Estate Sale - The Nightingale Inn

I have to admit it….occasionally (ok, maybe frequently) I go to an estate sale just to see the house….sometimes I can tell by the listing that the “estate” is just spectacular and perhaps the items for sale are not in my price range or not really my taste but the stories some houses tell 

are worth going to the sale for.

"The Estate"
photo courtesy of Google Images

This was definitely the case last weekend when I swung by the former Nightingale Inn in Wenham for the sale they were holding.  The property has sold and is being converted to a private residence so they were clearing out all of the “inn décor”.

The Front - this is what you find behind the gate...a circular
driveway with this gorgeous fountain in the middle

The Back - kidney shaped pool with fabulous portico for
relaxing

 The email I received from estatesales.net described this property as:

The Nightingale Inn, nestled in scenic Cape Ann in Wenham was built in 1910 by Arthur D. Little, the famous entrepreneur who discovered acetate, and went on to build a multi-national corporation. Later, John and Augusta Nightingale owned this historic 8,000 sq foot + residence complete with horse barns, fountains, pools and gazebos abutting Audubon land and expanded it to its current state. Augusta is a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson. President and Nancy Reagan once stayed at this residence, as well as astronauts and other celebrities. The home features grand reception halls, staircases, hand-painted Zuber wall covering depicting the complete 1849 El Dorado scene. Magnificent, well-appointed rooms and grounds make this an exceptional event.  The Inn has 5 rooms, each with private bath, 32 inch LCD Direct TV, and AC. The inn has over 8,000 sq ft of common space. There is also a guest house on the property with 3 full suites

How exciting is that, President & Mrs Reagan once stayed at this property?

One of my fav pics that I took on my visit to the Reagan Library a couple of years ago...highly recommend a
visit!

The furnishings were absolutely beautiful but not necessarily my style, a little too baroque maybe but holy cow the property was magnificent!  

The dining room has such beautiful wall murals

I do have to say I loved this dresser so
much...and believe it or not this is
how this photo came out with no cropping..

I showed up in the middle of the second (and last) day of the sale so many of the prime items were long gone but that was fine by me since I was far more interested in seeing the inn/house.

upstairs hallway - just love the wainscoting & interior
window

These gorgeous windows were interior windows that
were strategically placed to allow light to filter
through halls & stairwells that didn't have any
natural light sources.  So architecturally interesting too!

 One of the ladies that was working the sale told me that they had over 300 people in line waiting for over 3 hours the first day of the sale…I’m so glad I waited until the second day (which by the way was still crazy busy).  As much as I love a good sale I don’t know of much that I would wait in a line of 300 people for 3 hours for….I’m just not that kind of patient.

I probably spent an hour at this sale just meandering around the property…I don’t think I looked conspicuous at all…lol.  It was such a lovely day and really there were so many other folks around I’m fairly confident no one even noticed that I was busy looking at the light fixtures & millwork and not paying at all attention to the goods that were left for sale.

Perfect place for a party...
image courtesy of Yelp