NFL icon Bart Starr’s Hoover home now for sale (photos and video tour)

The family of the late NFL icon Bart Starr has listed the family home for sale through ARC Realty in conjunction with Cathy O’Berry. It is located on the 16th fairway of the Riverchase Country Club in Hoover.

The 7,658-square-foot home, which sits on a 1.3-acre lot and features four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, is being offered for $1,915,000. The home’s value reflects Starr’s history as a two-time Super Bowl winner and MVP, Crimson Tide quarterback, Green Bay Packers head coach and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Still, extraordinary sentimental value remains attached to the Starr estate, affectionately referred to by the family as “home for many.”

Construction at 2065 Royal Fern Lane was completed in 1990 to a design by Bart’s wife, Cherry Starr. Since they spent many years together in the Southwest, Cherry designed the house in a style reminiscent of the region’s architectural and artistic trends.

The ornate interior is decorated in “earth tones” that are meant to change with the transition from day to night, similar to the beauty of a desert sunset. Perhaps one of the most popular installations on the property is the flowing, multi-tiered fountain in the courtyard behind the house. Despite the Starr residence’s age, the house has remained virtually unchanged. This preservation is a testament to Cherry’s sleek, modern design, described by today’s real estate agents as being well ahead of its time.

The care and labor that went into building the Starr residence was never meant to be a sign of wealth or status. Instead, these earth-toned walls were openly shared with anyone who knocked.

The Starrs lived modestly in their words and actions. They loved Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ. Bart loved McDonald’s. Most of all, they spread love to others.

“There was no one small to her,” said Cheryl Rietz, a personal friend and employee of Starr Enterprises.

When a delivery man came up the stairs, the Starrs rushed to greet him with the same enthusiasm they greeted NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers at their door. Every worker in the neighborhood knew that there was a sparkling clean bathroom, a water cooler and a stocked beverage fridge in the backyard of the Starr home where they could refresh themselves.

At a home tour on Aug. 27, many acquaintances and coworkers shared in person how amazed they were by the Starrs’ hospitality. ARC broker Sameer Ratani remembers selling Bart a pair of shoes in high school when he worked at New Balance. Instead of signing a napkin or piece of paper, Bart sent a signed photo to Sameer via FedEx. His enthusiasm for answering fan mail never waned, said Leigh Ann Nelson, the family’s executive assistant. She recalled Bart happily saying to her, “Leigh Ann, isn’t this great fun?”

Love, laughter and friendship were strict rules in the Starr household. Despite the perceived luxuries that came with the NFL lifestyle, Cherry remained a true housewife, providing for her family by cooking, cleaning and hosting parties. Many game days and Super Bowls were played out in the living rooms upstairs and downstairs, each time spiced with the aromas of Cherry’s cooking and Bart’s kindness.

The walls of Bart’s office are still lined with awards and accolades from his time as a player and coach. The Bart Starr Award, created in 1988 and given to new athletes each year at the Super Bowl breakfast, sits on the corner of Bart’s desk. After each breakfast, Bart would go home to enjoy the Super Bowl with his family. Even more than football, Bart and Cherry loved the little ones who grew up in the house and called them “Papa and Mama,” “Grandpa and Mommy,” etc.

The fairway home holds years of loving memories passed down through family traditions, generosity and the recipe for a cake of high rank. Cherry’s lemon icebox cake was a delicacy prepared only for Bart Starr Jr.’s birthdays and select guests of the household. Now, after the deaths of Bart in 2019 and Cherry in early 2024, the Starr family wants to continue their “open door policy,” as Cherry called it, where the joy in their home belongs to anyone who arrives.

To celebrate the opening of the “For Sale” sign on the family home, the Starrs welcome their community as guests of honor with a slice of Cherry’s lemon icebox cake.

Watch this video tour of 2065 Royal Fern Lane provided by ARC Realty. Bart Starr Jr., son of Bart Starr and resident of Vestavia Hills, shares his fond memories of his home and his hope that the future owner will uphold the strong values ​​instilled by his parents.