Newport gate house condo echoes the 'Age of Innocence'
The Providence Journal, House of the Week, March 28, 2009 by Christine Dunn, Journal Staff Writer
After an auction in 1956, the main house at Pen Craig, the Newport estate built in 1865 as a summer residence for George and Lucretia Jones, the parents of Edith Wharton, was razed, but the estate's rambling gatehouse survived.
Wharton received the Pulitzer prize in 1921 for her novel, The Age of Innocence, in which she chronicled the stifling artificiality of society life in New York and Newport during the Gilded Age.
Like the heroine of the novel, Wharton ultimately left the United States, and she had been living in France for may years when she died in 1937.
Sitting on a 1.3 acre parcel, behind the wall that once marked the borders of the 9-acre Pen Craig estate on Harrsion Avenue, the red brick, turreted Tudor-style gate house with a slate roof is in a quiet spot near the end of along driveway.
The building had already been converted to five condominiums when J.C and Jennifer Raby bought a unit there. The location had a special appeal to the couple, who were married around the corner form the house at the New York Yacht Club, seven years ago.
The original estate property bordered Newport Harbor. Living so close to the water was another attraction for J.C. Raby, who is an avid sailor and crewed at Brown University.
Jennifer Raby is an accomplished equestrian and the former owner of two Pilates studios.
The Rabys had already started updating the interior when an adjoining unit went on the market. They bought the second condo and have merged them into a 2,750-square-foot residence at 97 Harrison Ave.
Their gut renovation project has resulted in a very unique residence. Decorated in soft tones, it has a bright, airy, modern feel that also includes some period-look architectural details.
Throughout the living area and three bedrooms are many built-in storage spaces and cabinets and custom-designed window seats with storage. “Basically, any place you could put storage, we did,” J.C. Raby said.
Two bedrooms are located on one end of the unit, and the master bedroom is at the other end. There are two entrances, both on the ground level, and stairs from a compact entry foyer lead upstairs to the second level and the main living space.
A storage closet and an entrance to a common locker room-style storage space are also on ground level. There are indoor bicycle racks and an outside storage area for grills and outdoor equipment.
There are also large walk-in closets in the north entrance foyer and in the nursery room now occupied by the couple’s young son, Liam.
The renovation included the installation of new windows, wiring, plumbing, and heating and central air-conditioning systems.
There is a loft space with reading, office and television viewing areas overlooking the main living level.
There is another office space near the master bedroom.
The condo has three bedrooms and two full bathrooms and one half bathroom. The kitchen and all the bathrooms have been completely remodeled.
The kitchen has Silestone counters, Brazilian teak floors and beadboard cabinets. There is a center work island with storage and seating for two.
The dining nook in the kitchen has built-in seating with storage underneath the seat cushions.
What had been a kitchen in one of the units is now the formal dining area, but the Rabys kept most of the counter and storage space in this dining room, which they said has made it very convenient for entertaining.
There is a stainless steel main refrigerator and a wine refrigerator. There are also two dishwashers.
The condo comes with four assigned parking areas in a lot behind the house. Two patios were installed over the winter, one on each side of the unit.
The Pen Craig gatehouse condominium at 97 Harrison Ave., Newport, is priced at $785,000. Annual taxes are $6,786. For further information, contact listing agent Alyce Wright at Lila Delman Real Estate, (401) 662-7993.
The Providence Journal, House of the Week, March 28, 2009
by Christine Dunn, Journal Staff Writer
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