Last on the market in 2013, the Seafair Estate in Newport, Rhode Island now has a new owner – former Tonight Show host Jay Leno.
Leno and his wife paid $13.5 million for property, $5.5 million less than what it was listed for back in 2013.
The amazing Seafair estate, located in historic Newport, boasts expansive ocean views from every living space and, in addition to the main house, has an ocean-facing pool, a carriage house, expansive terraces, a walled garden, a tennis court, a six-car garage (luckily for Leno, as we all know he loves his cars) and a beach.
The main house of this one-of-a-kind property features gracious interiors and state-of-the-art amenities. The formal entry hall boasts original features, including a main salon and formal dining room with Louis XVI details, a grand staircase featuring Directoire-style wrought-iron railings, and French doors leading from the main salon to the enclosed seaside loggia.
The home further benefits from a chef’s kitchen that is open to informal living space, a paneled library and a den with a full bath. The upper levels are comprised of eight ensuite bedrooms, a pool room and ample storage.
Seafair is served by two elevators, central air conditioning, a service kitchen, and a full service, on-demand generator.
The nine-acre estate is located in Newport, Rhode Island, just 90 minutes from Logan International Airport in Boston, 30 minutes from Quonset Airport and three hours from Manhattan.
Built in 1936, Seafair was designed by James Mackenzie, Jr., a New York City-based architect noted for his residential designs, for Denver mining heir Verner Zevola Reed Jr., who became the vice-president of Chase Manhattan Bank and in 1981 was appointed Ambassador to Morocco by President Reagan.
Mackenzie was also engaged for the 1949 improvement program for the Statue of Liberty.