On this President’s Day, your mind might be drifting to the most famous home in all America. But really, presidents only spend a short eight years (at most) living in the White House. The United States is littered with homes that once housed these 45 preeminent men before, after and during their presidencies.
Notably, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW probably isn’t hitting the market anytime soon, and most other presidential homes are preserved as museums—from George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate to a reconstruction of Abe Lincoln’s childhood log cabin home.
But how about other presidential homesteads that remain on the private market—and hold the potential to go there again? Here a few homes that previously served as residences for American presidents:
Chester A. Arthur’s summer house (Sag Harbor, New York)
Chester A. Arthur, the 21st U.S. President, was named by Time Magazine as one of the most forgettable presidents to ever hold the office. Is his name still enough to attract interest in a listing?
It’s certainly not a disqualifier, as Arthur’s former summer retreat at 20 Union Street, Sag Harbor, New York is (at the time of writing) listed for $13 million. A three-story property with six bedrooms and five bathrooms, the property was first built in 1796 but looks quite modern inside and out—helped by a later redesign from designer Steven Gambrel. However, as a sign of the home’s history, there is also a plaque reading “Pres. C.A. Arthur Summer Retreat.”
The mix of modern and historical comes through in the home’s amenities, with both an antique library and dining room and a media room in the basement—next to the wine cellar.
The property comes with a pool, but that’s not your only option for water—Sag Harbor is a coastal town. Arthur was a prolific fisherman and no doubt picked his summer retreat to enjoy his hobby.
The Kennedys’ Georgetown residence (Washington, D.C.)
Recently featured in RISMedia’s Great Spaces series, this 3,100-square-foot townhouse in Washington D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood once housed then-Senator John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.
Though Kennedy of course upgraded to a new residence upon winning the presidency in 1960, this home has hardly been forgotten by history. The Kennedys’ time here was the subject of the photobook “Camelot At Dawn”—and now, Washington Fine Properties is listing it for new ownership.
Architect Christian Zapatka oversaw renovations to the townhouse, with high-end Thermador appliances included in the chef’s kitchen, but with “period-authentic” millwork. The home also offers the residents some chance to enjoy the outdoors’ natural beauty, with a skylight incorporated into the staircase and manicured garden—with a brick floor lounge area for resting and fences for privacy.
Richard Nixon’s La Casa Pacifica (San Clemente, California)
After resigning the presidency, Richard Nixon first moved back west to his home state of California—specifically to a San Clemente beachfront estate, “La Casa Pacifica,” which he had maintained as a retreat while in office. The Nixons eventually sold the property in 1980 and resettled in New Jersey—while La Casa Pacifica has remained privately held.
The property was listed for $75 million in 2015 and has gone on and off the market in the intervening decade, listed at several prices between $57 million and $75 million. The mansion, located in a beachfront gated community, was first built in 1926 in the Spanish Colonial style. The estate’s attractions extend beyond the main house: a two bedroom guest house, a gazebo, pool, tennis court and garden.
The house has been advertised not only on its luxury features but also its historical significance—listings for La Casa Pacifica have highlighted not only Nixon’s former ownership, but also political and international luminaries he hosted there.
The Reagans’ post-presidency Bel-Air home (Los Angeles, California)
A “Cowboy President” who’d actually starred in cowboy movies, Ronald Reagan famously maintained a ranch vacation home—but that’s not all. After leaving office in 1989, he and his wife Nancy settled at a California ranch style home in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, located at 668 St. Cloud Road.
Built in 1954 on a 1.29 acre lot, the 2-story, 17-room single-family home included a pool and curated lawn for owners to soak up the California sun. After Nancy Reagan’s passing in 2016, the property was sold to media executive Jerry Perenchio for $15 million.
The house that the Reagans themselves lived in, though, has since been demolished and the property currently sits vacant. History, like a home, can be lost without attentive preservation.
Barack Obama’s past Hawaiian homes (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Often viewed as more of a vacation destination by those in the lower 48, Barack Obama is the only president to have been born in the Aloha State. His childhood home, found at 2234 University Ave in the Manoa section of Honolulu, came onto the market in 2020 for $2.2 million. The house’s most famous former resident is definitely one of the reasons the seller could justify that price tag.
The house, built in 1947, is a fairly modest suburban home, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an on-site guest cottage. It may not showcase Hawaii’s tropical side but it offers coziness and comfort.
Obama’s journey with Hawaii real estate doesn’t end there. In 2008 and 2009, the Obama family took vacations at a beachfront home in Kailua, Hawaii—it was subsequently sold for $6.9 million in 2010, Obama’s second year in office as President. Proving how hard it is to stay away from the Aloha State, the Obamas currently own a beachfront estate in Waimanalo, about 15 miles outside Honolulu, first built for them in 2020.
Donald Trump’s former Connecticut mansion (Greenwich, Connecticut)
Our current president is splitting his time between D.C. and his Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida—Donald Trump is of course a born and bred New Yorker, but Florida has become his adopted home in recent years.
Like many wealthy New Yorkers, Trump also maintained property in Connecticut. Specifically, a Georgia-style colonial mansion in Greenwich, found on a 5.8 acre property at 21 Vista Drive. Trump purchased the property in 1982 for $4 million with his ex-wife Ivana, who kept it following their divorce and then sold the home in 1998.
The current owners had begun listing the property on-and-off since 2009 and, in October 2024, finally completed the transaction for $31.5 million in a private sale, represented by Brown Harris Stevens.
Sitting on a waterfront, the property includes both an indoor lap pool and outdoor swimming pool, with other amenities ranging from the active (a tennis court) to leisurely (a home movie theater).
