rhode island

Items From Astors' Beechwood Estate Head To Auction

A few years ago we covered the listing of the famous Beechwood estate in Newport, Rhode Island. The legendary home of the Astor family was filled with beautiful antiques, many of which will be sold off through Skinner Inc. next month as part of the auction house's European Furniture and Decorative Arts sale on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in its Boston gallery. The sale will feature items originally owned by Mr. & Mrs. William B. Astor including William Parsons Winchester Dana's painting, "The U.S. Frigate 'Constitution' Chased by an English Squadron," July 1812, purchased on the couple's honeymoon trip (estimated at $20,000 to $40,000).

[via Wicked Local]

Tags: art auction, astor estate, beechwood, beechwood estate, newport, rhode island

Historic Ocean House Resort Reopens

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

Watch Hill, Rhode Island's majestic Ocean House resort has reopened for the summer 2010 season after a sweeping, $140 million renovation.

Originally opened in 1868, the Victorian-style property catered to the era's high society with its prime beachfront location and leisure class activities like croquet on the lawn, bathing and sailing, and afternoon tea. By 1917, the dining room could serve 500, bands traveled from New York to entertain guests and the Douglas Fairbanks vehicle American Aristocracy, filmed at the resort, had just been released.

But by the turn of millennium a series of fires, almost a century-and-a-half of wear and a shift in tastes away from the seaside resort vacation, left the Ocean House a ghostly shell of its former grandeur. When in 2004 a group of summer residents, led by Royce Funds president Charles M. Royce, attempted to salvage the original structure it was determined that it was too far gone, and so the decision was made to recreate the original Ocean House as a modern hotel with period charm.

The 152,660-square foot result is a faithful, and striking, homage to its provenance with 49 rooms and 23 private residences. Thousands of architectural elements were salvaged and recreated to populate the hotel, including a 19th-century elevator, reception desk, stone fireplace, moldings and chandeliers. Even the resort's 247 windows have been placed in their original locations and the exterior color remains the distinctive butter cream yellow.

Gallery: Ocean House

Tags: hotel, ocean house, rennovations, resort, rhode island, watch hill

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The Classicist: A Piece of Architectural History in Watch Hill, Yours for $19.5 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, The Classicist, Wealth

Last week The Classicist told you about a historic Hudson River estate being restored to its former glory. That posh property is being thoroughly enjoyed by its new owners, but there's another architectural gem of equally impressive provenance now available with the added bonus of oceanfront acreage – The Timbers in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Set high above the ocean on a picturesque stretch of beach, the majestic eight-acre compound comprises one of the grandest historic oceanfront estates in New England that's still in private hands. The mansion was built in 1917 and designed by celebrated architect John Russell Pope, who created the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The estate recently underwent a meticulous and historically accurate $10 million restoration, reflecting Pope's original vision. It's now been listed for sale by Christie's Great Estates affiliate Seaboard Properties for $19.5 million.

The opulent 10,500-sq.-ft. main residence was styled after a grand English Tudor manor and features baronial touches such as 15 elegant fireplaces, a magnificent grand staircase and a bell tower. In addition to panoramic ocean views it boasts wide-plank oak floors, wrought-iron chandeliers, archways, and light-filled, generously scaled rooms. The spectacular living room features 35-foot-high cathedral ceilings, exposed English oak beams, and a beautifully crafted wraparound balcony with a carved wooden balustrade. Large French doors on the east side of the living room open to a large covered veranda which features glorious views of the beach and the sounds of the surf as it rolls ashore. At the far end of the veranda, an octagonal dining area features an outdoor woodburning fireplace, wrought-iron chandelier, vaulted ceilings, and archways overlooking the ocean.

