James Cagney's longtime Martha's Vineyard retreat, an 18th-century estate on nearly 70 acres, is for sale — take a closer look at the Hollywood legend's summer home

• The summer retreat once owned by the late Hollywood legend James Cagney in Chilmark, Massachusetts, is on the market with an $8.95 million asking price.
• The Martha's Vineyard home is located on 70 acres and comes complete with lush gardens and beach access.
• The main residence sprawls nearly 3,000 square feet, with six bedrooms and four bathrooms. There's also a separate house for the estate's caretaker to live in.

A 70-acre Martha's Vineyard estate, once the summer retreat of the late legendary actor James Cagney, is on the market for $8.95 million.

The main home on the sprawling property spans almost 3,000 square feet and is complete with six bedrooms and four baths. But it's far from the only house on the expansive estate. According to the property listing, it comes with several buildings and is actually made up of three pieces of property.

Nicknamed "The James Cagney Estate," the property also includes a caretaker house, along with manicured gardens, a water view, and beach access. Cagney, a Hollywood icon, is widely considered one of the greatest American actors of all time and best known for his appearances in the films "The Public Enemy" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

The property pre-dates Cagney; according to the listing, the summer retreat was first built in 1728 and its sale could be the "last time a real-estate asset of this scale ever becomes available on Martha's Vineyard."

Andrew McElhinney and Mark Jenkins of Wallace & Co. Sotheby's International Realty hold the listing.

Here's a closer look at the sprawling estate.

James Cagney's one-time Martha's Vineyard estate is on the market and recently got a price cut.

James Cagney reading the safety brochure aboard an American Airlines plane, Hollywood, California, mid 1930s.      Underwood Archives/Getty Images

Cagney got on the Martha's Vineyard bandwagon early, before it was "fashionable" to own a home there, according to Architectural Digest. He described loving the farm "beyond words" in his 1976 memoir and appreciated its extremely low property taxes.

Source: Architectural Digest

The James Cagney Estate is located in Chilmark, Massachusetts, and sprawls 2,914 square feet.

Anthony Esposito for Wallace & Co. Sotheby's International Realty

Source: Sotheby's Realty; Mansion Global

The property is roughly 70 acres and comes with numerous buildings, including a separate house for the estate's caretaker.

Anthony Esposito for Wallace & Co. Sotheby's International Realty

There's also a studio and a barn, according to Realtor.com.

Source: Sotheby's Realty; Realtor.com

The main house has six bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Anthony Esposito for Wallace & Co. Sotheby's International Realty

Source: Sotheby's Realty; Mansion Global

The estate also has expansive, manicured gardens, as pictured below.

Anthony Esposito for Wallace & Co. Sotheby's International Realty

Source: Sotheby's Realty

The home comes with private water views ...

Anthony Esposito for Wallace & Co. Sotheby's International Realty

Source: Sotheby's Realty

... and beach access.

Anthony Esposito for Wallace & Co. Sotheby's International Realty

Source: Sotheby's Realty

The home dates back to the 18th century and is still in its original location, according to the listing. Mansion Global reports that Cagney bought the land in 1936 and used it as a family summer retreat for "decades."

James Cagney on another of his farm properties, Verney Farm in Stanfordville, Dutchess County New York, circa 1956.      Icon and Image/Getty Images

The Cagneys sold the estate in the 1980s. Meg Bodnar of Tea Lane Associates, the former listing agent when the property was on the market in 2017, told Mansion Global that the estate was at some point later inhabited by a commune.

A pair of Boston-based restaurateurs who are friends and business partners eventually purchased the estate together in 2012 for $4.1 million, according to Mansion Global. It hit the market again in 2017, this time asking significantly more: $13.5 million. The latest asking price, at just under $9 million, represents a whopping 33% price cut.

Source: Sotheby's Realty; Mansion Global; Realtor.com