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Built in 1743, Historic Colonial in Newport Has Been Beautifully Preserved

In 1743, the Point section of Newport, RI, was a major port, with fishing boats, ship builders, and merchants just blocks from the waterfront. It was also the year that the Martha Pitman house was built.

Now on the market for $1.1 million, this 18th-century home has gone through a complete restoration—and could be considered relatively new compared with some of the really old homes in Newport, which was founded in the 1600s.

Beautifully maintained and preserved, the Colonial is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation means there are limitations to what can be changed on the exterior of the home, but not the interior.

The home almost didn’t make it to the modern era. It was rescued from demolition to make way for a development, and moved from its original location in 1967, according to documentation provided by the Newport Restoration Foundation, which restored the building in 1972.

The foundation was established in 1968 by the heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke, whose Newport mansion, Rough Point, is now a museum. The organization works on upkeep of Colonial homes in the city, and has restored over 80 historical buildings in the area.

After a makeover, the Pitman house was sold to its current owner in 2003 for $600,000, according to property records.

The brightly hued abode is also known as the pumpkin house.

“It’s orange,” says listing agent Iris Zaff. “That was a Colonial color. Some are surprised by it.”

Count us fans of the unexpected color choice, which does make the home stand out. But the home is distinctive for other reasons.

There’s the unusual size. “This is a pretty large lot for that area,” Zaff says. Then add the high ceilings—many in that era were quite low—and the multitude of windows, which keep the interior sunny and bright.

The master suite of the three-bedroom, three-bath home includes a shower. The restored architectural finishes include original honey-patina, wide-board floors; raised and paneled Indian shutters; and four fireplaces. The plaster and paneled walls are also original, and the updated baths feature charming Delft tiles in blue and white. The finished attic has been outfitted with 18th-century floorboards reclaimed from a Colonial building in Massachusetts.

The modernized kitchen features a granite farmhouse sink, custom cabinetry, and a dishwasher. The exterior features a red-cedar shingled roof, copper gutters and downspouts, and wood-framed storm windows. There’s also a quaint cobblestone driveway and a large, grassy yard. Electrical and plumbing are new.

“It’s a very livable house as well as very historic house,” Zaff says. The Colonial district where the home is located is in easy walking distance to the Newport Harbor and downtown Newport.

The owner, who hadn’t been searching for a historic home, was “smitten” with this place, Zaff notes. She’d had been using the vacation home less and less and decided it was time to sell, Zaff adds.

The master suite and connected attic space are her favorite spots in the house, says the owner, who did not want to be named. “It’s almost a house in itself, on two levels, since the attic, accessible from the master bedroom only, is an integral part of it,” she says.

The owner, who has multiple homes, notes that having a historic home is a different experience.

“You feel more like a caretaker than the owner, and it really came as a surprise to me. You feel that you have been entrusted with the house, and you try to live up to it,” she says.

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