Clarendon Court, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Oct 7th 2010 at 1:01PM

Today's estate, Clarendon Court in Newport, Rhode Island has more than a little history behind it. The Real Estalker reports that the massive home was built in 1904 for Pennsylvania Railroad executive Edward C. Knight who originally named the house Claradon Court after his wife Clara. A later owner changed the name of the home to the more familiar Clarendon Court. It was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer who designed many a fine home during the Gilded Age (including previous Luxist Estate of the Day Seawater). The Classical Palladian home sits on over seven acres directly on the Atlantic Ocean with beautiful panoramic views across Narragansett Bay. The property is on prestigious Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island and extends to the ocean above the famous Cliff Walk. The house has ten bedrooms with nearly 12,000 square feet of space.

As for that history, the Real Estalker Mama reminds us that the home was bought and restored by Sunny and Claus von Bülow. In late 1980 Sunny von Bülow was found passed out and later diagnosed as having suffered a serious brain injury that left her in a persistent vegetative state. Claus von Bülow was later indicted on on two counts of attempted murder. His trial ended in a conviction but after an appeal by famed legal eagle Alan Dershowitz the conviction was overturned. The events were dramatized in the 1990 movie "Reversal of Fortune" with Glenn Close as Mrs. von Bülow, Jeremy Irons as her husband and Ron Silver as Alan Dershowitz.

Clarendon Court was sold in 1988 to its current owners, Washington D.C. art dealer Glenn Randall and his wife Patricia for $4.3 million. Listing pictures don't give a lot of detail but show wide columned porches, a dramatic marble staircase and grand formal spaces. This home is listed for $17.8 million with Libby Kirwin.

Gallery: Clarendon Court

Tags: Claus Von Bulow, estate of the day, newport, rhode island real estate

Filed under: Estates

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Spectacular Bid Oct 7th 2010 1:50PM

The Randalls attempted to sell the property in the mid-1990s for a listed rate of $5,950,000. With the recent glut of mansions in Newport - which has a history of grand estates selling for far below replacement value - I don't see where this will get anywhere near their asking price. Infamous doesn't equate to premium price.

The mansion itself is lovely although I think the stone carriage complex is far more delightful in its design and execution. For under $5M you can buy that - http://www.htcarriagehouse.com/

Take for example 'Wyndham' which went to auction after foreclosure. It sold last week for 1/2 the tax assessed valued and a fraction of the sum of the two mortgages on the property. The 1891 stone mansion designed by William Ralph Emerson sold for just $2.55 million.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/Wyndham_Auction_Newport_10-01-10_O8K4SQK_v23.216e56a.html

Sunny, by the way, finally passed away in December 2008:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/nyregion/07vonbulow.html

al schrader Oct 9th 2010 8:54PM

Problem with these decades - old homes is the plumbing is a mess. The sewer lines, etc are all encrusted & slow. It costs more to demolish the floors & walls to replace the rotted pipes than the place is worth. And the smell that emminates from the pipes, well don't go there. If I had 17 miilion to invest in a home, I'd build a brand new one that smelled good....Al-

Mydnytangell Oct 9th 2010 10:41PM

It's absolutely fantastic, but certainly not for $17 million dollars. I'd say more like around $4 million or so, but not the asking price - not in today's market.

Bob Dee Oct 9th 2010 4:32PM

this listing agent missed the chance of a lifetime. should have pressure cleaned the pool fountain, painted the bottom of the entrance doors, etc.. shame on you.

Fred Oct 9th 2010 5:54PM

Those are garage doors, not entrance doors. Still they could have been stripped and repainted.

JLS Oct 9th 2010 5:55PM

Nice and clean and gorgeous! Those of us with fountains know that all have some green on them. It's all just fine. This one is not that bad at all. As for the paint, I didn't see what you did but I agree if paint is needed somewhere, do it.

David S. Oct 9th 2010 6:02PM

Wow, almost a smaller version of the White House. Obviously the place needs some work, but the price is likely negotiable. I doubt they will get $17 million.

Fred Oct 9th 2010 6:02PM

Oh, and the HDTV above the fireplace with the control box with wires sitting on the little column is super tacky , not to mention the sad little pictures hanging in the inserts on either side... and the pink, what can I say?

Reb Oct 9th 2010 7:22PM

That was my first thought too Fred...so tacky there and then the wire hanging down, etc....I'd fire the Realtor who didn't take care of that eyesore at the get go! The pink is gaudy, and it sure could use some paint in other places too. Otherwise, it is a lovely home.

carol Oct 9th 2010 6:35PM

Who needs a 12000 square foot house. The Taxes and Utilities would be awful, Also the front door going into the place has mold, There is probably mold in the house.

carol Oct 9th 2010 6:43PM

Who needs a 12,000 Square Foot House, The doors going in have mold on them at the bottom, The house is old. There are newer places out there, In better areas for the same price, The market is tight for over Million Dollar Properties, Just think what the Taxes and Utilities are, I guess if you could afford the House it wouldn,t matter, Cleaning it would take 2 full time housekeepers.

athiff Oct 9th 2010 11:41PM

Really..its nice.i like it..

Athif-Jeddah

athiff Oct 9th 2010 11:47PM

OOHH..really..its nice.. ilike it
Athif-Jeddah

mtgjbird Nov 22nd 2010 6:59AM

if you read the disclosures, the roof leaks and there are damaged walls and ceilings AND they are removing the lights from the parlor and the tiled ceiling from the library! The carriage house is just a shell but a nice building on its own. I think they have been denied the ability to separate the two buildings/lots - it is now just a single listing and has dropped to $15.8 (still too much). If I had an unlimited budget, I'd be living there now but since that is not the case, I'm staying put. With the death tax coming back in a few months, all the older folks are trying to free up their money so to not burden their grandchildren...