Luxury Homes

Beverly mansion sells for record price: $18.2 million

Versatile athlete and socialite Eleanora Sears broke gender barriers here.

The 34-room mansion sits above a stony outcrop next to a private beach. Matt Surette

March 20, 2023

A seaside Beverly mansion that Boston.com featured as its Luxury Home of the Week has sold for a record-breaking price.

The Georgian Revival at 34 Paine Ave. — a 34-room estate in Prides Crossing with 11 bedrooms, 11 full baths, and three half baths — was listed for $22,000,000 on July 8, 2021, and sold for $18,275,000, according to Douglas Elliman. According to the Multiple Listing Service, it was the most expensive sale in city history. MLS does not include off-market transactions. The next closest in price on MLS was the $6,495,000 paid for 22 Haven Way in Beverly Farms.

George Sarkis, cofounder of The Sarkis Team at Douglas Elliman, handled the sale for the seller. Tracy Campion of Campion & Co. was the buyer’s agent.

“The home is dubbed ‘Rock Edge’ for its placement above a stony shore,” Megan O’Brien, Boston.com‘s Luxury Home of the Week writer, reported in 2021. “It overlooks Beverly Harbor and a private beach with deeded access given to only five families. The home measures 27,313 square feet on a 3-acre lot. Visitors will drive past a carriage house at the gate before setting eyes on the three-story estate with a brick façade and limestone accents.”

“While the home has been fully renovated with quality, high-end finishes, it was imperative to the homeowner, Charlie Benevento, to respect the integrity of the home and incorporate original, historic characteristics such as Tuscan columns on the exterior and [to] top the 16-foot ceilings with restored crown molding inside,” Douglas Elliman said in a news release. “Charlie tapped designer Linda Zarifi for the interior design.”

34 Paine Ave Beverly MA Rock Edge — . – Matt Surette

34 Paine Ave Beverly Ma kitchen — . – Matt Surette

34 Paine Ave Beverly MA stairwell — . – Matt Surette

34 Paine Ave Beverly MA marble bathroom — . – Matt Surette

“Rock Edge was most famously owned by the versatile athlete and socialite Eleanora Sears, who acquired the property in 1940,” O’Brien reported. “Her time there was even the subject of a book, ‘Prides Crossing: The Unbridled Life and Impatient Times of Eleanora Sears.’ ”

It was the first time the estate hit the market in 50 years.