Former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis, have purchased a multimillion-dollar mansion in Newport, R.I. (Is there any other kind?)
Leno, an Andover native, paid $13.5 million for an estate called Seafair on Ocean Drive, which is among the highest of Newport’s high-rent districts. The crescent-shaped residence — it has no fewer than eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms — looks a bit like a French chateau, and comes with a pool, carriage house, terraces, gardens, a tennis court, and a private beach.
Perhaps most importantly for Leno, who collects expensive antique cars the way some people collect baseball cards, Seafair has a six-car garage. The house, which sits on 9 acres, was built in 1936 and previously owned by Denver mining heir Verner Zevola Reed Jr., who later became VP of Chase Manhattan Bank, and then served as US ambassador to Morocco under President Reagan.
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Seafair had been listed by Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty, which could not be reached.
But Melanie Delman, president of Lila Delman Real Estate International, which handles similarly pricey properties, said the sale is a positive sign.
“It’s very good for the area,” she said.
In 2013, singer Taylor Swift paid $17.75 million for a mansion in Westerly, R.I.
