Inside Jackie Kennedy’s $65M Oceanfront Mansion Where 3 Generations of Kennedys Lived

Jackie Kennedy made history as one of the most likable females in America’s politics, following her ascension to the seat of the first lady. The beloved first lady, who was in love with eminence and great style, spent most of her years in a $65 million mansion where three generations lived.

Former First Lady Jackie Kennedy purchased her oceanfront property about four decades ago after her second husband died. The purpose of this 340-acre estate was to entertain guests for private family gatherings and grand gatherings.

Over the years, it stayed in the family, welcoming two more generations of Kennedys. Jackie’s famous ocean view estate was the summer home to her and the grandkids, when they looked forward to having a swell time away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

This Martha’s Vineyard home welcomes a homely feel, surrounded by lots of fresh green plants and an open field. Although it was bought for $1 million, the value went through the roof over the years and was put on the market for $65 million. Here is a rare look inside the property.

Jackie’s Martha’s Vineyard home possesses an aura and beauty befitting people of affluence. The vast property is famously known as the “Red Gate Farm.”

What is now a tourist attraction came to life decades ago as a small hunting cabin home. But after Jackie purchased it in 1979, the famous architect Hugh Newell Jacob constructed a small living space tagged with a two-story guest house.

By 2000, Jackie’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, assigned an architecture expert, Deborah Berke, a Dean from the prestigious Yale School of Architecture, to redesign the property. From the outside, tourists are treated to a large grassy backyard; it also overlooks an ocean, making the description “island” fitting for the estate.

Sources explained that Jackie’s second wedding ceremony, held on a private island, might have influenced her love for such space bearing sheer solitude.

Aside from its ocean view, the land cups two freshwater ponds and a sizable rectangular-shaped swimming pool. Occupants are open to enjoying a vast network of waters, as traveling to the home involves taking a boat trip.

While the Martha’s Vineyard home has witnessed an overwhelming change over time, like more rooms and a gazebo treehouse nicknamed “the fairy house” for the grandkids, the Kennedys tried to maintain some of its original fittings.

These include a library, allowing the home to overlook the water, a wealth of fresh garden plants, and biking and hiking drills. The estate’s two-story building constructed by Jacob is still in place. It has four bedrooms; there are also three-bedroom caretaker’s houses and a two-bedroom guest apartment featured on the property.

On top of all the additional rooms are a hunting cabin, boathouse, barn, an exercise section, and a storage building. There is also a lighthouse erected close to the shorelines of the water.

Surprisingly, the inside is a classic space compared to the eminence of the estate. A formal sitting room is designed with a fireplace, a living and a family room, a drawing-room, and a kitchen with top-notch appliances on the main floor.

A trip up the stairs welcomes visitors to five bedrooms, four rooms en-suite, and one master bedroom with a closet and a master en-suite. Other spaces include three fireplaces, two offices, a den, a laundry room, and a basement.

Although simply decorated, its inside employs patterns and colors that brighten the home, especially the French windows that afford occupants a see-all-inside treat.

This exquisite island comprises the entire Martha’s Vineyard, consisting of five other towns, each possessing a board and town meetings. The Kennedys’ mansion is part of the Aquinnah community, belonging to a Native American tribe.

Many prominent figures have lived on the island and recognized it as a serene environment that blesses one with fresh air and a great space to gather thoughts.

Jackie’s reason for getting the place is not far from these claims. It offered her the intimacy she desired and was a place where she could build her fairytale home. While speaking about the beloved first lady, Caroline said:

“Forty years ago, my mother fell in love with Martha’s Vineyard. When she found Red Gate Farm, it was a perfect expression of her romantic and adventurous spirit.”

On the gazebo tree house, Caroline admitted her mother created something magical for the grandkids, adding, “Those grandchildren are grown, so now it is time for us to follow my mother’s example and create our own worlds. We hope that a new family will treasure this place as we have for three generations.”

Jackie became one of America’s first ladies at age 30 when her husband, John F. Kennedy, became president. Sadly, her husband was assassinated in 1963, leaving her with two kids and a broken heart.

The widow struggled to support her son John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline but was determined to continue. The following year, she gave herself to drinking and suicidal thoughts after moving to Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Her home then was a 13-bedroom, 16,000-square-foot, and three-car garage parking residence, which earned the moniker Newton Baker House.

The president’s widow could not deal with the loss and often blamed herself for not preventing the tragedy. This led to sleepless nights, nightmares, and destructive habits.

Thankfully, she overcame alcoholism and suicidal thoughts by welcoming her motherhood role. The mother of two thought about her kids and convinced herself that there was a reason to be alive and active.

Jackie moved to New York and was a stone’s throw away from her sister Lee Radziwill, who introduced her to Aristotle Onassis, a wealthy business tycoon. By 1968, the two were married, and even though it surprised many (he was 23 years older), the former first lady was happy.

Before her death in 1994, she confessed that Onassis rescued her and illuminated her world when it was caving into darkness. However, towards the end of their romance, both parties became unfaithful and would have divorced if the business mogul had not died in 1975.

WHO LIVES IN JACKIE’S ESTATE NOW?

Unlike the Kennedy family, who all enjoyed the scenery of an exquisite island, the property is in the hands of a pair of nonprofits. The buyers acquired the land in 2020, and they intended to make it a conservative land, open to tourists.

The home was put up for $65 million but sold at $27 million to the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission. About 95 acres remain property of the Kennedy family, including their personal residence.