Gallery: The Timbers, Watch Hill

Tags: architect, architecture, beach, Christies, Christies Great Estates, historic houses, Jefferson Memorial, John Russell Pope, mansion, ocean, oceanfront, real estate, Rhode Island, Tudor, Washington, Watch Hill

Continue reading “The Classicist: A Piece of Architectural History in Watch Hill, Yours for $19.5 Million”

Rhode Island's Sakonnet Vineyards for Sale at $10.5 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wine

Christie's Great Estates is offering a rare opportunity to own an established and award-winning vineyard on the east coast of the United States. Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, Rhode Island, celebrating its 35th anniversary, is being offered for $10.5 million by Christie's affiliate Lila Delman Real Estate in Newport. Recognized as a pioneer in the New England wine industry, Sakonnet is located in the heart of a burgeoning wine-growing region producing wines under the Southeastern New England viticultural appellation. The property consists of 170 acres of which approximately 37 acres are planted in vines producing an average of 8,000 to 9,000 cases of "Estate Grown" wine annually.

The wines have received national and international acclaim winning numerous medals, including "Best of Show" for a Gewurztraminer at the 2004 Monterey International Wine Competition. Boston Magazine also named Sakonnet "Best Winery in New England" for 2006. The vineyard was founded in 1975 on the well-researched premise that the microclimate and soil conditions found along the Southeastern New England coast closely resemble some of the great wine regions of the world, particularly, the maritime climates of northern France. A residential component contiguous to the vineyard property is located on a plateau of open fields, laced with stone fences that slope gently down to Watson Reservoir.

Gallery: Sakonnet Vineyards

Tags: Christies, Christies Great Estates, New England, Rhode Island, vineyard, wine

The Classicist: America's Finest Equestrian Architecture

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Sports, The Classicist, Wealth

Kathryn Masson, author of the book on Hunt Country Style which we wrote about back in 2008, has returned with another brilliant exposition on equestrian style for our enjoyment. Stables: Beautiful Paddocks, Horse Barns, and Tack Rooms takes us on an alluring journey through America's horse country. Collaborating once again with Hunt Country photographer Paul Rocheleau, Masson visits some of the most notable stables and equestrian centers from coast to coast. Ranging from private to historic to state-of-the-art, from homes for retired racehorses to lodgings for polo ponies, thoroughbreds and world champions, 25 distinctive examples of equestrian architecture and interiors are profiled, showcasing their design, construction, and landscaping.

Each of the featured buildings evokes its distinctive regional heritage, from an enormous 1830s English-style barn near the Saratoga Springs Racetrack, to the Mediterranean aesthetic of one of the world's leading Arabian breeding farms, Om El Arab International in California's Santa Ynez Valley. Also highlighted are the world-famous racing stable Newstead Farm in Upperville, Virginia, home of Kentucky Derby winner Genuine Risk, and the quintessential Western working ranch Centennial Ranch in Ridgeway, Colorado. Three historic Vanderbilt family stables are featured: The Breakers in Newport, Sandy Point Stables in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and the newly restored project of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland.

Avid equestrienne and professor Dr. Perky Beisel explores the history of the American stable and the long tradition of horsemanship in this United States in an informative preface. "For some Americans, horse ownership and participation in horse sports became a lifestyle and, for others, a way to join the upper class," She notes. "Families who reaped the benefits of 19th-century expansion in industries such as railroads and manufacturing had seemingly unlimited wealth with which to satisfy their desires. While some became notable art collectors, yachtsmen, or horticulturalists, others became active participants in horse sports. In so doing, not only did they create a new upper class, but they also transformed the physical landscape of equestrian recreation and leisure."

Gallery: Great American Stables

U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Center, Gladstone, NJ

Tags: architecture, book, California, coffee table book, coffee table books, Colorado, equestrian, foxhunting, horseracing, horses, hunt country, Kathryn Masson, Kentucky Derby, luxury book, Maryland, polo, Rhode Island, Saratoga Springs, stables, The Breakers, upper class, Vanderbilt, Virginia

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Bernon Mills Estates, A New Life For An Old Factory

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

New England's past as a manufacturing center has yielded a bumper crop of former mills and warehouses that have a second life as luxury condos. Bernon Mills in Woonsocket, Rhode Island was built in 1827 by the Russell Manufacturing Company. A pair of prominent Providence industrialists, Sullivan Dorr and Crawford Allen, bought out the Russell Manufacturing Company and founded the Woonsocket Mill Company at the site giving the surrounding village today's name of Bernon. They would balso uild also a stylish Greek revival building one year later for a total of four buildings by 1859. By 1889 the Woonsocket Mill Company had 15,000 spindles, 337 looms and 300 employees. Later the site would be purchased and converted into Woonsocket's first electric power company, the "Woonsocket Electric Machine and Power Company."

