Soldier who lost all his limbs in Afghanistan bomb blast buys beauty magnate Elizabeth Arden's $765,000 estate to treat fellow wounded warriors

A home for heroes: Soldier who lost all his limbs in Afghanistan bomb blast buys beauty magnate Elizabeth Arden's $765,000 estate to treat fellow wounded warriors

• The former Maine summer home of beauty magnate Elizabeth Arden has been purchased by a nonprofit 
• The Travis Mills Foundation, which is dedicated to disabled veterans, announced the purchase Tuesday
• Arden built the main house in the town of Rome as her summer estate in the 1920s and later established the Maine Chance Spa at the site
• Mamie Eisenhower, Judy Garland, and Ava Gardner were among the guests

The former Maine summer home of beauty magnate Elizabeth Arden has been purchased by a nonprofit dedicated to disabled veterans. 

The Travis Mills Foundation - named after a former Army staff sergeant who became a quadruple amputee after a 2012 Afghanistan bomb blast - announced the purchase Tuesday.

The foundation said in a release it intends to make extensive renovations to the property and convert it 'into the nation's first fully accessible, "smart home" retreat dedicated to serving the recreational and reintegration needs of combat-wounded veterans and their families.'

Married to wife Kelsey and father to daughter Chloe, Mills established the foundation bearing his name and is now a motivational speaker.

The estate was placed on the market last summer for $765,000, but the foundation did not announce the purchase price.

Purchase: The Travis Mills Foundation has purchased a Maine home that was once Elizabeth Arden's Maine Chance Spa

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Off the market: The estate was placed on the market last summer for $765,000, but the foundation did not announce the purchase price

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Beauty magnate: Arden, seen left, built the main house in the town of Rome as her summer estate in the 1920s and later established the Maine Chance Spa at the site. Women are seen on the right at the spa in 1948 

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New purpose: The Travis Miller Foundation is named after a former Army staff sergeant severely injured in a 2012 Afghanistan bomb blast who became a quadruple amputee. Miller is seen here with his family

Mills told The Kennebec Journal of the purchase, 'We're definitely excited,' and said that there is no opening date arranged yet. 

The Travis Mills Foundation is hoping to gather $1.7 million for renovations - and over $27,400 has already been raised, according to a GoFundMe page. 

The page says, 'On April 10, 2012, United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne was critically injured on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan by an IED (improvised explosive device) while on patrol, losing portions of both legs and both arms.  He is one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive such extensive injuries.'

Mills received extended treatment from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, CNN reported last year. Now, he reportedly participates in a number of physical activities, including snowboarding. 

Mills told CNN 'I'm not wounded any more. I'm just a guy living life.' 

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Expansive: The property once covered 1,200 acres but was subdivided after Arden's 1966 death

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Father: Mills, seen left with his daughter Chloe before the accident, now works as a motivational speaker 

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Efforts: The foundation has already raised over $27,000 in donations 

In a trailer for a documentary on his life, 'Travis: A Soldier's Story,' Mills said ''You know, people call me a hero, but I'm not sure what part of it makes me a hero. I just had a normal day at work that turned ugly.  

'About six seconds [after the explosion] I guess later, I woke up. My medic came running up at me. And about twenty seconds he had tourniquets on both legs and both arms. And I guess the last thing that was in my head was my baby girl. Am I ever going to see her again?' 

'My goal was to let them know I keep working, I keep going hard,' he also said in the trailer. 'If I give up, I'm giving up on my family.'  

Arden built the main house in the town of Rome as her summer estate in the 1920s and later established the Maine Chance Spa at the site. Mamie Eisenhower, Judy Garland, and Ava Gardner were among the guests.

The property once covered 1,200 acres but was subdivided after Arden's 1966 death.

The Kennebec Journal reported last year that the Maine Chance Spa was primarily a weight-loss spa, but also featured a number of beauty treatments.

According to the news outlet, the spa had green houses, living spaces for staff, as well as exercise spaces, treatment rooms, and guest lodgings. 

Stefano Tufano, whose parents purchased the spa in the 1970s, told WLBZ in 2014 'You research it and to find out it was the first spa in the history of the United States and all the famous people that stayed here, Judy Garland, the First Lady Maime Eisenhower and you know, it was quite a place.

'In today's money, it was $4,000 a week to stay here. So, it was an exclusive women's club back then, very few people could afford to come here.'

Property maintenance led to Tufano wanting to sell, WLBZ reported.  

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Changing lives: Mills poses for a snap with his daughter Chloe, wife Kelsey, and former president George W. Bush

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Tragedy: Mills lost his limbs while serving a third tour of duty in Afghanistan