True Blue: Gilded Age Mansion in Rhode Island Enchants for $4.5M

If you’ve been looking for a grand beach retreat to call home this summer, the Newport, RI, mansion known as Woodbine Cottage just might pique your interest.

Listed earlier this month for $4.5 million, the home is an eight-bedroom, Gilded Age gem. It’s centrally located in Newport’s prestigious Top-of-the-Hill neighborhood, walkable to downtown in just a few minutes.

Built in Swiss Chalet style, complete with gingerbread trim, the 1873 home was designed by the famous Newport architect, George Champlin Mason, Sr., and used for many years as his family’s primary residence.

Later noteworthy owners include John Nicholas Brown (of the Brown family empire and founders of Brown University) and Vicomte and Vicomtesse d’Osmoy.

It’s interesting to note that the Browns were also the original owners of nearby Harbour Court (today known as Newport’s New York Yacht Club), which has a design inspired by the ancestral seat of the Vicomte—Château d’Osmoy.

As there are only 26 of Mason’s homes still standing, this property is somewhat of an architectural rarity. And it is all the more prized, considering the efforts its current owners have made to modernize and preserve it over the past 16 years.

The historic home boasts the comforts of modern living, including a chef’s kitchen, home offices, gas fireplaces, outdoor living spaces, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, and an EV car charger, the listing notes.

The lovely layout offers a spacious family room and a living and dining area with double doors that open to a veranda. The lower level has more potential living space.

“All the rooms had extensive renovation this past winter,” says listing agent Karin Jackson​, of Newport Living Group. “Electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and fire suppression have all been updated, and the kitchens were remodeled from 2017 to 2019.”

But when it comes to original features, look no further than the fireplaces, moldings, and doors.

“There are four different types of wood in the staircase alone, and many of the fireplaces feature jade stone, black marble, and Delft kiln-fired tile,” Jackson says.

But the wonders of this Newport mansion don’t end at the front door.

The third-acre property includes professionally landscaped gardens and a three-level, medieval watchtower with storage, workshop space, and an astronomy pad to take in the night sky.

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