NEWPORT – A 3,400-square-foot home in the Historic Hill area of the city recently sold for $1.81 million, as the new owners plan to add the property to their local boutique hotel business, according to Residential Properties Ltd., which represented the buyer in this transaction.
The 27-29 Franklin St. property, a three-story home known as the Benjamin Norton House, will be welcoming hotel guests starting in 2026, according to Residential Properties. The new owners also operate the Royce Newport Hotel on Pelham Street, the real estate firm said.
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“We are excited for our buyers, who own the Royce Newport on Pelham and Spring Street, as they will be expanding their brand to this property on Franklin Street,” said Residential Properties broker associate Sally LaBonte. “They are thrilled to bring their premier boutique hotel to the Benjamin Norton House and have a flair for restoring historic homes in Newport. They will be welcoming guests to this location in 2026.”
The Franklin Street home features four residential units, including two one-bedroom units on the first floor, a two-bedroom unit on the second floor and a one-bedroom unit on the third floor.
The building, constructed in 1745, features a new gas heating system and comes with two tandem off-street parking spaces in the rear of the property, the firm said.
The home was most recently valued by Newport assessors in fiscal year 2025 as being worth $896,700, according to the city’s online property tax evaluation database. The property’s 0.06 acres of land alone was valued at $336,200.
While LaBonte, of Newport’s The LaBonte Group, represented the buyer in this transaction, Mike Sweeney, of Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty, represented the seller.
According to the warranty deed, a public record of the sale, the home was sold by 27-31½ Franklin Street LLC, and it was purchased by RI Property Wire LLC and 27-29 Franklin LLC.
Marc Larocque is a PBN contributing writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @Marc_La_Rock.
