Checking in on Narragansett’s Broadmoor Two Years After the Big Move
Safely ensconced in its new location, the storied estate has become a beloved family retreat.
The circa-1896 home comes with plenty of space for outdoor entertaining. Photography by Angel Tucker
The last time Rhode Island Monthly readers saw Broadmoor, a storied estate that’s stood sentry over the Narragansett shoreline since 1896, it was sheared in two and sitting atop eighty-foot-long steel beams, waiting for a ride to its new home.
It didn’t move far: On Nov. 14, 2022, workers with Wolfe House & Building Movers drove it 1,000 feet south to its new location on Boston Neck Road, right across from the Dunes Club. (The new owners loved the grand old dame, but in order to claim it had to move it onto another parcel. Read all about the journey here.)
Dozens of locals turned out to watch the home lumber down the road at a speedy 3 m.p.h., while the owners tried to coordinate the house-moving crew and six utility companies while also handing out refreshments, coffee and Allie’s Donuts to curious onlookers.
A new chandelier sparkles in the dining room. Photography by Angel Tucker
What can we say? The owners know how to throw a party.
Now that it’s safely on terra firma, owners Greg and Scott are enjoying the fruits of their labor, hosting family and friends as often as possible in the 6,000-square-foot home. With six beds, four-and-a-half baths, four fireplaces, two outdoor decks and an enclosed porch on three levels, there’s plenty of space for guests to relax.
“It’s just a great party house,” says Greg, whose son and daughter recently visited for a few days and brought several friends. When neighbors held a birthday party, their overflow guests stayed at Broadmoor. And entertaining is a breeze: The dining room flows into an enclosed porch area, and if the kitchen’s a mess, it can easily be closed off. Voila! What dirty dishes?
The spacious kitchen features gourmet appliances and a freezer stocked with pints of Brickley’s ice cream. Photography by Angel Tucker
“There can be a lot of people here, but it doesn’t feel like a lot of people,” Scott says.
What makes for a great party house also makes for a stellar home to celebrate the holidays. Last Christmas, Greg and Scott decorated the fireplace mantels, added Christmas trees in front of the big bay windows, and wove lighted garlands through the staircase, while family and friends filled the upstairs bedrooms.
A third-floor bedroom (“Camp Broadmoor”) houses eight twin beds and an en suite bathroom. Photography by Angel Tucker
The elaborate main staircase. Photography by Angel Tucker
“The architecture of the house draws the whole family to it for the holidays, because it lends itself particularly well to that sort of event,” says Scott.
After the November 2022 move, the first order of business was painting everything white. One, because white walls really allow artwork to shine, Greg says, but also because he was sure the move would cause countless cracks to appear that he’d have to paint over.
Not so.
“I was ready to run around with my paintbrush but there were no cracks,” he says. “There was nothing.”
They wanted the home to have a beachy, modern and edgy vibe. That meant adding some chunkier molding alongside the original elements, bringing in some chic chandeliers, and redoing the living room fireplace, replacing a bulky mantel and sconces with streamlined stone for a sleek look.
The airy living room has a reimagined stone fireplace and a TV that doubles as a work of art when not in use. Photography by Angel Tucker
They did all of the designing themselves, and outsourced bigger jobs — like adding a modern HVAC system, replacing a few older windows, and sprucing up the gorgeous central staircase — to contractors.
“I wanted to save the integrity of the house and just modernize it,” Greg says.
Perhaps the biggest change in the entire house were the floors. The original hardwoods were all different colors — yellowish on the first floor, a bit orange on the second and white on the third. They were all sanded and refinished with
a dark stain for a unified look throughout the home.
The master bedroom leads to a spacious outdoor deck. Photography by Angel Tucker
Greg and Scott won a Preserve Rhode Island award in 2023 for their efforts in moving and saving the house. Like most who own an old home, they know there will always be a project — “there will always be something we’re working on,” Greg says with a laugh.
But after that work, the back patio — buffered by ocean breezes and equipped with comfy outdoor furniture, a firepit and a stunning sunset view — will beckon. As will the deck off the main bedroom, where they can look out and see the nearby Dunes Club and the Atlantic just beyond.
“Just waking up and seeing the water — there’s nothing like it. It makes me so happy,” Greg says. “I can’t believe it actually came true.”
A soaking tub comes with a picture-perfect view of coastal Narragansett. Photography by Angel Tucker
