Listing of the Day
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Price: $5.5 million
The sale of this stately Federal-style mansion offers a rare opportunity to own a grand private home in Providence’s historic College Hill neighborhood.
"It’s the only privately owned estate left on College Hill," said listing agent Jim DeRentis.
Known as the Carrington House, the three-story brick home was built by John Corlis in 1810 (and has been fully restored since). Edward Carrington, a local merchant and the American consul to China, bought the home in 1812.
"He made a fortune in the China trade," Mr. DeRentis said. "He added the third level and the second-story porch so he could watch his ships coming into Narragansett Bay."
Some of the wallpaper in the house is original and "was made and printed in China for this house," he said. You can still see some of the restored Chinese wallpaper in the formal living and dining rooms.
"It’s a beautifully renovated house and very livable," Mr. DeRentis said. "It’s not something where you’re living in a museum and you have to be a steward."
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"It’s a pretty up-to-date house," he said. The current owners installed a modern kitchen and added a mudroom and new heating system, he said.
"All of the bathrooms are up to date and current," he added. "It’s the original slate roof, which is in impeccable condition."
Other architectural and design details include two master suites, a two-story office, a gracious entry foyer, spiral staircases, handsome woodwork adorning the doorways and windows, and cast-iron Corinthian columns at the main entrance.
Outside, a cobblestone courtyard leads to former horse stablesthat have been converted into an entertainmentpavilion, with an adjacent catering kitchen. "The current owners do a lot of entertaining," Mr. DeRentis said. There is also a full wet bar in the butler’s pantry in the main house.
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Stats
The 11,790-square-foot house has six bedrooms, five full bathrooms and four partial bathrooms. It sits on a 0.8-acre lot.
Amenities
There are 13 fireplaces, an elevator, fitness center and sauna, and professionally designed gardens that run along both sides of the house, Mr. DeRentis said.
"The west garden overlooks downtown, and the east garden has a pergola and water feature," he said.
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Neighborhood notes
"College Hill is the neighborhood closest to downtown and the home of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design," Mr. DeRentis said. It was the first historic district in the state, he added.
Agent: Jim DeRentis, Residential Properties Ltd.
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