Bois Doré is a French chateau-style mansion built in 1927 in Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed by New York architect Charles A. Platt for William Fahnestock, a New York banker. It is described as one of the last great houses built for Newport,[1] and is a part of the Ochre Point-Cliffs Historic District.[2][3][4]

Bois Doré
Bois Doré
Map
General information
Architectural styleFrench chateau
Address115 Narragansett Ave
Town or cityNewport, Rhode Island
CountryUnited States
Coordinates41°28′29″N 71°18′22″W / 41.4747437°N 71.3060601°W / 41.4747437; -71.3060601
Completed1927
Technical details
MaterialLimestone
Floor area19,000 square feet
Design and construction
Architect(s)Charles A. Platt
Bois Doré
Part ofOchre Point–Cliffs Historic District (ID75000211)
Designated CPMarch 18, 1975

Description

edit

The 19,000-square-foot mansion is built of limestone in the French chateau style, and includes 25 bedrooms, a loggia and terrace, a 2,000 square foot grand ballroom, and is situated on four acres of land.[5][6]

History

edit
 
William Fahnestock

Bois Doré was built in 1927. It was designed by New York architect Charles A. Platt for William Fahnestock, who came from a prominent New York banking family which founded Oppenheimer Holdings.[6]

It was later owned by Cambell's Soup heiress, Elinor Winifred Dorrance Hill Ingersoll[6] who married Vice Admiral Stuart Ingersoll, USN.

Later, it was owned by oil heiress Carolyn Mary Skelly, daughter of William Grove Skelly. She was once dubbed the "most robbed woman in the US" by the Boston Globe.[7] The estate is currently owned by Fairfax & Sammons Properties LLC.[8]

The mansion was sold in 2021 for $8.99 million.[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Bois Dore and the Ballrooms of Newport". Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "Bois Dore Carriage House Sells for $2.43 Million". June 30, 2015.
  3. ^ "A Fortune 500 fortune funds a Newport hotel | Fortune".
  4. ^ Richard B. Harrington (September 18, 1974). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Ochre Point–Cliffs Historic District (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved November 6, 2014. Includes maps and 16 photos from 1974.
  5. ^ a b "This Newport estate with 25 bedrooms just sold for a tick under $9 million". Newport Daily News. December 21, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "A French Provincial-Style Newport Mansion". Francis York. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Heiress Out Back". The New York Times. 2006.
  8. ^ "Nesi's Notes: June 24". WPRI.com. June 24, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.