Taylor Swift Gets a New Neighbor: Watch Hill Penthouse Sells for $18.5 Million, Setting State Record
The only penthouse at Rhode Island resort Ocean House has sold for $18.5 million, with the buyer being Alexander Clark, founder of a college admissions software company. His new home sits just steps away from Taylor Swift's mansion, High Watch.
The person who bought this penthouse isn't in music or film—he's in college admissions software. Alexander Clark is the founder and CEO of Technolutions, the New Haven-based company behind Slate, an admissions management platform used by more than 2,000 colleges and universities. A Yale graduate, he's also active in New Haven's local historic preservation and civic causes—a background that has made him, aside from Taylor Swift, the most talked-about new face on this stretch of Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
Watch Hill was once where Victorian-era wealthy families built their summer estates, but these days the name most associated with the area is Taylor Swift. Her estate, High Watch, sits nearby, and the penthouse purchased by Clark and his partner Kimberly Pedrick is located at Ocean House, a resort hotel that opened in 1868. It's the only penthouse unit in the entire building and sits just a few doors down from Swift's home. Ocean House itself is no ordinary building either—Douglas Fairbanks' 1916 film "American Aristocracy" was filmed there.
The deal closed at $18.5 million, setting a new record for condo sales in Rhode Island and surpassing a $16 million Newport estate sale from this past January to become the largest residential transaction in Rhode Island so far in 2026. Counting all property types, it also ranks as the fourth-highest sale in Rhode Island since 2021.
The penthouse itself spans nearly 4,600 square feet, with two living rooms, a formal dining room, and a study. The kitchen features a skylight above a large island and pantry. But the real highlight is the terrace—nearly 2,200 square feet, complete with an outdoor kitchen and grill, a lounge area, a private bathroom, and a gazebo, all facing the Atlantic Ocean and Little Narragansett Bay. The primary bathroom includes a deep soaking tub and a shower with sea-stone texture, while both guest bedrooms come with their own en-suite bathrooms.
The purchase comes with more than just the unit itself—it also includes membership to the Ocean House Club, granting access to Ocean Beach, Dune Cottage, and member-exclusive perks like a private club lounge, a heated pool, a fitness center, a spa, a wine cellar, and a tasting room.
The penthouse hit the market in February, went under contract in July, and officially closed in August. Bill Hecker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties represented both the buyer and seller, noting that the unit received multiple offers: "It just shows how competitive the market is along this stretch of coastline."
As for Taylor Swift's High Watch, it's an 11,700-square-foot estate she purchased in 2013 for $17.75 million. The property's previous owner, heiress Rebekah Harkness, later became the inspiration behind Swift's 2020 song "The Last Great American Dynasty." Swift also chose to host her bachelorette party there this past June.