So far there are 48 units with Wolf and Sub Zero appliances, granite countertops, hardwood floors and exposed stone walls. On site amenities include a fitness center, business conference rooms, two overnight guest suites, indoor/outdoor patio, and transportation to the Franklin train stop for Boston commuters The size of the units in the first phase are modest but so are the prices. A top floor penthouse with over 1300 square feet of space is listed at $299,000.

Gallery: Bernon Mills Estates

Tags: bernon mills estates, condo development, condominiums, rhode island, woonsocket

A Fall Getaway Deal In Newport, Rhode Island

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Summer may be over but that doesn't mean that travel has to end. The Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel & Spa in Newporth, Rhode Island is offering a 30 percent savings with its Fall Foliage/Fall into Savings Package to lure guests during the off-season. Guests can enjoy water-view accommodations, a $25 food & beverage credit toward lunch or dinner at Windward Restaurant or Five33, 20 percent off a Pumpkin Facial at the Stillwater Spa and two signature Fireside Kiss Cocktails. The package includes a Rhode Island Fall Foliage Map and eco-friendly launch service to downtown Newport. The package runs from $239 in September, $179 in October, and $159 in November, based on double occupancy. It is valid September 7-November 30.

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Tags: hotel deals, HotelDeals, luxisthoteldeals, newport, rhode island, RhodeIsland

Good Architecture for a Good Cause in Newport

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Big Givers

The other day my colleague Alison Wellner reported on Newport, Rhode Island's Cliff Walk controversy over the much disputed public right-of-way. Not everything going on in the famed seaside town is controversial, however; on a brighter note, The George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom just celebrated the opening of the new Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. Visitors Center (above), which has won praise for great design complementing its historical context. The Loeb Center is located at Touro Synagogue, the oldest functioning synagogue building in the nation. First dedicated in 1763, it was designed by America's first architect, Peter Harrison.

The Institute's mission is to promote awareness of the historic roots of religious liberty in America. In addition to the Loeb Visitors Center, the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom supports educational and scholarship programs for individuals seeking to learn about and discuss the origins and development of American religious liberties. John L. Loeb Jr. is the Chairman of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom and is the former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark. Through the Institute, he donated both the land and the new Visitors Center building. The Loeb Center further interprets and celebrates the history and architecture of Touro Synagogue, renowned for its beauty.

The Loeb Visitors Center features interactive, multimedia exhibits exploring the meaning and importance of George Washington's 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, the first and clearest presidential expression of support for American's constitutional right to the free exercise of religious belief and the separation of church and state. Writing about the Loeb Center in the Providence Journal, architecture critic David Brussat noted, "It is obviously a classical building, yet it is unlike any other. No work of classicism could possibly depart from canon with greater dignity, hence no building could possibly fit onto a historic street with greater distinction."

Tags: ambassador, Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr., AmbassadorJohnL.LoebJr., architecture, George Washington, George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, GeorgeWashington, GeorgeWashingtonInstituteForReligiousFreedom, John L. Loeb Jr., JohnL.LoebJr., Newport, religion, Rhode Island, RhodeIsland, synagogue, Touro Synagogue, TouroSynagogue

Outerlimits 41 Super Leggera is Built for Speed

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

The new 41 Super Leggera from Rhode Island's Outerlimits Powerboats can do 100 m.p.h., costs $650,000 and is the closest thing we've seen yet to an oceangoing Lamborghini. The company constructs the awesome 41-ft. powerboat using aerospace technology, materials and engineering, centered on a carbon fiber deck and epoxy e-glass hull. Super fast, strong and light, the design is based on a World Championship race boat, but with all the comforts you'd expect from a craft of this caliber. The cockpit features a dash made of hand stitched leather and suede, a GPS chart plotter, and side-by-side stand-up convertibe bolsters. The full cabin features a shower, a plush V-berth, and plenty of storage for your other toys.

