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Location: Newport, R.I.
Price: $15,750,000
The Skinny: A fixture in Philadelphia's high society for nearly seven decades, Dorrance "Dodo" Hamilton is a granddaughter of Campbell Soup innovator John T. Dorrance, the man who discovered how to pack more soup into a single can. That simple innovation has spawned a billion dollar fortune, and allowed Dodo to pursue a "career" as a philanthropist and spend her summers luxuriating at this waterfront estate in Newport, R.I. She has three children and near-bottomless wealth, so it must be that the kids have no interest in sharing a house in Newport, because the 8,200-square-foot shingle-style sprawler was listed this week for $15.75M. Set on 2.5 waterfront acres on coveted Ocean Avenue, Wildacre was completed in 1901 and designed by Irving Gill with landscape architecture from the Olmsted brothers. Unlike some aging Newport mansions, Wildacre has been updated with an infinity swimming pool and private dock and meticulously kept in recent years. In fact, when Hamilton purchased the property in 1998, it was in derelict condition. The impressive state of the house is the result of her extensive restoration.
· Wildacre [Sotheby's International Realty via Zillow]
· The Last Great Lady [Philadelphia Magazine]
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