In November, the most recent data available, 53 percent of luxury sales (properties sold of $1 million or more) came from out-of-state buyers. And 24 percent of all realtor-assisted real estate sales included buyers who came from other states.
Eight of the 10 most expensive home sales in Rhode Island last year took place in Newport, with three of them located on the coastal city’s famous Bellevue Street. It was each of the top 10 coastal property sales.
Here are the most expensive homes sold in Rhode Island so far this year.
5. Seaside at 339 Ocean Ave. , Newport
detailsThe main building is an 8,000-square-foot mansion, overlooking Price Neck Cove and the Atlantic Ocean, with a guest cottage. The property is about 20 acres and could build a family compound, according to the listing agent.
Owner’s history: The property was formerly known as the “Avalon” estate when it was owned by the Van Alens family, the family that founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Van Allens family had to break into the main house in the 1970s after it was nearly destroyed by a fire. The previous owners bought the property in 2004 for $10.3 million, demolished the main house and rebuilt the property from scratch – which took four years.
4. Ocean view at 662 Bellevue Ave. , Newport
- selling price: 16 million dollars
- Registration Agent: David Huberman in Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty
- Seller Agent: Kate Greenman in Gustav White Sotheby’s Realty
- General built: 1866
- Rooms: 24
details: “Ocean View” in French Second Empire style and designed by architect William Russell Walker, who also designed many buildings in Providence, such as the Lederer Building (now the Providence Hotel). The house is famous for its cottages overlooking the sea, which contrast with the marble mansions built by many other wealthy families in the area during that period. There are large floor-to-ceiling windows, panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, a private garden and a variety of specimen trees and shrubs.
Owner’s history: Located at the south end of Bellevue Street, the “Ocean View” property was built in 1866 for William H. Reynolds. Not much is known about the property’s previous owners, but the listing says, “The historic property has been owned by the same family for nearly a century, making it a very rare opportunity for a potential owner.”
3. Bacon Rock at 147 Harrison Street, Newport
- selling price: 23 million dollars
- Registration Agent: David Huberman in Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty
- Seller Agent: Kate Greenman in Gustav White Sotheby’s Realty
- General built: 1888
- Rooms: 17
details: This 19,000-square-foot mansion is accessed by a winding road that surrounds Newport Harbor. It offers marble columns, temple-like facades, an in-ground pool, 10 fireplaces, and private piers. The landscaped gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park and the Emerald Garden System in Boston.
Owner’s history: In 1887, Commodore Edwin D. Morgan (J.P. Morgan’s cousins) commissioned Stanford White, a noted architect from McKim’s firm, Mead and White, New York, to design a residence that resulted in Bacon Rock. The place had few owners until sculptor Felix de Weldon moved to Beacon Rock in 1951, where he completed the design of the 1954 Iwo Jima Memorial, which is now installed at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Newport attorney Brian Kona purchased Beacon Rock in 1996 and completely renovated and restored the property. George David, former president and CEO of United Technologies Corporation, purchased Beacon Rock in early December.
2. Miramar at 646 Bellevue Ave. , Newport
- selling price: 27 million dollars
- Registration Agent: David Huberman in Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty
- Seller Agent: Unavailable
- General built: 1913
- Rooms: 56
details: Miramar is often considered the “most prestigious gilded palace” on Bellevue Street. French neoclassical architecture features over 700 feet of ocean frontage. over 22 bedrooms, 13 full baths, and five half baths in the main residence; A three-unit home with seven bedrooms and seven full bathrooms. The mansion is located on an area of more than 8 acres with landscaped areas, fountains and two tennis courts.
Owner’s history: The house was built for Eleanor Elkins Widener, who was an American social activist and philanthropist. She is best known for her donation of $3.5 million to Harvard University for the Widener Library, which was a memorial to her eldest son, Harry Elkins Widener. Her son and first husband, George Elkins Widener, died during the sinking of the Titanic. Eleanor and her maid survived the disaster. The property was sold in 1956 by Widener’s second husband for $118,000. It was sold again in 2006 for $17.5 million to retired Goldman Sachs partner David B. Ford.
1. Clarendon Court at 626 Bellevue Ave, Newport
- selling price: $30 million
- Registration Agent: David Huberman in Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty
- Seller Agent: Kate Greenman in Gustav White Sotheby’s Realty
- General built: 1904
- Rooms: 28
detailsThe estate, known for its classic Palladian architecture, was designed in 1904 by Horace Trumpauer. The mansion is located on over 7 acres with views of the Atlantic Ocean. The building is surrounded by a high stone wall and iron gates that open onto a cobbled courtyard. The main residence, which has nine bedrooms, also comes with a 5,000-square-foot mobile home with three apartments and six parking spaces. Grounds include a tennis court, swimming pool, formal gardens, and private access to Newport’s Cliff Walk.
Owner’s history: Clarendon Court is where Sunny von Polo (born Martha Crawford) first fell into a coma in 1979. She was diagnosed with low blood sugar levels, which were exacerbated by mixing alcohol with medication. During Christmas 1980, she fell into her second coma and her husband was charged with murder and accused of injecting his wife with insulin. Her husband, Klaus von Bülow, was acquitted of all charges, divorced his wife when she was in a coma, left for London, gave up his rights to her fortune, and agreed not to take advantage of the story. She died in 2008, after not waking up from the coma. Art dealer Glenn Randall and his wife Patricia bought the property for $4.3 million in 1988 and sold it in 2012 for $13.1 million to Boston real estate magnate and business owner Paul Royve.
Fun fact: Clarendon Court sold for $30 million, more than double the state’s largest home sale in 2020, which was $14.3 million for 00 Indian Ave. in Middletown.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter Tweet embed.