East Bay vs. West Bay: Which is Better?
We bravely explore the long-standing rivalry to find out which side of Narragansett Bay is better.
Who has posher real estate?
The Ocean State is lousy with multimillion-dollar properties, no matter which way the sea breeze sprays. But the toniest communities of the East and West bays have distinctly different vibes.
Courtesy of Compass.
East Bay
339 Ocean Ave., Newport
Price: $37 million
Details: 7 beds, 9 baths over 10,000 square feet
Now here’s a place to be alone with your inheritance. The forty-five-acre Seaward — listed with Compass and the most expensive home in Rhode Island MLS history — is the last massive oceanfront compound in Newport; John Jacob Astor and Jimmy Van Alen both owned the property over its debonair history. The main house, rebuilt from found granite in 2008 and fortress-like in design, is the moneyed version of “Get Off My Lawn!” But if you’ve got a touch of social introversion — Gatsby syndrome, perhaps? — there’s a 3,000-square-foot guest house and a pavilion that can host 2,000 friends for cocktails.
Courtesy of Lila Delman Real Estate.
West Bay
500 Ocean Rd., Narragansett
Price: $5.25 million
Details: 3 beds, 3 baths over 3,324 square feet
The beach town’s priciest property, a rare four-acre offering held by the same family since the 1940s, once housed a Gilded Age mansion, Whitehall. The palatial summer home was
demolished in 1969 because the owner deemed it too large and too expensive to maintain. The abode he built in Whitehall’s place, a one-story contemporary with a finished lower level listed last summer with Lila Delman, is more like “Chill-hall.” Cozy pine shiplap adorns the ceilings and a sunroom is bedecked with artificial turf. And don’t get us started on the cocktail lounge with retro bar; it’s five o’clock somewhere.
Winner: East Bay, all the way. Newport is to Tiffany, while Narragansett is to Tommy Bahama. —C.N.
Who’s got the political power?
When it comes to winning the governor’s office, the West Bay has flexed its muscles more often, beating gubernatorial candidates from the East Bay by a wide margin in the last 100 years.
Governors: East Bay: 3 West Bay: 6
Winner: WEST Bay. (even though Lincoln Chafee’s moved to Wyoming). —S.F.
Overall Winner: It’s a draw.
Illustration by Aaron Meshon.
