John Travolta can’t offload $5M Maine mansion Kirstie Alley first showed him

Real Estate

Nearly two years trying, John Travolta is having a tough time selling his 20-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion in Maine.

The star first listed the home in February 2021 — seven months following the death of his wife Kelly Preston.

Located in Isleboro, Travolta has kept the initial $5 million price tag, despite a brief moment off the market.

Travolta, 68, designed the home with Preston back in 1991, when they were just newlyweds.

His late “Look Who’s Talking” co-star and fellow Scientologist Kirstie Alley was the one who first showed them the property at the time.

Spanning 10,830 square feet, the whimsical estate was transformed from the “spooky,” “dark” and “somber” historic house into the ultimate holiday space, a place to host their 55-member family, the couple told Architectural Digest in 1999. 

The “Grease” star called it the “60-day marathon” of redecorating — from the moment they purchased the home that September so that it would be ready in time to host their family for Christmas.

The hilly 50-acre estate on one of the highest points of the island sits on The Bluffs, where a dock provides boat access.
The hilly 50-acre estate on one of the highest points of the island sits on The Bluffs, where a dock provides boat access.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID
With flower-patterned wallpaper and eclectic plush sofas, the mansion looks more like what you'd expect from your great aunt than from the great John Travolta.
With flower-patterned wallpaper and eclectic plush sofas, the mansion looks more like what you’d expect from your great aunt than from the great John Travolta.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID
They redid the kitchen, refurbished the English antique furniture, installed a hotel-size furnace and hand-picked furnishings.
They redid the kitchen, refurbished the English antique furniture, installed a hotel-size furnace and hand-picked furnishings.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID
After the first Christmas, they brought in interior designer Christopher B. Boshears to make the mansion more homey.
After the first Christmas, they brought in interior designer Christopher B. Boshears to make the mansion more homey.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID

Completely redesigning the 42-room cottage-style house, built in 1903, features include a fieldstone fireplace in the living room, a built-in bar area, a great dining room with a fireplace and a kitchen with a walk-in refrigerator.

John Travolta's Maine mansion that he built with his late wife has been on the market for nearly two years. Kirstie Alley first showed them the home in 1991.
John Travolta’s Maine mansion that he built with his late wife has been on the market for nearly two years. Kirstie Alley first showed them the home in 1991.

Situated on 48 acres of land, the outdoors boast open fields with ocean views, a private dock on Sabbathday Harbor, walking paths and garden areas, the listing notes.

The primary bedroom features a private sun porch, with an ensuite bathroom that comes with a claw-foot tub and a separate shower.

The "Grease" star and Preston, who died of cancer at age 57 in July 2020, transformed the “spooky,” “dark,” and “somber,” historic house into the ultimate Christmas holiday space to host their 55-member family.
The “Grease” star and Preston, who died of cancer at age 57 in July 2020, transformed the “spooky,” “dark,” and “somber,” historic house into the ultimate Christmas holiday space to host their 55-member family.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID
From marrying and closing on the house in September to hosting the family Christmas only a few months later, it was a "60-day marathon" of redecorating, Travolta told AD.
From marrying and closing on the house in September to hosting the family Christmas only a few months later, it was a “60-day marathon” of redecorating, Travolta told AD.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID

“The entire third floor of the home is a magical play space complete with four separate themed bedrooms and a full bathroom, a school house, a library, a diner, and a performing stage for endless entertainment,” the listing says.

The gated home, known as the Drexel Estate, has a square tower with a steep pitched roof. It is unique in its juxtaposition of the Tudor and shingle styles, according to the National Register of Historic Places.

During the renovations, children and family were top of mind in the design when Preston was pregnant with their first child, Jett. (Jett passed away at age 16 of a seizure in 2009.)

Fellow Scientologist Kirstie Alley first showed them the property.
Fellow Scientologist Kirstie Alley first showed them the property.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID
The owner's suite has its own private sun porch, a full bathroom with a claw-foot tub and separate shower.
The owner’s suite has its own private sun porch, a full bathroom with a claw-foot tub and separate shower.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID

It was madness — but so much fun,” Preston told AD. After the first Christmas, they brought in interior designer Christopher B. Boshears to make the mansion more homey.

Preston passed away after a secret two-year battle with breast cancer. The couple kept her diagnosis private until her death.

The pair met on the set of the 1989 film “The Experts” and had three kids together.

They completely redesigned the 11,000-square-foot, 42-room cottage-style house, which oozes magic from its criss-cross windows to its sprawling fairytale-themed playrooms.
They completely redesigned the 11,000-square-foot, 42-room cottage-style house, which oozes magic from its criss-cross windows to its sprawling fairytale-themed playrooms.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID
The gated home has a square tower with a steep pitched roof. It is unique in its juxtaposition of the Tudor and shingle styles, according to the National Register of Historic Places.
The gated home has a square tower with a steep pitched roof. It is unique in its juxtaposition of the Tudor and shingle styles, according to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Grosby Group / BACKGRID

Preston’s unique flair is seen throughout the home, which makes it easy to see why the “Pulp Fiction” star would sell the home following her death after nearly three decades of marriage.

Brian Wickenden with Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.

Meanwhile, the two-time Oscar nominee sold one of his mansions in Clearwater, Florida for $4 million in August 2021.

Travolta also owns a $3 million property near the Scientology headquarters in Clearwater, Florida; a home near the Jumbolair private airport in Ocala, Florida, and a $2.7 million mansion in Calabasas, California. He also recently sold his Brentwood, Los Angeles mansion for $18 million to Scooter Braun.

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