Oakwood, Estate of the Day

Another prime Newport, Rhode Island estate has gone on the market. Like Beechwood, another Newport estate we have covered as an estate of the day, Oakwood has a connection to the Astor family. It was the 19th-century summer residence of Mary Alida Astor Carey, the daughter of William Backhouse Astor, a son of John Jacob Astor. The home was built in the late 1860s and was one of the first summer retreats for the rich in the area. It was added to in the 1870s with a three-story tower, music room, ballroom and kitchen wing all added.
The Boston Globe reports that the current owner is J. Brian O'Neill, a Pennsylvania-based real estate developer who bought the property in 2004. He has shepherded it through a redesign that included expanding the master suite and adding a luxury bathroom above the enclosed rear terrace that overlooks the pool. The home has maintained some of its grandeur, the most beautiful room in the house is the dining room that has walls lined with 56 hand-painted Chinese panels, but has also been updated for today's less formal society with a family room and a home theater. Key details in the seven-bedroom home include parquet floors, a Baccarat chandelier in the music room, carved mantels and beautiful woodwork. The nearly six-acre property includes a six-hole putting green, a lawn tennis court, a reflecting pool stocked with koi, a rose garden, and ancient oak and split-leaf beech trees. It is listed at $10.75 million.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andrew Mar 13th 2008 4:44PM
Now THIS, this is more like it. This is an estate of the day. I think I just saw this in Architectural Digest too. This a beautiful estate from top to bottom. Miss Woollard: more of this please!
Ben Hobbs Mar 13th 2008 5:06PM
This estate has so many unique things that are being forgotten in more recent builds, the beautiful murals, that stately elegance that is reminiscent of the white house, all make it an awesome property. The only thing that bugs me is that striped sun shade by the pool, seems like they ran out of materials to build an actual porch
michael Mar 13th 2008 7:32PM
A classic estate home - a gilded age icon - enraptured with finding it here...until I saw that new bath added ono the back...hatehatehate the monochrome Chinoiserie wallpaper & the awning rightly thrashed above.
The rest drips old money and timeless grace. Bravo
Pat Mar 22nd 2008 10:33PM
This house has been on the market a few times in the last several years. Unfortunately, it does not have a water view or water access - a big negative in Newport. I doubt it will sell for anywhere near the sale price.