Roger Williams University has signed a purchase and sale agreement to buy “Wind Hill,” a 17-acre estate known to many as the home of sailing legend Stanley Livingston. The property is on Ferry Road in Bristol, across from the university’s main entrance and adjacent to and behind a property recognized by many as the home of the university president.

The 1890 manor house has 10 bedrooms and 6.3 bathrooms on three floors of living space. It hit the market in May with an asking price of $6,995,000. It went for sale after the death of Martha Nicholson Livingston, who passed away in January at the age of 94. She and her husband lived in the home until Mr. Livingston’s death in 2015.

In addition to the 8,000-square-foot manor house, the property boasts a pool set within a walled garden area overlooking Narragansett Bay, as well as a deep water dock.

There is also a four-bedroom carriage house on the property, which has a large deck with water views, and a two-bedroom historic gate house built in the 1920s, and garage space for 13 cars. There are also stables and a tennis court.

The university has not announced any plans for the building, and according to the university’s director of media and public relations, Edward Fitzpatrick, it does not have any plans yet.

University President Donald J. Farish recently sent the following statement to the Roger Williams community:

Dear Roger Williams University Community,

I want to provide you with information regarding a potential acquistiion of property. The University has signed a purchase and sale agreement for 20 acres adjacent to the Bristol campus.

The Ferry Road property is owned by the family of the late Stanley and Martha Livingston. The purchase and sale agreement is contingent upon a due diligence evaluation of the property. The closing would take place in November.

Opportunities to purchase a significant piece of real estate next to the campus are rare. RWU is interested in purchasing the property for future long-term use and has no immediate plans for use of the land or its three residential buildings, which include the “Wind Hill” estate.

RWU would not use money from its operating budget to make the purchase. Based on a review with the Board of Trustees, the university would use its endowment fund, and the land would be considered an asset within that fund. By the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, RWU cannot disclose the purchase price until the closing.

Donald J. Farish
President