[via JamesList]

Tags: carbon fiber, CarbonFiber, Lamborghini, powerboat, Rhode Island, RhodeIsland, speedboat

V.I.P Package at Providence Film Festival

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Photo of Cable Car Cinema in Providence R.I.

Providence is quite the artsy town, what with the Rhode Island School of Design, the creative foment that is Brown University, not to mention all the culinary talent coming out of Johnson & Wales University.

So it's no wonder that the Rhode Island Film Festival, which goes off August 4th - August 9th, 2009, is quite a good one.The festival, now in its 13th year, shows 175 films and videos, and its philosophy is wide open -- it will show work of any type in any subject matter. It's one of the 63 film festivals in the world that's a qualifying festival in the Short Films category for the Academy Awards.

The deadline's been extended for the festival's V.I.P. Package, which costs $1,200 and includes access to everything, from exclusive parties, premiers, and even workshops. If you have an inner film geek, the included Working in Animation workshop with actor John Ratzenberger could be a thrill. And if you have an even geekier inner geek, you can watch William Shatner receive an award for Humanitarian of the Year for his philanthropy to the American Tinnitus Association, among other charities.

The package also includes two nights in the seriously cool Providence Renaissance Hotel, which was built as a Masonic Temple in 1929, and counts as one of the state's largest restoration projects.

Tags: film, film festival, FilmFestival, providence, rhode island, RhodeIsland

Anne Archer in Rhode Island, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Most celebrity real estate hits the market quietly. At best you get a veiled reference to "celebrity-owned" or "star-worthy" but the listing for actress Anne Archer's townhouse on Narragansett Bay in Portsmouth, Rhode Island proudly declares her ownership. The townhouse is part of the Carnegie Abbey Sporting Estate, the elite golf and yachting club in Portsmouth near Newport.

The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties reports that Archer and her husband, executive producer Terry Jastrow, bought the two-story townhouse new in 2003. The modest second home measures approximately 1,600 square feet and has two bedrooms a wet bar and water views that can be enjoyed from a dining balcony. The townhome is decorated in a subtly seaside theme that includes a sailboat model, striped bedspreads and illustrations of marine life.

Carnegie Abbey amenities include the massive Adirondack-inspired clubhouse which offers tennis, a spa, a fitness center and multiple lounges with a view of the Club's signature 18th hole and its beautiful Narragansett Bay backdrop. The townhouse is listed at $1.1 million but membership in the club is required. Membership reportedly requires a $200,000 refundable initiation fee plus $10,000 a month in member dues.

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Gallery: Anne Archer in Rhode Island

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Tags: anne archer, AnneArcher, carnegie abbey, CarnegieAbbey, narragansett, rhode island, RhodeIsland

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Swanhurst, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The Swanhurst Manor House in Newport, Rhode Island was built in 1851 and was one of the first of twelve Newport Mansions established along Bellevue Avenue. The home was passed down over the years from mother to daughters in the Swan family before being willed to the Newport Art Association. The will said that the home must always be known as Swanhurst. The home is on 1.56 acres of landscaped grounds. The home has been kept true to its 19th century style and features a foyer with a classic stairway, a double living room, a formal dining room with a fireplace, gentleman's library, and a sitting room. The kitchen has been remodeled with granite countertops and new appliances. There are six bedrooms on the second floor including a master suite with a fireplace and new master bath. This home is listed at $5.6 million.

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Gallery: Swanhurst

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Tags: estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, newport, rhode island, RhodeIsland, swanhurst manor, SwanhurstManor

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Rhode Island's First Million Dollar Raffle

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The small state of Rhode Island will have an added dose of excitement this New Year's Eve as it hosts a drawing for its first million dollar raffle. The raffle's 120,000 tickets at $20 a piece are all sold out. The tickets were issued in sequence and there are also 10 drawings for $10,000, 100 chances to win $500 and 500 chances to win $100. The overall odds for winning one of the 611 prizes is 1 in 196. The drawing will take place at 10:59 p.m. in Twin River's Lighthouse Bar and will be aired live on television.

