it will be an extraordinary primary residence, or a second home to create a lifetime of family vacation memories, or a corporate retreat to entertain clients and employees beyond their wildest expectations.
As President of the United States from October 1975 through January 1977, Gerald R. Ford not only restored the dignity of the office, but he brought international attention to the Vail Valley. He famously skied at Vail Resort while President, after having bought a condominium in Vail Village when he was the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. The international press loved covering the Presidential holidays in Vail, especially on the few occasions that he fell while skiing. The characterization as an unskilled athlete was unfair, as he was easily our most accomplished athlete to hold the office, having earned All America honors in football at the University of Michigan in both his junior and senior years.
In 1980, Vail's sister resort, Beaver Creek Resort, was opened seven miles down the road from Vail and President and Mrs. Ford chose to build their dream home at the new resort. They were offered first choice of the ski-in/ski-out custom lots and after designing and building the new home, they moved into the state-of-the-art residence in 1983. They owned the home continuously until just after the President passed away on December 26, 2006.
The former President and First Lady, and their family, used the home for extended stays as a second home throughout every year of their ownership. The home was host to countless Christmas memories, winter holidays, extended summer stays and guests from all over the world. It seems that every resident of the Vail Valley has at least one warm and loving story of an encounter with the President. Without exception, people speak of him with reverence, as a down-to-earth fellow resident in this very special corner of the world.
In poor health at the age of 93, and against doctor's orders due to the elevation, the President and First Lady last visited the home in July 2006 because the former leader of the free world "wanted to see the view from his master bedroom one more time."
According to the property manager, President Ford exercised in the pool twice each day while in-residence until the age of 91...and then only once-a-day until he was 93. The First Lady would often accompany him in the pool-house on her stationary bike.
The guest list of the home is like no other, having hosted politicians, dignitaries and world leaders for over 23 years. Former guests include President Bill Clinton, President George H.W. Bush, Canadian President Pierre Trudeau, French President Valerie Giscard d’Estaing, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissenger, and many others. The dining room table used to entertain these guests now serves as the kitchen table.
In February 2007, the home was bought by the Hayes and Weller families with the intent to renovate the home to the finest standards of mountain elegance, while preserving the historical heritage of the home. Renowned alpine architect Don Eggers (
eggersarchitecture.com) was hired, along with Vail Valley's finest builder, Beck Builders (
beckbuilds.com), to painstakingly restore the dignity of the home. The theme of the redesign was to preserve the building envelope, preserve the general layout as the First Family used the home, but bring every element of the home up the current standards. The exterior of the home is reminiscent of the Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail, as an authentic Swiss Chalet design. The interior is designed to be mountain elegant, with virtually everything you can touch as new or highly restored. Although the home was marketed for sale briefly in the winter of 2008/2009, the restoration was not fully completed until the summer of 2009.
The home is ready to be personalized by a new family to their taste, but there a few elements of the home intended to forever preserve the historical significance of its former owner. As part of the renovation, a Seal of the President of the United States was tastefully engraved in the entry of the home, a breathtaking reminder of the extraordinary office held by the former owner. In the master bedroom, a plague is mounted on the fireplace identical to a plague mounted on the fireplace of State Dining Room of the White House. The plague contains a fitting quote from President John Adams, written on his first night as the first occupant of the White House, "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof."
In another White House reference, the upstairs bedrooms include a Red Room, a Green Room, and a Blue Room. President Ford would never have drawn attention to his office in such ways, but these touches are designed to pay subtle respect to his class, dignity and permanent status as the First Family of the Vail Valley.
