This Newport, Rhode Island Home is Victorian Perfection

by Shannon McGurrin Gish.

 
Do you dream of that charmed New England life? We hear ya’! In our New England Dreams column, Shannon takes us on a virtual tour of the Northeast through the lens of her favorite old house finds.
 
There’s a saying that New Englanders have the horizon in their eyes and salt water in their blood, especially those who live along the shoreline. From the Ocean State of Rhode Island to pine lined shores of Maine, the New England maritime culture is both a treasured and protected characteristic that distinguishes many of the quaint seaside towns.
 
Starting today through Labor Day, we’ll celebrate New England summers by taking a peek at some of most charming coastal homes that are either just a few steps or a short cycle away from the sandy and rocky beaches that dot the shoreline of the Northeast.
 

The maritime charm of Newport, Rhode Island is felt in its seasides and sunsets where sailing is the No. 1 sport and its naval connections run deep. For over a century, the USA retained yachting’s most prestigious award – the America’s Cup – and defended that title countless times in the waters off the Newport shores.
 
Just a few blocks away from America’s Cup Avenue, at 7 Bull Street, is this stunning Victorian home known as the Isaac Reed Spooner, Jr. House.
 
 
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Imagine lemonade (Del’s lemonade to be exact) with neighbors on the architecturally splendid front porch as the salty breeze wafts in from Newport Harbor and Easton Bay.
 
 
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After enjoying one of the many summer concerts hosted in Newport, including the internationally renowned Newport Folk Festival, the back yard is a welcoming space for friends and family to gather. (And the greenery is the perfect backdrop for a firefly show on a sultry summer evening.) Inside, this notable home has enough room for an in-law or au-pair suite, or can be easily converted for single-family living.
 
 
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I love how the towering windows drench each inviting room with the blissful hues of summer sunlight.
 
 
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What could be better than soaking your body in one of the claw foot tubs after a blissful stroll along the Cliff Walk where old home nerds like us ogle and swoon at the majestic, historic mansions there.
 
 
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Whether enjoying world class sailing or relaxing by the shore, Newport, with its old seaside homes, is a maritime treasure.
 
Asking price: $745,500 (offer pending). Listing and photos courtesy of Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty (via Zillow)
 
 
 
 
 
shannonAUTHOR SHANNON MCGURRIN GISH
Shannon McGurrin Gish is a New England transplant who was born and raised in the metropolitan area of Washington D.C. Along with her beloved husband and three treasured sons, she made her way to New Hampshire via residential stretches in Dallas, TX and Denver, Colorado.
When not obsessing over all things New England (historical homes, autumn festivals, and wicked good lobstah rolls), Shannon studies the intersection of art and peacebuilding in Cambridge, MA. “Forgive me for geeking out for a moment here,” she adds, “but there is a growing body of research demonstrating that architecture as an art form influences psychology, cognition, behavior, and overall health. That is why we feel drawn to certain structures and spaces; they appeal cross-culturally to our intuitive senses, not just our visual biases. And in nowhere is inspiring architecture more influential than in the home.”

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