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1. 4/20/2017 19th-Century Home in Rhode Island Hits Market for First Time - Mansion Global
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19th-Century Home in Rhode Island Hits Market for
First Time
$5.9 million estate was the longtime residence of Eileen G. Slocum, doyenne of the Republican Party
BY V.L. HENDRICKSON
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 19, 2017 | MANSION GLOBAL |  SAVE ARTICLE
A 19th-century estate that once hosted political luminaries is being offered for sale for the
first time in its history.
The 13,962-square-foot villa in Newport, Rhode Island, was the longtime home of Eileen
G. Slocum, an active member of the Republican Party who died in 2008 at 92 years old.
The property went on the market last week and is listed for $5.9 million by Melanie
Delman of Lila Delman Real Estate.
MORE: The Oldest French Château in Newport Sells for $2.5 Million
A doyenne of the Republican Party both in Rhode Island and nationally, Slocum hosted
numerous fundraisers and other events over the years. Presidents John F. Kennedy and
Gerald R. Ford, Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Vice President Dick Cheney all
made appearances, no doubt received in the expansive great room with its patterned
marble floors and columns.
“When you walk in, you really feel like you’re in a bygone era,” Ms. Delman said. “The
entry, the reception hall and the drama of that … you can see in the distance the stairway.”
Even the drive is special, she said. “It’s presence on Bellevue Avenue is very nice, and it’s
behind a gated area … it was very well thought out.”
The 11-bedroom, 10-bathroom home was designed by Dudley Newton in 1880 with
alterations by Ogden Codman, according to the listing. It was originally built for Harold
Brown, part of the Brown University family. Slocum, also a Brown descendant, inherited
the house in the 1960s from her aunt, according to her obituary in The New York Times.
MORE: The (Very Luxe) Real Estate Holdings of Trump’s Cabinet Picks
It has a stone exterior, and the interior was created in the classical French Empire style.
That includes the marble reception hall, as well as two libraries, an enclosed conservatory,
a sitting room and a formal dining room.
Bedrooms are on the second level, accessible via a curved staircase off the reception hall or
the elevator. The master suite has a bathroom with a clawfoot tub and a dressing room.
Not all bedrooms have separate baths, but some also feature sinks in the rooms. With a
total of 15 bedrooms, there’s definitely space to host a few guests after a party—political or
otherwise.
Other features inside the home include a larder, scullery (for cleaning up) and pantry off
the kitchen, and an 11-by-7-foot safe.
The home sits on almost five acres, with grounds designed by the Olmsted brothers (the
sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, known for creating New York’s Central Park and Golden
Gate Park in San Francisco). Specimen beech trees and flower plants fill the gardens.
Mrs. Slocum hosted numerous fundraisers and other events over the years.
LILA DELMAN REAL ESTATE INTERNATIONAL
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2. 4/20/2017 19th-Century Home in Rhode Island Hits Market for First Time - Mansion Global
http://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/60474-19th-century-home-in-rhode-island-hits-market-for-first-time 2/6
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“Newport is known for its specimen trees,” Ms. Delman said. “You don’t see trees like
these anywhere else in the Northeast.”
The estate has never been on the market before, but Ms. Delman said the family is “going
in different directions” and decided now is the time. The Slocum family declined to
comment.
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