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Fresh Modern Home Sprouts on Desert Land Once Owned by Gerald Ford

If you ask us, there’s no better way to celebrate Presidents Day than by checking out a $3.7 million home for sale on property once owned by our nation’s 38th president, Gerald Ford.

For political history buffs, Ford is notable for being the only American to serve as both vice president and president without being elected to either office. He replaced Vice President Spiro Agnew, who resigned amid President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal, and took over as president once Nixon himself resigned in 1974.

Alas, Ford was a single-term president, and was promptly voted out of office in 1976. Following the defeat, he and his wife, Betty, moved to Rancho Mirage, CA, and built an unassuming compound at Thunderbird Country Club, the first country club of its kind in the Coachella Valley.

In its heyday, Thunderbird was frequented by Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, and Perry Como.

In building their compound, the Fords bought the house next door (previously owned by actress Ginger Rogers) and turned it into a home office and command center for the U.S. Secret Service.

After Betty Ford died in 2011 (Gerald died five years earlier), the family’s estate put the main house up for sale, and donated the Secret Service building to the University of Southern California.

The house was ultimately sold to prominent Southern California commercial real estate developer Richard Weintraub, who bulldozed the building and replaced it with a brand-new, five-bedroom, 6.5-bath classic Southern California masterpiece, according to listing agent John Nelson.

The 5,582-square-foot home on 0.7 acres draws heavy design inspiration from Mid-Century Modern architecture.

Many of the rooms feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls, flooding the house with Southern California sun. The living room has glass walls on a track, allowing you to push them open for the ultimate in inside-outside living. The living room’s most striking feature is the modern gas fireplace, which runs the length of the room.

The open-concept kitchen has sleek, 1970s-inspired cabinetry, and a chef’s island with gas range.

The home’s master bedroom has an end-to-end glass wall and sliding glass doors to the backyard. The master bathroom features a large, floor-to-ceiling glass box in the center of the room for the shower.

Outside, the landscaping is quintessential Coachella Valley, with palm trees, succulents, and a rectangular swimming pool and spa. Elsewhere, there’s a gas-fired outdoor fire pit and modern waterfall. The listing is held by Nelson-Moe Properties, an affiliate of Coldwell Banker Palm Springs.

Weintraub is currently building a new, 24-acre resort in Rancho Mirage called Thunderbird Resort and Spa. Like this home, the new resort is ultraluxe, with architecture that leans heavily on the Space Age architecture found throughout the region.

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