Before the furry Melmacian known as “ALF” became a household name, co-creators Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco imagined every sarcastic punchline and cat-eating gag that would beam him into TV history.
Now, Patchett, 85, is selling his mountain getaway at 1006 Top of The World Drive on Specie Mesa in Placerville, Colorado, for $3.15 million.
The property encompasses four structures totaling 2,735 square feet on 107 acres just outside Telluride.
Patchett became enamored with the Telluride area in the early 1990s after attending a film festival. He purchased the land and built the structures throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
“I fell in love with the idea of owning a lot there and building a house that suited my personality,” Patchett said. “It’s a very unique place.”
Everything from an Elvis lamp to a Colonel Sanders chandelier
Listing agent Allison Templin of Telluride Properties said the property includes a cottage that serves as the main residence, a bunkhouse, a wood-and-stone fishing cabin and an art barn.
“Most of the things that we used to furnish the buildings were collectibles,” Patchett said.
Patchett built the art barn next to the driveway.
“It’s full of a lot of vintage collectibles. Some of them are very valuable, and some are not. Some are funny, and some are not,” Patchett said.
The barn features a vintage Coca-Cola machine, an Elvis lamp, a chandelier styled after Colonel Sanders and neon signs from the 1930s and 1940s, such as a classic Sherwin-Williams paint sign with a world map.
“It has to do with my childhood, which was rather lacking in things that I thought were pretty cool,” Patchett said when asked what he loved about those collectibles.
The barn also contains a half bathroom and a loft that can be accessed by a ladder.
While the collectibles are not included in the sale, Patchett is open to negotiating on certain pieces if a buyer shares his enthusiasm for the vintage aesthetic.
No sign of ALF
While there is much to see throughout the art barn and other structures on the property, Patchett said there is no sign of ALF.
“I have a lot of ‘ALF’ things, but they’re in storage,” Patchett said.
He has thought about it, though.
“We have a gate to the property ... this gate is perfect. Right now, it’s got a horse on it,” he said. “But it could have an ALF. I think you could just swap them out. That would be fun. I always wanted to have that.”
Patchett began his career at Armstrong Cork Co. in Pennsylvania, after studying journalism in college.
Eventually, he left that job to form a stand-up comedy team, performing in New York clubs and later touring colleges. He said the act gained attention, leading to appearances on television shows such as “The Merv Griffin Show” and “The Steve Allen Show.”
He transitioned to writing for television specials and popular series, including “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Bob Newhart Show.” During a writer's strike, he connected with Jim Henson and Frank Oz, well-known puppeteers, and contributed to two Muppet films: “The Great Muppet Caper” and “The Muppets Take Manhattan.”
Later, he co-created “ALF.”
“We did 100 episodes of ‘ALF,’ and luckily, that was enough to put it into syndication ... so then I could afford to buy a house in Telluride,” he said.
‘It’s like an open book’
Patchett and his wife of 20 years, Carol, are now ready to downsize. They have a condo in Telluride.
“We haven’t spent as much time as we used to because grandchildren have appeared on the Gulf Coast, so we spend a lot of time flying over the property to get wherever they are,” Patchett said.
For Patchett, it’s how the property makes him feel that makes it a home. He called it a palate cleanser.
“It’s like an open book,” he said. “You can rewrite it ... You can make it a story in and of itself.”
Templin, the listing agent, said potential buyers of the property have been people who also love the Telluride area.
“They want a retreat much like what Tom has created on Specie Mesa,” Templin said. “The people who have expressed the most interest in the property are people who want a place out of town.”
Carol, 75, said the home is meant for those who enjoy being immersed in nature. To her, the property was “heavenly,” and she loved seeing the elk, ducks and flowers.
“It’s not like any other place,” she said. “So, it needs to go to someone who understands how cool and how intimate and how special the buildings are. And then, at the same time, loves the vast, open view. It’s just a very special place.”