Red Gate Farm, Jackie O’s Martha’s Vineyard Sanctuary, On the Market

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martha's vineyardBy 1979 when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought Red Gate Farm at the edge of Squibnocket Pond in Martha’s Vineyard, if anyone was in need of refuge from prying eyes, it was the former First Lady.

And now that 340-acre sanctuary with a mile of beachfront near the Cliffs of Gay Head is up for sale. 

When Onassis bought the property, there was just a hunting cabin on the land, which had previously been a sheep farm. Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, who had redesigned the White House Rose Garden, designed the landscapes on the estate, and architect Hugh Newell Jacobson designed the Cape Cod-style main house and a two-story guest house. 

In the following years, and even after the passing of Onassis, her daughter, former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, kept the home in the family, commissioning Deborah Berke (dean of the Yale School of Architecture) to renovate and expand the main house. 

The main house, all 6,456-square-feet of it, was built to showcase the views of the ocean — every room with the exception of the dining room overlook it. 

A formal sitting room, drawing room, living room, family room, library, dining room and chef’s kitchen take up the main floor of the home, with two decks facing the sea. A small bedroom is ideal for guests, staff, or as a study.

Upstairs, four large bedrooms — each with their own en-suite — provide plenty of privacy and room for guests. A substantial master boasts a dressing room, gorgeous bathroom with soaking tub and shower, and more. 

The Shingle-style, two-story guest house has an additional four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and laundry room.

Outside, the property has more than a mile of private beachfront with dunes, two freshwater ponds and a vegetable garden and blueberry patch. Don’t feel particularly beachy one day? There’s also an outdoor pool, tennis court, and a fairy treehouse Onassis built for her grandchildren.

And that orginal hunting cabin? Still on the property, overlooking Squibnocket Pond. The property also boasts a three-bedroom caretaker’s house, a barn, two garages, a two-bedroom apartment, storage, and a boathouse.

The legacy estate is listed by Christie’s, and is priced at $65 million. Want to see more? Click here.

Bethany Erickson

Bethany Erickson