The Orchard, the Newport estate of Richard Saul Wurman, the founder of the popular TED Talks, has sold for $2.5 million, a 77% decrease in price from the April 2015 listing of $11,000,000
This Cliff Walk property boasts 16 bedrooms, 11 full bathrooms, 4 half bathrooms, 13,762 square feet of living space and is situated on 4.75 acres. This 19th-century copy of an 18th-century French Chateau manor house has 2 outdoor pools, an indoor pool/spa suite, a carriage house with 2 apartments, an office, a garage and ocean views.
Mr. Wurman once described Newport, RI as “an intellectual wasteland”. In a 2010 interview with the New York Times Mr. Wurman said, “I love living in this house, and I’m not blasé about it at all, but this town is an intellectual wasteland without any sense of humor. I’ve been living here for 17 years, and if you asked me to tell you when I last had lunch with anybody but my wife or someone that came to see me from India or New York or Boston or Germany, I couldn’t come up with a name.”
Wurman’s friend, the designer Massimo Vignelli said of Newport, RI, “You don’t leave New York to go to Newport. You go to London, Milan, Paris. In Newport, you know, there is nothing outside your house. All you have is your things inside, and that’s the end of it.”
“The kind of people there need each other. They need their booze at 5, their costume parties. They need to know who is who, and who married what and how much money. It’s a kind of zoo. In that zoo, of course, Ricky has his own private pavilion, and he never goes out. I think he is considered an alien.”
Quite the interesting take.
Anyway, peace out Ricky!
The property was listed by Lila Delman Real Estate.
PS – A 77% discount??? I guess he really does hate Newport!
PPS – Note to the new owner – I live right down the street so I’m available to attend your house warming cocktail party whenever you have it! ?
