R.I. mansion donated to Chicago Christian school

WAKEFIELD, R.I. -- The owners of the 14-room mansion in Rhode Island have donated it to the Chicago Hope Academy, a Christian school for inner-city youth.

The Larchwood Inn in Wakefield was built in 1831 and run as an inn for 30 years before closing in 2006. LW Properties LLC bought it for $1.5 million and listed it for sale for nearly $2 million.

But Providence real estate agent Doug Jeffrey, whose brother Russell Jeffrey is a principal at LW Properties, said his brother decided to give it to the Chicago school.

He said the decision was made because of the poor state of the real estate market, and because his brother knows the academy's founder.

Jeffrey said it's uncertain how the school will use the gift. It could sell it, run it as an inn or redevelop it.