House Lust: One of Newport’s Last Great Gilded Age Estates is on the Market
The massive property is intact, but the Gilded Age propriety is long gone.
Can you have a library lined in eighteenth-century Parisian pine and a dog kitchen? Priceless heirlooms and plastic nude statues? Grandiosity and fun?
Champ Soleil — one of the last intact, privately owned Gilded Age mansions in Newport — retains all the trappings of history without any of the stuffiness. The 18,000-square-foot chateau-style mansion was built for banking heiress Lucy Wharton Drexel, then changed hands several times — including a period in which it was owned by Sonny von Bulow’s mother, Annie-Laurie — before it sold in 2003 to real estate developer Kenneth Zarrilli and his husband, Joshua McKinney-Zarrilli. The pair scooped it up for a cool $4.7 million and got started on renovations.
The result? An anachronism we’ll call Gilded Age Nouveau: Vast yet comfortable, playful without a whiff of garishness, and fitted with all the trappings of twenty-first-century entertaining. In a community that’s renowned for its resistance to change, the Zarrillis were trailblazers. (Their work didn’t stop there: McKinney-Zarrilli was also fond of dressing in drag and waving to tourists passing by on Bellevue, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.) And now they’ve put Champ Soleil on the market for the next barons of the Gilded Age Nouveau.
Here’s your House Lust:
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Champ Soleil, located at 601 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, is on the market for $15.8 million with Mott and Chace Sotheby's. The home was built in 1929. (Photos via Mott and Chace)
Champ Soleil, located at 601 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, is on the market for $15.8 million with Mott and Chace Sotheby's. The home was built in 1929. (Photos via Mott and Chace)
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A view of the eighteenth-century wrought-iron gates on Bellevue. Note the gilded suns; "Champ Soleil" is French for "field of sun."
A view of the eighteenth-century wrought-iron gates on Bellevue. Note the gilded suns; "Champ Soleil" is French for "field of sun."
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A view of the grand entryway.
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A spiral staircase leads to the second floor. The mansion underwent a major redesign in 1947 by Paris-based firm, Maison Jansen.
A spiral staircase leads to the second floor. The mansion underwent a major redesign in 1947 by Paris-based firm, Maison Jansen.
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The library features eighteenth-century pine panelling sourced from a Parisian home.
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A curio cabinet features some of the owners' treasures.
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The main kitchen with a breakfast table.
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Another view of the kitchen.
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A half-bath on the main level. The estate has eleven total bathrooms.
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A view of the dogs' kitchen complete with dog bowls in the cabinets and dog-themed art.
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A visitor enjoys the dogs' kitchen.
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The second floor landing is carpeted in leopard print.
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A view of the master bedroom. The mansion has eleven bedrooms in total.
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Another second-level bedroom.
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A gathering space on the third level.
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The third-level bath is the newest in the home and features a sauna, soaking tub and walk-in shower.
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Even the plumbing is extraordinary.
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A view of the pool. The property is five-and-a-half acres in total.
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A greenhouse flanks the three-car garage.
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The property features a variety of specimen trees.
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Unusual statuary dots the landscape, which was designed by Umberto Innocenti.
For more information on Champ Soleil, contact Mott and Chace Sotheby’s Judy Chace at 401-207-9166 or Kylie McCollough at 401-864-8830 or visit mottandchace.com.
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