An old-money estate is looking for a new owner. The manion at 601 Bellevue Ave. in Newport, R.I. — known as “Champ Soleil” — has hit the market for $15,800,000.
Built by Polhemus & Coffin in 1929, it was one of the last Gilded Age mansions to be constructed and is now one of nine remaining Newport estates, according to the listing. The home was originally commissioned for the Drexel family, the founders of present-day J.P. Morgan. It has the air of a 17th-century French chateau, and a few features, such as the carriage houses and the wrought-iron gates with gilded edges, are original to the property.
The 11-bedroom main residence sits on 5.53 acres of lush grounds, with eight full bathrooms and three half bathrooms. There is 18,224 square feet of living space in total.
The listing states that the home’s elaborate interiors were designed by Maison Jansen, the Paris design firm that decorated the White House during the Kennedy administration. The interiors include a wood-paneled formal dining room with a Neo-Baroque chandelier, a ballroom that has hosted America’s Cup dinners and galas, as well as a library lined in Louis XV pine panels. Additional spaces include a 3,000-square-foot theater room, a greenhouse, and a massage parlor. The home comes with 26 Internet-controlled zones for heating and cooling, security and fire protection systems, and audio/visual systems.
Outside, the grounds designed by Umberto Innocenti include copper beech trees, a croquet court, rose gardens, and an in-ground swimming pool. Judy Chace and Kylie McCollough, both of Mott & Chance Sotheby’s International Realty, have the listing.
Subscribe to the Globe’s free real estate newsletter — our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design — at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @globehomes.
Original article here.