Buyers can now leap at the chance to own a horse farm in Portsmouth, RI, with ties to the storied Vanderbilt family. This historic property is available for $5.83 million.
When construction commenced in 1860, Sandy Point Farm was a part of the original 280-acre, waterfront Vanderbilt estate. The property was designed by architect A.S. Walker. A multidecade project, the stables were completed in 1902. At its peak, it was considered one of the most prestigious horse farms in America.
“The property has been such an iconic part of Portsmouth and American equestrian history for over a century now,” says listing agent Kylie McCollough, of Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty.
Aerial view
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Original owner Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt, son of Cornelius Vanderbilt, was a horse breeder and avid sportsman.
During the Gilded Age, the Vanderbilt family enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in their summer cottage, The Breakers in Newport, RI. When building the magnificent Portsmouth property, the younger Vanderbilt spared no expense.
Reginald was the father of fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt and grandfather of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
Indoor riding arena
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The structure was constructed using cypress beams and features three separate rooflines, with cupolas at the 60-foot peak of the riding ring.
“The cypress beams are just beautiful and don’t even exist today, if you wanted to build the structure now,” McCollough says.
“I could see [the farm] turning into a therapeutic riding center like The Shea Center in California,” she adds. “It could also be a great equestrian center like a mini-Hamptons, or it could be an extension of our counterparts in Wellington, FL.”
Exterior
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The 6-acre property includes a 24-stall stable, a 15,000-square-foot indoor riding arena, “grooms’ quarters,” and a guest lounge. It is being sold with three adjacent lots.
“Six acres sounds like a lot, but the original property was over 180 acres when the Vanderbilts owned it,” McCollough says. “It is being sold as multiple lots, so there is a lot of potential.”
McCollough hopes the new buyer will be someone who appreciates the property and its historic significance.
“The property has always been a part of American horsemanship, so I could see it going to a nonprofit to potentially save it,” she says. “It is not protected from being torn down. The property is not in a location that has a Historic District Commission that precludes buildings from being torn down, or having their exterior modified. We hope the next buyer understands the architectural and cultural importance of a property like Sandy Point.”
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