{"id":31485,"date":"2026-10-02T09:48:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=31485"},"modified":"2026-10-02T09:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:48:05","slug":"in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-she-restored-its-historic-landscape-while-preserving-the-12-bedroom-stone-house-and-ford-family-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=31485","title":{"rendered":"In 1997, Martha Stewart bought Edsel Ford&#8217;s 63-acre Maine estate for reportedly under $6 million; she restored its historic landscape while preserving the 12-bedroom stone house and Ford family china"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134635824,imgsize-268950,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg\" alt=\"In 1997, Martha Stewart bought Edsel Ford's 63-acre Maine estate for reportedly under $6 million; she restored its historic landscape while preserving the 12-bedroom stone house and Ford family china\" title=\"In 1997, Martha Stewart bought Edsel Ford's 63-acre Maine estate for reportedly under $6 million (Image Credit: Architectural Digest)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"In 1997, Martha Stewart bought Edsel Ford's 63-acre Maine estate for reportedly under $6 million (Image Credit: Architectural Digest)\">In 1997, Martha Stewart bought Edsel Ford&#8217;s 63-acre Maine estate for reportedly under $6 million (Image Credit: Architectural Digest)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Perched above Seal Harbor on Maine\u2019s Mount Desert Island, Skylands carries nearly a century of history tied to the Ford family and is now closely associated with Martha Stewart. Stewart bought the 63-acre estate in 1997, reportedly for just under $6 million, and has since treated the property as a piece of American architectural and landscape history rather than simply a summer home.<!-- --> In her own Martha Stewart Blog, she described the estate\u2019s history and the work involved in bringing its Jens Jensen-designed landscape back towards its original character.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>A retreat created for Edsel Ford<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>Skylands was developed for Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford, and his wife, Eleanor. The house was completed in 1925 and designed by architect Duncan Candler, while renowned landscape designer Jens Jensen created the surrounding landscape. <!-- -->Architectural Digest describes the three-story stone residence as sitting high above Seal Harbor, with a setting shaped by granite outcrops, trees, ferns and terraces rather than a conventional manicured lawn.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>The estate&#8217;s design was closely connected to its natural surroundings. Jensen incorporated elements including mossy woods, ferns, evergreens and maples into the landscape, creating a setting that blended the house with the terrain around it.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>In a 2013 post on her blog, Stewart wrote that the Ford estate had been sold to another family and said the property had not been maintained in the same way as it had been during the Fords\u2019 ownership. When she purchased Skylands in 1997, she brought in landscape architect Patrick Chass\u00e9 to help with the restoration of Jensen\u2019s work. Stewart wrote that Chass\u00e9 helped with the design of a council ring while also addressing the \u201cchallenges and compromises\u201d involved in bringing the historic landscape back to its natural character.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"She restored its historic landscape while preserving the 12-bedroom stone house and Ford family china&lt;br&gt;\" msid=\"134635835\" imgsize=\"199570\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"She restored its historic landscape while preserving the 12-bedroom stone house and Ford family china (Image Credit: Architectural Digest)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-199570,msid-134635835\/she-restored-its-historic-landscape-while-preserving-the-12-bedroom-stone-house-and-ford-family-chinabr.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>She restored its historic landscape while preserving the 12-bedroom stone house and Ford family china (Image Credit: Architectural Digest)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Stewart preserved the house rather than remaking it<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>The character of Skylands has remained closely tied to its original architecture. Architectural Digest reported that the house has 12 bedrooms, several outbuildings and a 60-foot-long beamed living hall. Rather than extensively modernising the property, Stewart embraced many of its existing details and furnishings. The property was sold to Stewart with much of its contents still inside. According to Architectural Digest, the purchase included cabinets and shelves containing the Fords\u2019 silver, glassware, china and linens.<!-- --> Stewart herself told the magazine, \u201cI didn\u2019t have to buy a plate,\u201d adding that she had nevertheless added her own pieces over the years. That approach helped retain a direct connection to the home&#8217;s previous owners. Architectural Digest noted that Stewart has described herself as a caretaker of the property.