Historic Narragansett house with view of Towers hits market

An iconic oceanfront property in Narragansett, R.I., has hit the market for the first time in 55 years.

Dubbed the “Reading Room,” the 5,099-square-foot house was first built in the late 1800s as a liquor-free men’s bed and breakfast club — expressly a place for literature and smoking, according to 1975 research by historian Winifred J.W. Kissouth. Among its wealthy patrons were Jerome Bonaparte, a relative of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and popular New York surgeon Dr. Charles Hitchcock, Kissouth wrote.

The house is listed at $9,750,00, down from its original June listing price of $10,950,000.

The five-bedroom, four-bathroom property relocated from Matthewson Street to its current lot at 41 Ocean Road in 1899 to be a part of the Narragansett Pier Casino (a term which then referred to social clubs rather than sites for gambling), according to the property’s historic preservation certification application.

The property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, features a mansard roof, sunrooms, a deep wrap-around porch, and, in addition to the ocean views, overlooks Narragansett’s famous Towers, the only surviving remnants of the Narragansett Pier Casino after a number of fires, nor’easters, and hurricanes.

In the 1930s, the Reading Room was converted for residential use. It then changed hands in the ‘40s and operated as a guest house, according to Kissouth.

Lila Delman purchased the property in 1971 and lived there intermittently with her family until her passing in 1999, using parts of the residence for her real estate office, which became Lila Delman Compass in 2021.

In 2010, the Reading Room underwent restoration to bring it back to its original Victorian splendor, an effort recognized by both Preserve Rhode Island and the Rhody Awards.

Delman’s son-in-law, John Hodnett of Hopewell Real Estate, is the listing agent for the property.

“It’s a great location, a real snapshot from history,” Hodnett said.

Among the property’s unique 19th-century features is the tower room, a charming upstairs lookout you won’t find in most new builds.

“We get tremendous views. It’s a great little attribute to make a little sitting area for someone who wants peace and quiet and to sit down and read a book,” Hodnett said.

The chandeliers, which Delman collected, are another unique feature.

“My mother would always bring in these beautiful antiques,” Pamela Delman-Hodnett, Hodnett’s wife, said. “She just loved the art of it.”

Just as valuable as the home itself is the land it sits on. The Reading Room has a 0.69-acre lot, which is unusually large for residential properties in the area.

“I think what makes it special is that it sits on a fairly substantial piece of land for what is a relatively crowded village,” Hodnett said, adding that residents would enjoy small town leisure without living in close quarters.

Located on the seawall, “You could just step out and take a walk for miles,” Hodnett said. “It’s a great location, and if you like a beach and village setting but with space; it’s pretty unique.”