[via Providence Journal]

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Tags: lottery, one million dollars, OneMillionDollars, raffle, rhode island, RhodeIsland

Nicolas Cage in Rhode Island, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The Gray Craig home in Middletown, Rhode Island as been on my radar since it was for sale for $19 million in 2005. Since then it was bought by serial house flipper Nicolas Cage for, as the Boston Globe reports, $15.7 million which is just $200,000 off from the current $15.9 million listing price.

The home is on over 27 acres of land that extends to Nelson Pond and includes views of the Atlantic Ocean beyond. The grounds feature a pool, tennis court, fish pond, stone terrace and heated garages. The brick and stone home has 12 bedrooms and was built in a grand style. Public rooms include a library with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, a formal living room with water views, dining room, vintage conservatory, billiard room, and a kitchen with a stone fireplace, custom hickory ceilings, and antique terra cotta floor tiles.

Like the Real Estalker, I find the fact that the library is now dominated by a flat screen television and a ling dining room table to be a bit disconcerting.The home is full of all sorts of huge spaces that will need more than those charming fireplaces to keep them warm in the winter months. But it is a truly impressive home for someone who has the time and money to maintain it.

Cage seems to be in a selling mood lately. We've seen both his Las Vegas home and his Bel-Air mansion on the market. but he still has plenty of properties all around the world.

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Real estate commenter extraordinaire, Spectacular Bid directs us to the video for the home made the last time it was on the market. It is after the jump.

UPDATE: This home is now listed at $12 million as of August 2009.

Gallery: Nicolas Cage at Gray Craig

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Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, gray craig, GrayCraig, nicolas cage, NicolasCage, rhode island, RhodeIsland

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The Classicist: Mrs. Astor's Beechwood

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, The Classicist

Beechwood, the Mrs. Astor's 39-room Italianate mansion in Newport, Rhode Island and one of the last great relics of the Gilded Age, is now being offered for sale for $14.9 million. The 19,000-sq.-ft., 15-bedroom house on Newport's famous Bellevue Avenue, was listed at $16 million last year (as my colleague Deidre Woollard reported) and has since served as a "living history museum" showing what life was like for the Gilded Age idle rich before they were forced to sell off their mansions.

The museum is a bit cheesy, with events like "An Evening With the Astors", but Beechwood does have a very rich history. In fact, with the $1.1 million discount it might even be something of a bargain. Cole Porter was said to have written Night and Day, one of his most famous songs, while visiting Beechwood, and the house also made an appearance in the 1956 Bing Crosby / Frank Sinatra / Grace Kelly movie High Society. Originally constructed in 1851 by Calvert Vaux - co-designer of Central Park - and Andrew Jackson Downing for drygoods magnate Daniel Parish, it was on the market when well-bred debutante Caroline Schermerhorn married billionaire merchant William Backhouse Astor Jr., giving the Astors some much needed social cachet.

Gallery: Mrs. Astor's Beechwood

Mr. Astor owned the Ambassadress, the largest private yacht in the world at the time, and a beautiful Hudson River mansion called Ferncliff. "The Mrs. Astor" as she soon insisted upon being referred to, intended to entertain in grand style with her husband's money and needed a Newport mansion in which to do it during the summer season, which lasted for eight precious weeks. The Astors bought the place in 1881 and spent $2 million on improvements, including the addition of a mirrored waterfront ballroom by architect Richard Morris Hunt (who designed the Fifth Avenue facade of Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum of Art) complete with bas reliefs depicting Poseidon and Aphrodite.

Mrs. Astor soon became the reigning queen of New York society, and her Summer Ball at Beechwood was the highlight of the season. She and social arbiter Ward McAllister then founded the famous "Four Hundred", referring to the strictly limited number of socially acceptable families (i.e. not nouveau riche) in New York - which some people are still trying to get into. Her son, John Jacob Astor IV, who inherited Beechwood, later went down on the Titanic, the ship's wealthiest passenger.

Tags: Astor family, AstorFamily, Beechwood, Calvert Vaux, CalvertVaux, Gilded Age, GildedAge, Historic houses, HistoricHouses, Mrs. Astor, Mrs.Astor, New York society, Newport, NewYorkSociety, Rhode Island, RhodeIsland, Richard Morris Hunt, RichardMorrisHunt, William Backhouse Astor Jr., WilliamBackhouseAstorJr.

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