Personality Studies
During the renovation , the couple discovered how previous owners added a bit of their personalities to the structure .
Original owner Alexander Van Rensselaer commissioned its Italianate style , while Audrain added French flair and Colonial Revival elements , like a gently curving main staircase and Corinthian columns . U . S . Navy Admiral Kalbfus and his actress wife Silvia owned the home for thirty years . During his two terms as president of the Naval War College , he drove straight down Miantonomi Avenue into work . ( Just over the Newport line , Miantonomi Avenue turns into Admiral Kalbfus Road .)
The renovation project took eighteen months . Grosvenor and Hackett fixed cracked walls and ceilings , updated the home ’ s mechanical and plumbing systems , replaced the roof and refinished the distinctive wood floors . But the biggest challenge was the kitchen : It was rotting off the house .
The space is now bright and cheerful , facing east and filled with plenty of light . A new quartz kitchen island that seats four serves as a gathering hub ; a gas fireplace built into an existing chimney bathes the room in warmth . The space has new stainless steel appliances , two dishwashers , a microwave tucked under the counter , and a pantry , the doors of which were crafted from an old entrance door salvaged from the basement . An antique leaded glass panel from a china cabinet sits atop the refrigerator , letting in even more light .
92 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2022