The mansion that has long served as a backdrop to iconic scenes from the storied Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., is now on the market for close to $20 million.
The lavish 8-bedroom, 8-bathroom waterfront estate borders the six-acre Kennedy compound where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once played football, sailed on the Nantucket Sound, and held press conferences that boosted the family’s power and glamour to new heights in the golden age of American politics.
“There’s no way not to feel the history and legacy when you’re on this property,” said Brian Dougherty, partner and CEO at Corcoran Property Advisors, who is co-listing the home with Maggie Gold Seelig of MGS Group Real Estate.
Dougherty said they’ve had a number of showings since the property went on the market Oct. 9, and while the estate is on the upper end of Cape Cod pricing, they strategically kept the property below $20 million — at $19,800,000 — to attract more potential buyers.
He said some of the property’s outstanding appeals include a widow’s walk roof deck, a custom-designed swimming pool, close to 500 feet of private beach, a wedding lawn that can hold more than 700 people, and privacy measures of tall hedges and gated driveways.
Potential buyers have the option of implementing an additional structure, guest house, or tennis court that have been approved, he said.
The previous homeowners bought the property in 1999 for $6 million and put an additional $5 million into adding oversized glass windows to maximize views of the Hyannis Harbor and Nantucket Sound, Dougherty said. All 26 rooms have oceanfront views.
The property went on the market the day before Ethel Kennedy passed away. She was one of the last living links to the Camelot era of the Kennedy family dynasty. The Kennedy compound stands as a US National Landmark, with the Big House serving as a donation to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Ethel Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy’s widow, resided in her family home until her death.
Located at 155 Irving Avenue, the estate up for sale is mere yards from 111 Irving Avenue, which John F. Kennedy purchased in 1956 as an addition to the Kennedy compound. That property later became known as the “President’s House,” and the “Summer White House” during his presidency.
Erosion, coastal flooding, and sea level rise have led some Nantucket area homes to fall into the ocean or be gripped by damage concerns in recent years. Though current Cape Cod buyers may be worried, Dougherty says a main draw of the estate is its structural integrity, including strong dunes and its own stone seawall.
It’s a “truly iconic, one-of-a-kind legacy property where you feel part of history,” he said.
Alexa Coultoff can be reached at alexa.coultoff@globe.com. Follow her @alexacoultoff.