525 Spring Street is the address of this spacious and beautiful Queen Anne Victorian home, built in 1890 and boasting many architectural details, including a stately turret giving the property a distinguished elegance.
The house is situated on a corner lot at the intersection of Spring Street (one-way) and Narragansett Avenue. The 4,800 square foot lot is comparable to the surrounding properties. There are two convenient driveways on either side of the house that can accommodate a total of four vehicles. In between theses two driveways and kitty cornered to the rear of the property, is a cement patio large enough for picnic tables and grills. There is a small lawn area in the front, which curves with the angle of the house forming an arc. A chain link fence encloses this area.
Young children can attend the Carey Elementary School, which is across the street, and later the Thompson Middle School, and Rogers High School. There are private schools as well as several established Day Care Centers and Nursery Schools in the area. There are numerous churches nearby with the closest being Emmanuel Episcopal Church on the corner of Dearborn Street and Spring Street. Further up the road are many fine established restaurants and boutiques. The waterfront is also within walking distance delivering beautiful views of the harbor along with Fort Adams and Ida Lewis Yacht Club. One block over, Bellevue Avenue contains some of the most sophisticated summer “cottages” including The Elms and Chateau Sur Mur.
The exterior of the house has painted clapboards on the first level and painted shingles on the second and third levels. The gabled red asphalt roof is in good condition. The masonry foundation is solid and impressive. The front has an enclosed corner porch that wraps around the side of the house with a second egress. This enclosure was clearly added on at a later date. Although the enclosed porch has no heat, all the windows have been replaced with vinyl inserts and since it faces a south/east direction, it gets plenty of warmth from sunlight. There is plenty of room for wicker furniture and makes a great sitting room.
After entering the porch, there are two grand double Dutch doors in their natural state. The first door is surrounded by two long rectangle windows on either side. This opens into a small hallway that contains a patterned tiled floor with hues of blue and red. This then leads to the second door and the entry foyer. Located immediately to the right is a stunning and enormous ornate stain glass window. A large deep front hall closet is off to the side. The elaborate staircase has detailed rails and balusters that are highlighted by the awning window on the landing.
There are two doorways off the foyer. One leads to the living room and the other to the den. The den is a small dark paneled room with three windows and one large bay window. The doorway from the foyer to the den has a small hallway and in this hallway, to the right, is the door to enter the basement. The only bathroom on the first floor is located off the den and consists of a tub/shower combination, toilet, and sink with vanity. There is another door off the den that leads to the dining room.
The living room is entered from the foyer and this doorway contains a pocket door. This room is the first of three rooms that have a curved area to accommodate the structure of the turret. There is a large bowed bay window in the corner of the living room which is truly a unique feature. The other corner contains a magnificent tiled fireplace with a detailed wooden mantel and mirror. Built-in book cases line one side of the wall in addition to a full length door leading out to the porch. This area could be opened to enlarge the space for entertaining purposes.
The last door off the living room is quite large and contains pocket doors on either side. This leads into the formal dining room which is oblong in shape and also has a magnificent tiled fireplace with a detailed wooden mantel and mirror with a slightly different design. There are three windows and one large bay window. The room faces directly south and is very bright. There is a small pantry closet across from the fireplace and also a small doorway that leads to the den. The first floor layout connects the foyer, den, dining room, and living room in a circular flow. All these rooms have captivating bed molding and bold bulls eye detailing at each of the doorways.
Off the dining room is the kitchen which is big enough to have a breakfast area. The linoleum floor has a traditional black and white pattern. Currently, there are two stoves with a hood exhaust, refrigerator, and microwave. There is a single stainless steel sink. The white cabinets are modern and go all the way to the ceiling. A rear staircase with window leads to the back door.
The second floor contains four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a bonus room. The first bedroom to the left of the staircase has two windows and an unconventional closet. There is a doorway that leads into the second bedroom that contains three windows. Immediately to the left is a small shallow built-in for knick knacks and to the right is a large closet. This is the second room that contains the dramatic turret feature. At one time, this room had a doorway that connected to the third bedroom. It has since been covered up. It does, however, have its own doorway to the hall.
The third bedroom is to the right of the staircase and has three windows and one bay window. It too has a large closet. There is a long hallway off the third bedroom that leads to a fourth bedroom which has a long narrow closet, three windows, and a drop ceiling. There is a fifth room across the hall which could be used as a sewing room or study. It does not have a closet. Off this room is a short hallway that has a linen closet and a bathroom at either end. The narrow bathroom on the left contains a washer/dryer, shower stall, toilet, sink with vanity in addition to a built-in hamper and cabinets. The light blue tile goes half way up the wall. The long rectangle window is frosted. The large bathroom to the right has a tub/shower combination, toilet, and sink with vanity. There is one frosted window. The room is covered head to toe with an olive leaf pattern Formica except for the tub which has large neutral colored tiles. Both bathroom floors are linoleum.
The third floor staircase runs right above the second floor staircase and is curved. About half way up, there is an adorable little nook with a small window that would be ideal for a young child to curl up on a throw pillow and read or take a nap. At the top of the stairs is a large skylight that brightens the hallway. There are three bedrooms off this hallway as well as a deep linen closet and a full bathroom. The gabled roof lines are prominent in this part of the house.
The first bedroom to the left has three small windows, a traditional closet, and four long built-in cupboards of wainscoting design. The second bedroom with two small windows has the last dramatic turret feature which includes the most angles making for creative furniture placement. The third bedroom has two small windows, dark paneling, and eaves for additional storage. These last two rooms do not have closets. The bathroom is the last stop on the third floor containing three small frosted windows, linoleum flooring, shower stall, toilet, and sink.
Throughout the house are strategically placed cast iron radiators of all sizes. The third floor and basement have baseboards. Every window in the house has been replaced with vinyl inserts except the one large bowing bay window in the living room which is single paned.
The basement staircase is short and curved. The ceilings are low, but functional. The basement floor is tiled with a traditional black and white pattern. There is a small living area and a larger dining area with built-in cabinetry. There are many nooks and crannies due to the curved foundation of the house that would make playing hide and seek a lot of fun! The basement appears to be dry.
There is one long narrow hallway that has the utilities closets on either side. To the right is the space for the oil tank and to the left is the space for the burner, hot water storage tank, and boiler mate. There are numerous closets along the hallway for additional storage. At the end of the hallway, is a small kitchenette and bathroom that contains a sink, toilet, and shower stall. The electrical panel is located here and is a 200 amp circuit breaker. Around the corner is a large walkout to the backyard.
This is a home that does require a fair amount of updating, but for the ambitious and discerning eye, it provides an opportunity to recapture the essence of the Victorian era, with modern amenities, in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Historic Newport.