couple opted to invest in their own home in the area, snapping up an $11.65 million dwelling that they still own to this day.
That property is one of several in the couple’s portfolio, which also includes a dwelling in the Kalorama Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were based during Trump’s first presidency. That home still serves as the couple’s main residence, more than seven years after they purchased it in an off-market deal.
The couple is understood to have paid $8.1 million for the nine-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom residence, which was previously the home of Joe Lockhart, former press secretary to then-President Bill Clinton.
In 2018, Michelle opened up about their move into the property from the White House, joking to TV host Ellen DeGeneres that her husband had been “shortchanged” by getting the “smallest room” as his office space.
“He still talks about this,” she told DeGeneres. “He got so shortchanged on this whole deal. He doesn’t have enough closet space—sorry! He’s got the smallest room for his office.”
Should Obama require a bit more space, however, he need only venture to one of their other homes, including their $1.65 million property in the tony Chicago neighborhood of Kenwood. The Obamas snapped up that property back in 2005, before Barack entered the White House for his first term, and they are thought to still own it.
The Obamas are also understood to have recently invested in a property in Hawaii, having spent years using the same vacation rental for their island getaways.
Reports began emerging in 2020 that the pair were lining up their own property on the island of Oahu—a stunning beachfront home that is part of a trio of residences being developed by their close friend, Marty Nesbitt.
Nesbitt purchased a prime plot of waterfront land for the eye-watering sum of $8.1 million back in 2015 and began building a luxury compound of homes, one of which is rumored to have been earmarked for the Obamas.
The couple’s property portfolio has come under increasing scrutiny of late amid ongoing rumors that there is a rift in their marriage.
Since President Donald Trump‘s second inauguration in January, Michelle has shied away from the public eye, opting to skip the major event, bucking a yearslong tradition that sees all living presidents and first ladies in attendance.
Her decision to miss the inauguration—coupled with her absence at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter‘s funeral—has led many to suggest that there may be trouble brewing between her and her husband.
However, the former first lady vehemently denied these rumors in a recent episode of her podcast, insisting that she was simply “making a decision” for the benefit of her own well-being—not trying to avoid spending time with her husband.
“That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with, like, disappointing people,” she said.
“I mean, so much so that this year, people couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.
“This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right? But that’s what society does to us.”
By Charlie Lankston
Photo by MV Vacation on Unsplash
