This painting was done in the late 1970’s,its at the mouth of the harbor.

Over half a century ago, safety-razor magnate King Gillette built a lavish,23-room mansion at the very end of Balboa Peninsula.

It was a 12,000-square-foot beach “cottage” with spectacular ocean and bay-front views.

But Gillette never moved into the palatial home on Newport Harbor. Legend has it that the day he arrived a powerful storm lashed the coastline and he watched with a mixture of awe and fear as high surf slammed against the house and fierce waves crashed over the roof. As the tale goes, the razor king headed back to Beverly Hills, never to spend a night in the house.

Now, the bay-front landmark that has fallen into disrepair in the last few years has been purchased for $1.4 million by a couple who own an Irvine computer leasing firm. Albert and Loyce Grasso plan to turn the mansion into an Italian, Mediterranean-style villa on the bay.