It took five years to take Jackie Gleason‘s fascination with UFOs and turn it into a home. The actor commissioned the build of the Westchester County, New York, home that was completed in 1959, so it was being built while Gleason was filming “The Honeymooners.” Now, it’s on the market for the first time in nearly 50 years for $5.5 million.
Located in Cortlandt Manor, the home is a piece of art, featuring curved walls. In fact, it doesn’t have any right angles. The round house is known as “The Mothership,” and there’s a second smaller structure on the property, “Spaceship.” There’s also “The Barracks,” which can serve as a guest house. From above, and even from the curved sides, it quite literally looks like UFOs landed on a lawn.
“This Mid Century Modern architectural masterpiece is tucked away on 8.6 Hudson Valley acres, blending seamlessly with nature through floor-to-ceiling windows,” says the Corcoran listing held by Heidi Henshaw. “The detailed, extraordinary craftsmanship is evident in the woodworking, almost entirely bent, a process which is a time-consuming art.”
A student of Frank Lloyd Wright, Robert Cika, designed and built the home, and a Scandinavian shipbuilder created the ceiling design that resembled the shape of boats. The metal work is interesting, too, with some of the vents looking like stylized fish. Another special touch are the floors and fireplaces that are made of Italian marble. It’s believed that Gleason bought a whole marble quarry in Italy to ensure he had enough quality marble.
The 7,000-square-foot property features five bedrooms, four bathrooms and two half bathrooms. The home really embraces the circular theme with a curved stainless-steel kitchen, circular library, a circular office and various curved areas of the home, like a shower. Although the home has been updated over the years, there are many original details, including built-in cabinetry and closets. Outside, there’s a fully fenced vegetable and herb garden and a gardening shed.
The next owners will hopefully love to entertain, because the home has three original swooping bars, a game room with an official shuffleboard table and a stunning marble dance floor. And if these curved walls could talk, they would tell you all about the famous faces who’ve visited the home. Gleason has been known to throw midnight soirées, and Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and President Richard Nixon have been guests, according to the listing.
Gleason had sold the property to CBS, where he was working, in a private sale, according to the New York Post. CBS sold it after Gleason moved to Florida. In 1976, it was sold to an orthodontist for $150,000. In 2018, it was briefly listed for $12 million but never sold. So, this is the first time it’ll have a new owner in nearly 50 years. For more reasons than one, this will be a monumental sale.