514 Crown View Drive After the Fords
1974 - 2007

Soon after the Fords' departure, their home became a rental property and has remained as one, changing hands twice. The house was the home of many groups of young people, and the site of many parties, sometimes to the neighbors’ chagrin. At the time of President Ford’s death, the house on Crown View Drive was vacant and for sale. Former tenants remember their pride in living in the former President’s home. A newspaper photo of Ford washing dishes at the sink was posted on the kitchen wall. Some tenants wrote to the Fords and received replies from the President. Ford wrote to one former tenant, Brewster Thackery: “You have our very best wishes as current occupants of the home we built and loved…We were proud of it when we moved in March 1955. Thanks for enjoying it also.” (Washington Post, December 28, 2006.)

On January 3, 2007, Jack Ford, with his wife and children, visited his old family home. A military driver took photos of the family on the front steps. Jack fondly recalled, “It was a great neighborhood to grow up in, a lot of kids. It was very normal, very middle American. We used to walk to school every day. You’d jump on your bike and go riding down the street, and your parents didn’t worry about you.” (San Diego Union-Tribune, January 3, 2007.)

The former President’s home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.