Welcome to Seaview Terrace, the Largest Home in Rhode Island
Angi, a home services website that merged Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor, compiled a list of the largest homes in every state, and the one in Rhode Island can be found in Newport.
Spanning over 43,000 square feet and sitting on seven acres of seaside land, Seaview Terrace is the state’s largest residence, and it has quite an unusual history.
History of Seaview Terrace
This sprawling estate was once located in Washington, D.C., and covered half a city block, equipped with its own chapel, ballroom, art gallery and theatre.
The owner was Edson Bradley, president of Kentucky whiskey distiller W.A. Gaines and Company. In 1923, he began moving the mansion piece by piece to Newport, Rhode Island, where Sea View, an Elizabethan Revival mansion was already on site.
The two mansions were merged to create a new chateau.
“Rooms that had been imported intact from France and installed in Washington, D.C., 20 years earlier were moved again and reassembled in Newport, and the new building was constructed around them,” Homes of the Rich said.
After two years, Seaview Terrace was completed with 29 bedrooms, 18.5 bathrooms, a chapel, a “whispering gallery,” a 500-seat theatre, an art gallery and a two-story ballroom.
A Haunted History
The private chapel in the home is said to be haunted by Bradley’s wife, Julia Williams Bradley, who died just a few years after they moved to the house in 1929.
“Her funeral was held here, and according to local legend, her ghost was seen playing the chapel’s organ following the service,” Love Property said.
The estate even appeared on the popular show "Ghost Hunters," where the team reportedly heard a voice in the grand hall say, “Hello, is that you?”
According to Syfy, “the investigation led to the loudest evidence they have ever heard.”
The Latest Owners
Millicent and Marting T. Carey of New York purchased the mansion in 1974. They actually became overwhelmed by its size and ended up leasing the main house and gatehouse to Salve Regina University until 2009, when the school renamed it the Carey Mansion.
It was on the market in 2021, but Zillow currently has it listed as off the market, which means a potential buyer must have forked over $29 million for a hauntingly beautiful estate.
Want to take a look inside? Keep scrolling.