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Good news, movie fans: the stately, historic North Carolina house that starred in the ’80s classic The Big Chill has hit the market for the first time in a quarter of a century. Tidalholm, as the estate is called, featured in the flick in no small way; it was here, among crazy-opulent crown moldings and picturesque verandas that a group of college friends reunited for one weekend (of drama! intrigue! suspense!).

A bit of history not related to Glenn Close: the Italianate-style manse was originally built in 1853 as a summer retreat for cotton magnate Edgar Fripp, and was used by Union troops as a hospital during the Civil War. The Fripp family later regained the property in a roundabout way; ever fortuitously, it was sold at auction to someone who gave it right back to them. While Tidalholm worked a short shift as a guest house from the 1930s to the ’70s (when it “entertained many artists, authors and statesmen,” according to the brokerbabble) today it’s being sold as a private home by owners who want “it to go to another family,” one of their relatives told The Beaufort Gazette. “It’s time for it to be filled with dogs and children and cats.” Sure, the 7,381-square-foot interiors look a bit formal to let pets run wild—original flooring and moldings throughout the traditional center-hall layout, not to mention some formal, expensive-looking furniture—the outdoor space is rather spectacular, what with multiple wrap-around verandas, a two-bedroom guest cottage, a private dock, and oak trees. Above, have a look.

· 1 Hancock St., Beaufort, S.C. [Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty via Realtor.com]
· Tidalholm, Beaufort’s ‘Big Chill House,’ for sale at $4.5 million [The Beaufort Gazette]