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NEWPORT -- Aerie Cottage is the former teahouse of Halidon Hill, a 19th-century estate that once consisted of three large houses and three barns on 14 acres.
Built in 1853 by a Scottish stone mason, the Gothic 20-something-room Halidon Hall was named after a battle in 1333 at which the Scottish were defeated by the English, with a loss of 14,000 lives. In 1894, Arthur Livingston Mason and wife Edith Bucklin Hartshorn Mason took up residence at Halidon Hall, according to the youngest of the eight children, Lion Gardiner Mason. Mason published his memoirs -- A Lion's Share -- on his 87th birthday, Oct. 5, 1983.
The Mason family had several claims to fame. Arthur Livingston Mason owned the Newport Engineering Works, an automobile and marine business, and was narrowly defeated in the Newport mayoral race of 1898 by Patrick Boyle, losing by only 198 votes. His wife Edith organized the R.I. Sanitary and Relief Association during the Spanish-American War and was responsible for two inventions designed to help wounded soldiers -- a lamp shade that shielded patients' eyes from light while leaving the bulb exposed on one side to aid the surgeons, and a flannel abdominal bandage called the "Mason band."
When Lion Mason was a boy, he played with neighbor John Nicholas Brown -- said to have been the richest baby in the world -- who lived in Harbour Court, also on Halidon Hill. Mason told of his adventures when he visited Halidon Hill sometime in the early 1980s, stopping by the former teahouse to visit with owners Dr. Thomas and Joan Haufe.
"He always had a body guard along who spoiled all of our fun," Mason told the Haufes, who bought Aerie Cottage around 1974.
During the Haufes' time here, the main house has changed hands several times. In the '60s and '70s, it belonged to the Cowsill family, the rock group who had eight bubblegums hits -- including Indian Lake and Hair -- and inspired the television series The Partridge Family. In 1987, it was bought by former Rep. Fernand J. St. Germain.
Like the main house, the 2,804-square-foot Aerie Cottage at 5 Harbor View Drive has stunning views of King Park and the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.
Built close to three decades after Halidon Hall, Aerie Cottage has gone through considerable renovations, but maintains many of its original features, including Southern-pine flooring throughout, beadboard paneling in one bathroom, and raised paneling in the dining room.
The spacious 13-by-25-foot formal living room features floor-to-ceiling windows that take advantage of the water views and double doors that lead out to a wrap-around porch. Other room features include a corner fireplace with detailed Victorian mantel, and built-in bookcases flanking a large window.
The adjoining dining room has crown and dentil molding, raised paneling, and doors out to the porch. The porch is also accessed from the 10-by-13-foot den which is warmed by a Godin coal stove.
The Haufes completed considerable renovations on the rear of the cottage, adding a 12-by-18-foot breakfast room with skylights and a wet bar, overlooking a brick terrace. They updated the 9-by-18-foot kitchen, including an all-black refrigerator, wall ovens, microwave and four-burner cooktop with griddle.
An adjacent maid's wing has a 9-by-12 bedroom with full bath and a laundry area.
Four additional bedrooms are on the second floor, two with private bath and two that share a hall bath with original claw-foot tub. One bedroom has an attached office which could also be used as a dressing room or sitting room. The huge 16-by-27-foot master has access to a private deck overlooking the water. Cedar and linen closets line the hall.
In the 1980s, the Haufes built a 1,103-square-foot guest house next to Aerie Cottage. The lower level includes an oversized two-car garage and wood-working shop, while upstairs has a sunny apartment with cathedral-ceiling and fireplaced living room, kitchen, two bedroom suites and a private deck.
The two buildings sit on just over two acres of land, and have been on the market since August with a list price of $2.8 million. Real estate taxes are $20,384.05.
Jay Serzan of Gustave J.S. White Real Estate, Newport -- a Sotheby's International Realty affiliate -- has the listing.
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