Bette Davis’s former Maine home asks $15M

Bette Davis, a legend of Hollywood’s Golden Age, left behind Tinseltown for this $15 million estate.

The 8-acre property in coastal New England has more to brag about than its glamorous past, however. The estate, located along the southern coast of Maine, boasts 1,200 square feet of ocean frontage. 

The late Hollywood icon owned the 8-acre property for nearly a decade during the 1950s, according to Robb Report. Davis gave her sprawling home the cheeky nickname, “Witch Way.”

The two-time Oscar Winner’s decade-long tenure at the address began after her marriage to her “All About Eve” co-star Gary Merrill in the early 1950s. The pair went on to raise their adopted children, Margot and Michael, on the idyllic property.

In a 2014 interview with Portland Monthly magazine, Davis’s son Michael recalled his father keeping lobster traps on the cove and arranging a local hockey team there in their coastal town of Cape Elizabeth. 

Davis parted ways with the property in the 1960s, following her divorce from Merrill. Davis passed away at the age of 81 in 1989.

The 7,600-square-foot farmhouse-style residence that sits on the property today bears little resemblance to the place Davis called home throughout the 1950s, but it still has all the charm. A double-height foyer and cherry-paneled study add grandeur to the abode, while covered porches and a fireside breakfast nook add warmth.

The primary suite, one of five bedrooms, includes a sitting area, a walk-in closet and a free-standing tub. 

The seaside oasis is topped off by an octagonal cupola — perfect for watching coastal storms roll in across the property’s granite shoreline.

The listing, held by Bill Gaynor and Sam Michaud of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, advertises a large front lawn, a barn, an area for farm animals, a pond and a 2,000-square-foot carriage house. The latter, built in 2002, includes a kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The property last sold for $3.75 million in 2016, according to Zillow. The carriage house sold separately in an off-market deal, according to Robb Report, for $1.45 million.