Boston Business Journal - by Teri Borseti
Special to the Journal
Prospective buyers are often surprised to discover that Crawford Court is just six years old. The Newport manse is on the market for $3.75 million. |
In this Newport neighborhood, famous for being lined with Gilded Age mansions, Crawford Court looks like it was built during the Renaissance Revival period of the 1800s. It actually was built in 2002.
The home looks so authentic that prospective buyers often ask Sidney Gorham of Gustave White Sotheby's in Newport if the house is really just six years old. The stucc0-finished house with balustrade, coins, pilasters and large, arch-topped glass doors is listed at $3.75 million. Property Link
“The owners of this house had it built in the Italian Renaissance style popular in Europe from the 1500s-1700s. The research and detail that went into the house is amazing,” Gorham said.
Gorham said that when the owners bought the lost it was home to a theater used for plays.
The theater was once dedicated by screen legend Joan Crawford, hence the name. Before it became a theater it was a tennis club dating back to the 1930s.
Hidden behind a stone and wrought-iron gate, the property with its pool, Jacuzzi, patio with columns and cement urns, and conical arborvitaes looks like it was taken from Rome or Greece.
The living room, with its 25-foot ceiling with medallion and chandelier, is very much out of the ordinary. Gold-gilded ceiling moldings and fireplace mantel are period-perfect. Smaller square windows on the second level add uniformity and light. An open, turned staircase with wrought-iron banister is unquestionably Mediterranean, and oversized built-in furniture was custom designed to suit the scale of the house.
Under the staircase, columns flank the kitchen/dining area that’s designed with an antique look. However, it’s well-equipped with a porcelain sink, two refrigerators and a butler’s pantry/wet bar with stressed cabinetry and wine storage refrigerator.
On the opposite side of the first floor is a large, U-shaped family room/den with glass doors that open to the patio and fountain. The first floor also has a guest bedroom with full bath.
At the top of the staircase is an area overlooking the living room that the perfect spot for an orchestra. In fact, owners have placed an antique harpsichord there. Gorham said the house is ideal for high-level entertaining.
The master suite consists of a two-level bedroom/den with fireplace and cherry floors (most floors in the house have radiant heat).
Pocket doors with gold knobs slide open to reveal the bathroom that looks more like a spa with marble floor, deep-soaking tub and his and hers sink vanities — all of which have gold fixtures.
Down the hall, a second bedroom decorated in muted shades of pink is spacious and has a full bath.
Gorham knows the house won’t appeal to everyone, but he believes it will sell to buyers with a similar taste for grand-scale living.
“Current owners have decorated the house with selected antiques and period furniture, but I think the house itself could work well with other designs,” Gorham said.
A large, flat yard has already been approved for a 5,000-square –foot building, which could be a three-car garage. The address is within walking distance of the ocean.
Teri Borseti can be reached at terb57@verizon.net.
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