Dunmere

Dunmere is a historic estate located at 560 Ocean Road in Narragansett, Rhode Island, originally constructed in 1883. Commissioned by Robert G. Dun, the co-founder of Dun and Bradstreet, the property served as his luxurious summer residence until his death. The estate was designed by architect John M. Merrick in a blend of Stick, Eastlake, and Queen Anne architectural styles. At its peak, the sprawling grounds covered approximately thirteen acres with five hundred feet of Atlantic Ocean frontage, featuring a massive main mansion, extensive formal gardens, a mosaic swimming pool, a man-made pond, and various support buildings including a stable and greenhouse complex.

The historical significance of Dunmere lies in its grandeur as a Gilded Age retreat and its unique landscape design, which included garden terraces, fountains, gazebos, and a distinctive stone archway entrance with wrought iron gates. However, the estate suffered a catastrophic fire that destroyed the main house, along with other structures like the billiard room and bowling alley. Consequently, the original property has been subdivided into three separate residential lots. Today, only fragments of the original vision remain standing, primarily the Gardener's Cottage, the impressive stone entrance arch, the carriage house which has been converted into a home, and portions of the elaborate stone retaining walls and garden layouts.

Currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005, the site preserves key elements of its late nineteenth-century character despite the loss of its central mansion. The surviving Gardener's Cottage is a granite masonry structure showcasing Romanesque and Queen Anne details, perched on a stone outcropping overlooking the bay. Visitors and residents can still observe remnants of the formal flower gardens, an ornamental stone bridge leading to granite shoreline ledges, and the base of an iron fishing stand once used by Dun for bass fishing. These features collectively maintain the legacy of Dunmere as a prominent example of coastal Victorian estate planning in New England.