Hickory Hill | |
.jpg) Hickory Hill in 2015 | |
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| Location | 1147 Chain Bridge Road McLean, Virginia, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°56′40″N77°09′42″W / 38.94444°N 77.16167°W /38.94444; -77.16167 |
| Part of | Langley Fork Historic District (ID82001818[1]) |
| Designated CP | October 19, 1982 |
Hickory Hill is a large brick house inMcLean, Virginia, in the United States, which was owned for many years by members of theKennedy family, the American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business.
Although the date when the house was constructed cannot be determined precisely, architectural historians, noting that an 1865 ordnance map of the area does not indicate the house, date it to shortly after theAmerican Civil War, circa 1870.[citation needed]
The 5.6-acre (2.3 ha) property was part of an 88-acre (36 ha) tract acquired in 1846 by George Walter, who built several houses in the area prior to his death in 1890. The core of the house itself originally featured an encirclingverandah, topped by amansard roof. In 1931, the house was extensively remodeled largely to its current configuration. It was expanded again in 1964 with a north wing addition.[2]
In 1920, James Patrick "Pat" Speer, aWashington D.C.dentist, lived at Hickory Hill, along with his wife Susan Virginia "Jenny" Morgan Speer. At that time, they lived in the house with their five younger children, as their eldest daughter had already married and moved away. Pat Speer practiced dentistry in Washington D.C., in the same building whereClara Barton had previously conducted her work withU.S. Civil War veterans and their families.[citation needed]
In July 1941, Hickory Hill became the home of newly appointedUnited States Supreme CourtAssociate JusticeRobert H. Jackson and his wife, Irene, who, in 1955, after his death, sold Hickory Hill toUnited States SenatorJohn F. Kennedy (D−Massachusetts) and his wife,Jacqueline.
John and Jacqueline Kennedy lived in the home for a year, during which time he authored (withTed Sorenson) his Pulitzer Prize winning bookProfiles in Courage.[3]
After the1956 Democratic National Convention, the house was sold to John's brotherRobert F. Kennedy and his wife,Ethel, who had a growing family (eventually eleven children). While he lived at Hickory Hill, Robert Kennedy becameAttorney General of the United States in 1961; aUnited States senator in 1965; and apresidential candidate in 1968.
Hickory Hill was placed on the market in 2004 by the Kennedy family at an asking price of $25 million and then subsequently withdrawn in November 2008. After it was sold in December 2009 to a Virginia businessman for $8.25 million,[4][5][6][7] the house underwent a major renovation, completed in the fall of 2013.
The house, along with eleven other historic structures, was designated as acontributing property to theLangley Fork Historic District by theNational Park Service'sNational Register of Historic Places on October 19, 1982.[1][2][8]
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