House Lust: Inside Merrillton, a Gilded Age Mansion with a Romantic Landscape
The Newport estate, which underwent a significant restoration in 2013, bears all the charm of its original design.
Merrillton in Newport has lured many notable stewards over its 168-year lifetime.
To start, the Episcopal minister George Merrill, the mansion’s namesake, bought the place in 1933. Then came the famed singer and Broadway star, Jane Pickens; in 2009, her daughter, conservationist Marcella Clark McCormack, deeded a majority of the property to the Aquidneck Land Trust. And Peter de Savary, the developer behind the Carnegie Abbey Club, ushered the early Gilded Age estate into the twenty-first century. He snagged it for a cool $2.5 million in 2012 and, two years and a period-sensitive renovation later, sold it to an overseas buyer for $8.7 million. It’s now back on the market with Vanderbilt International Properties, where de Savary is a partner.
But no one had a greater influence than Samuel Powel, who designed the Italianate villa himself and planted each specimen tree, “setting out all the paths by use of a long rope curved into agreeable turns, and spacing the groups of shrubbery to create long vistas and a constant change of aspect, under the guiding principles of [landscape architect] Andrew Jackson Downing,” writes Lucinda Brockway in The Historic Designed Landscapes of Newport County.
Brockway cites a Newport Historical Society story by Powel’s daughter, Mary, who recalled the time a small birch seedling had secreted its way into an arbor vitae hedge delivered to the property. Mary wanted to keep the seedling, hoping it’d someday grow large enough to be carved into a canoe. Her parents obliged and now it’s among a fleet of beautiful trees on the property. The top tree, however, is the massive hornbeam, which the Newport Tree Society estimates is one of the largest in New England.
But you don’t have to be an avid arborist to appreciate this property. You just have to be the type of person who would enjoy stretching out on a comfortable bench beneath the majestic branches of a century-and-a-half-old tree — and the villa that’s stood equally as strong amid the many tests of time.
Here’s your House Lust:
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004-25 Bowery St Newport RI Hi RES-103
Merrillton, at 25 Bowery Street in Newport, is on the market for $8 million. It has eight bedrooms and nine baths over 7,596 square feet. It's located in the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
Merrillton, at 25 Bowery Street in Newport, is on the market for $8 million. It has eight bedrooms and nine baths over 7,596 square feet. It's located in the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 15, 1 05 16 PM
A view of the family room. Floor-to-ceiling windows open onto the porch. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
A view of the family room. Floor-to-ceiling windows open onto the porch. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 15, 1 49 38 PM
The 2013 restoration was led by Cordtsen Design Architecture, which tapped Sharon Cameron Lawn for decoration and build-out coordination. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
The 2013 restoration was led by Cordtsen Design Architecture, which tapped Sharon Cameron Lawn for decoration and build-out coordination. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 15, 2 54 44 PM (1)
The more intimate den, which sits off the kitchen. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
The more intimate den, which sits off the kitchen. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 3 47 28 PM (1)
The tasteful kitchen renovation. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 4 35 07 PM
A small work nook in the kitchen. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 15, 12 20 14 PM
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SCL Newport 1 14 powder rm
A powder room on the first floor. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 15, 4 37 04 PM
A photo of the elevator, which provides access to all three levels. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
A photo of the elevator, which provides access to all three levels. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 11 31 59 AM
The villa's master suite occupies the entire second level. Four more ensuite bedrooms occupy the mezzanine and third levels, plus a connected guests' cottage with an additional three bedrooms. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
The villa's master suite occupies the entire second level. Four more ensuite bedrooms occupy the mezzanine and third levels, plus a connected guests' cottage with an additional three bedrooms. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 10 32 07 AM
A den area in the second-level master suite. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
A den area in the second-level master suite. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 11 00 09 AM
One of two bathrooms in the master suite. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
One of two bathrooms in the master suite. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 12 25 30 PM
The other master suite bath. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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SCL Newport 1 14 detail 9
A closer look at a fixture in the master bath. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
A closer look at a fixture in the master bath. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 5 19 27 PM
The villa's lower level has a cinema room. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
The villa's lower level has a cinema room. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jan 16, 5 37 46 PM
The lower level also has a billiards room. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
The lower level also has a billiards room. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jun 21, 11 51 37 AM
A view of the attached guest cottage.
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012-25 Bowery St Newport RI Hi RES-111
A view of the rear of the property. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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021-25 Bowery St Newport RI Hi RES-120
A lounge area out back. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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023-25 Bowery St Newport RI Hi RES-122
More outdoor seating areas on the porch. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
More outdoor seating areas on the porch. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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019-25 Bowery St Newport RI Hi RES-118
A closer look at the pond-like infinity pool, which has a curved edge and is tucked into a retaining wall. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
A closer look at the pond-like infinity pool, which has a curved edge and is tucked into a retaining wall. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jun 21, 11 52 37 AM
A significant portion of the 2.27-acre property was deeded to the Aquidneck Land Trust to protect it from development. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
A significant portion of the 2.27-acre property was deeded to the Aquidneck Land Trust to protect it from development. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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009-25 Bowery St Newport RI Hi RES-108
One of many specimen trees on the property. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
One of many specimen trees on the property. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jun 21, 12 03 27 PM (1)
Another romantic vista on the property. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
Another romantic vista on the property. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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014-25 Bowery St Newport RI Hi RES-113
The estate boasts a tucked-away bocce court. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
The estate boasts a tucked-away bocce court. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
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Photo Jun 21, 12 03 02 PM (1)
The property at night. (Photography courtesy of Vanderbilt International Properties)
For more information on Merrillton, contact Stacie Mills at 401-862-2793 or visit vip-newport.com.
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