3 Expensive Historic Estates for Sale That Look Straight Out of a Movie
Written by
Cynthia Measom
Edited by
Brendan McGinley
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Some homes pull you in even if you never step inside. They have presence — the kind that makes you stop and imagine who once lived there or what might have happened within the walls.
These multimillion-dollar historic estates weren’t just built to live in; with their grand designs worthy of any Hollywood set, they were built to impress.
Seaview Terrace: Newport, Rhode Island
- Listing price: $28.5 million
Built in 1925 and spanning over 43,000 square feet, Seaview Terrace is the largest privately held estate in Newport. The French Renaissance chateau has 40-foot ceilings and plenty of space for guests with 29 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms. The home not only looks like it’s straight out of a movie, it actually was. It was used in the 1975 adult film, “The Story of Joanna” and also in ABC’s vampire series “Dark Shadows” from 1966-1971.
Valhalla: Sausalito, California
- Listing price: $35.3 million
Valhalla, built in 1893, is a 9,000-square-foot, Riviera-style home overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Once owned by socialite Sally Stanford, it was a gathering spot for celebrities like Marlon Brando and Lucille Ball. The home has been completely renovated but still retains its lap-of-luxury feel, with features like a grand entry court and a lounge area and large dressing room in the primary suite. It also appeared in the 1947 movie “The Lady of Shanghai,” starring Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles.
Champ Soleil: Newport, Rhode Island
- Listing price: $22 million
Champ Soleil, which has Gilded Age roots, doesn’t have any real-life movie connections, but it looks like it should. The 13,500-square-foot French chateau-style home, built in 1929, was designed by Polhemus & Coffin and modeled after La Lanterne at Versailles, which is the second residence of the president of the Republic of France. The home sits behind wrought-iron gates on more than five acres at the end of Bellevue Avenue in the historic district and has 11 bedrooms, eight bathrooms, grand rooms and a croquet lawn.
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