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Interiors reflect both Ford history and Stewart\u2019s style<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>Inside, Skylands retains numerous details associated with its early-20th-century design. These include Pewabic-tiled bathrooms, leaded-glass windows, polished copper, cut crystal and vintage Frigidaire refrigerators in the kitchen, along with furniture and decorative objects ranging from Georgian stools and wing chairs to regional maps and prewar prints of Maine birds.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>Stewart has added her own design touches, but they have generally been incorporated alongside the property&#8217;s existing character. Architectural Digest reported that Kevin Sharkey, then executive editorial director at Martha Stewart Living, assisted her with the decorating. Some original objects have been stored, while others remain part of the home&#8217;s interiors.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>The house also became a source of inspiration for Stewart&#8217;s wider creative work. <!-- -->Architectural Digest reported that she spends part of July and August at Skylands, along with long weekends during other parts of the year, and that the property has served as a setting and inspiration for her design work and media projects.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stewart has added her own design touches, but they have generally been incorporated alongside the property's existing character&lt;br&gt;\" msid=\"134635855\" imgsize=\"202495\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Stewart has added her own design touches, but they have generally been incorporated alongside the property's existing character (Image Credit: Architectural Digest)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-202495,msid-134635855\/stewart-has-added-her-own-design-touches-but-they-have-generally-been-incorporated-alongside-the-propertys-existing-characterbr.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Stewart has added her own design touches, but they have generally been incorporated alongside the property&#8217;s existing character (Image Credit: Architectural Digest)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>A landscape shaped by history<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/>The restoration of Skylands has extended beyond the house itself. Stewart&#8217;s 2013 blog post focused particularly on the work of Patrick Chass\u00e9 and the challenge of recovering aspects of Jensen&#8217;s original landscape design. <!-- -->She wrote that Jensen&#8217;s work had used the existing vegetation and terrain to create a landscape that felt naturally integrated with the property. The estate&#8217;s history also remains visible in its setting.<!-- --> Architectural Digest described pink-granite gravel drives winding through the forest, terraces surrounded by natural vegetation and a house constructed from local stone that appears to emerge from the surrounding granite landscape.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/>The property had changed hands before Stewart acquired it. Architectural Digest reported that the Fords and their four children spent summers there until another family acquired the estate in 1980, following Eleanor Ford&#8217;s death. That family subsequently sold Skylands to Stewart in 1997.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>Today, Skylands remains a private retreat for Stewart, but its significance extends beyond its role as a celebrity home. Its architecture, original furnishings and Jensen-designed landscape preserve links to the Ford family&#8217;s era on Mount Desert Island. Stewart&#8217;s approach has centred on maintaining those layers of history while continuing to use the estate as a living home rather than treating it solely as a preserved relic.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/real-estate\/news\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-she-restored-its-historic-landscape-while-preserving-the-12-bedroom-stone-house-and-ford-family-china\/articleshow\/134635740.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1997, Martha Stewart bought Edsel Ford&#8217;s 63-acre Maine estate for reportedly under $6 million (Image Credit: Architectural Digest) Perched above Seal Harbor on Maine\u2019s Mount Desert Island, Skylands carries nearly a century of history tied to the Ford family and is now closely associated with Martha Stewart. Stewart bought the 63-acre estate in 1997, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"In 1997, Martha Stewart bought Edsel Ford&#8217;s 63-acre Maine estate for reportedly under $6 million (Image Credit: Architectural Digest) Perched above Seal Harbor on Maine\u2019s Mount Desert Island, Skylands carries nearly a century of history tied to the Ford family and is now closely associated with Martha Stewart. Stewart bought the 63-acre estate in 1997, [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-1997-martha-stewart-bought-edsel-fords-63-acre-maine-estate-for-reportedly-under-6-million-.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}