A beach house on Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, where actress and singer Judy Garland stayed while her daughter Liza Minnelli performed nearby, is on the market for nearly $6.8 million.
Neighbors nicknamed the property at 172 Irving Ave. in Hyannis "The Judy Garland House" for the actress, famed from a young age for her role as Dorothy in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz." She rented the house in 1961 while Minnelli sang at the Cape Cod Melody Tent, a revered local performance space.
Paul Grover and partner Matthew De Groot of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices are the listing agents for the seven-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot house in the Hyannisport neighborhood. It’s an area familiar to many who frequent the Cape; the compound where President John F. Kennedy and his brothers used to congregate with family is three doors down.
The Judy Garland house was built in 1890 and occupies a prominent spot in the neighborhood on a corner directly across from the entrance to a pier that belongs to the Hyannis Port Civic Association. Many people who own property in the neighborhood become members of the association, giving them the opportunity to dock their boats at the pier, Grover said.
The shingled house is distinguished by its expansive wraparound porch that provides a great view of the beach and Hyannis Harbor.
“I think it’s been a gathering place for neighborhood kids for a long time,” he said. “It’s directly across from the water and it’s well-elevated, so it has a pretty view. Just that setting is a really important part of it.”
The family that has owned the house for the past 35 years vacationed there occasionally and occasionally rented it out to others, he said. They initially listed the property last winter with a different agent, then pulled it off the market while they stayed there over the summer.
Sales of Cape Cod houses priced above $2 million increased 17% in the first 10 months of 2025, with 213 closings, compared to the same time period last year, according to Grover. Deals worth more than $5 million increased by 24%; there have been 31 of these so far this year. The median sales price on the Cape to date in 2025 is $729,000.
It’s a modest walk from the Judy Garland house to the West Beach Club, another civic association amenity. The club, which Grover said has counted the Kennedys as members, is “not like a fancy country club by any means.”
Although the house is far from new, Grover said that’s not necessarily a turn-off for buyers who may be looking for the charm of an older residence when they shop in Hyannisport.
A larger house two doors down that abuts the Kennedy property directly is currently listed at $18.5 million.
“It’s interesting, because you really have a wide price range in Hyannisport,” Grover said. “I think that’s a nice thing about it. And no matter what house you live in, you have access to the same amenities at the civic association.”