Last week, a home in Aspen, Colorado, which was formerly John Denver’s guest house and recording studio, went up for $8.495 million.

The two buildings, which are situated on five acres, were formerly a part of Denver’s estate, which the late singer talked about in his 1971 song “Starwood in Aspen.” However, records and listing agent P.J. Bory of Christie’s International Real Estate Aspen Snowmass state that the property was split up when the main house sold in 2016.

The house is located in one of the few gated communities in Aspen, Starwood, with round-the-clock security, which was first funded by Denver, according to Bory. The singer of “Rocky Mountain High” lived at the Starwood estate from the beginning of the 1970s until his untimely passing in an aircraft accident in 1997.

In April 2023, a Florida-based physician sold Denver’s estate, paying $4.75 million through a trust for the guest home and music studio component. He did not respond to requests for comment right away.

According to Bory, the previous owners had sold the house “as is” with some “deferred maintenance,” thus it needed some structural repairs. The sliding glass doors that line the front of the house and provide a view of the mountains were all replaced, and the roof was repaired.

Furthermore, as the house wasn’t Denver’s primary dwelling, it lacked a working kitchen. As a result, the seller constructed a contemporary kitchen that opens to the dining and living rooms.

“He’s a fan, and he thought it would be a fun project to do,” Bory said.

With the renovation, the seller also added a hot tub, a new deck and overhauled the property’s landscaping, which had been let go and overtaken by scrub oak, Bory said.

Since the renovation was largely structural rather than for aesthetics, the home still maintains the charm of Denver’s day and even some original features, including tile in some of the bathrooms, the wood beams and a stained-glass partition that came from the original main house.

“Embracing the essence of John Denver and his original design was always his intention,” according to Bory.

The guest house/garage, which served as Denver’s studio, has two bedrooms, while the larger structure on the site has three.

There are 2,912 square feet of living space overall, which means that the next owner will not need to purchase additional development rights in order to build on top of the current house and expand it to the permitted 5,750 square feet, according to Bory.

The property’s main attraction, aside from its previous owner, is its gorgeous view over the valley that stretches from Aspen to Snowmass, which includes the four ski mountains in the vicinity.

You’re sitting on five acres with the most breathtaking views of our valley and Aspen, and it’s only ten or twelve minutes from downtown Aspen, so you really get the best of all worlds, according to Bory.