Artist purchases Seaview Terrace

[Midnite]

Artist Hunt Slonem picks up $30 million haunted Rhode Island mansion

Bunny money!!

[Uncle Roger]

Wascally wabbits indeed!🐰🐇🐰🐇

[Josette]

Nice article.

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Hunt Slonem and Tim Conway: Separated at birth? 🤔👨‍👦‍👦

[McTrooper]

Hope he doesn’t plan to paint it himself    . . . Don’t quite see the artistic value in most of his pieces. 
 . . .
Even though I know the interior is different than the TV sets it still caught me by surprise. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

   Thankfully Denise Carey Bettencourt had brought some color to the interior. When it was used by Salve Regina the whole place was painted an antiseptic white.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

This is interesting. I just received a text on my phone that features a photo of Seaview Terrace with the text:

"Historic Seaview Terrace Sells For $16M

Newport's largest private Gilded mansion, Seaview Terrace, sold for $16M, the highest residential sale since 2021. Known as the 'Dark Shadows' house, the historic estate was bought by artist Hunt Slonemm who appreciates its reported paranormal activity.

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes."

Interesting if it's true it sold for only 16M, which would be much lower than the asking price was. But what's also interesting is the text links to this article on the Internet:

Seaview Terrace sells for 16M, marking Newport's highest sale since 2021
The Gilded Age estate is the fourth-largest of the Newport Cottages, with 29 bedrooms and more than 43,000 square feet

And a Google search reveals several other articles, including one from The Newport Daily News newspaper.

[patrickm]

My random thoughts about the new owner. His art isn't everybodys cup of tea for sure but he paints what he likes. If he wants to turn it into the Bugs Bunny estate, more power to him. It's certainly better than the alternative of Seaview facing the wrecking ball ..which was a distinct possibillity. I'm not an art snob myself and he strikes me as a throwback to the 60's which I'm fond of. His persona and wardrobe remind me of Jackie Gleason. In fact, I just watched the 4th season of color episodes of the Honeymooners from his variety show and his clothes looked just like what Slonem wears....very colorful. Online pics of his houses and studios look like a combo of Laugh In sets and Austin Powers. I'd love to take a tour of Seaview after he has finished decorating. I'd always wanted to tour Liberace's house but it was never open on my past trips to Vegas. All he would need would to do is play Mamas and Papas California Dreaming during the tour..lol. Wouldn't be a boring art museum tour for me anyway! I would take issue with you MB saying "only" 16 million. That was the sales price but to me 16 million is 16 million. It's a life changing amount of money for the Careys and I wish them nothing but the best. They will be able to live comfortably the rest of their lives without the constant stress of Seaviews upkeep and non stop expenses, which had to be enormous.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I said "only" because that was like almost half of what they were asking, and more relevantly, because earlier reports had said "Famed artist Hunt Slonem has bought a nearly $30 million Rhode Island mansion." And sure, 16M is a lot of money, but it's also a big come down when you're asking for 28M.

[patrickm]

Well, it could have been listed for $50 million ...doesnt mean its worth it. $28.5 million was a starting point but never realistic selling price. She did well getting $16 million because the true value in the property is in the land not the house. I was expecting a developer to step in and subdivide the property into a couple more parcels for 2 more houses to make it even worth what she got. Very small market for any house the size and age of Seaview.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

No one is saying 16M isn't a nice sum. Though of course, who knows what the city of Newport valued the house/property for tax purposes and whether or not they sold at a loss.    Though that point is really immaterial because as I said, I mostly said only 16M because earlier reports had implied Seaview had sold for much more... 

[patrickm]

Just in case your wondering, Newport 2025 property assessment for Seaview was $8,472,800. Public record.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Whoa - talk about originally asking for over three times the assessed price... But as you said, 28.5M was never a realistic selling price.

No wonder they accepted 16M...

[patrickm]

The bunny money starting to look real good now huh...lol
🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Considering Slonem's representative, Kimberly Doherty from Lila Delman Compass Realty, must have done her homework, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Denise Carey Bettencourt's representative, whoever they were, got Doherty to agree on Slonem's behalf to pay 16M. Whoever they were, we should all be so lucky to have someone like them on our side when handling financial negotiations!