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4 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes in the D.C. area

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See where to find them, what to expect, and the story behind every home

There are a number of names that come to mind when considering American architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright is undeniably one of these worth mentioning. This prolific visionary designed hundreds of buildings across the nation with the belief that structures should harmonize with their environment.

While the D.C. area certainly doesn’t have anything as perfectly iconic as Fallingwater, it does have a handful of Wright-designed single-family homes that follow the architect’s Usonian model.

Below, Curbed has listed these residences, from the Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, Virginia, to the Robert Llewellyn Wright House in Bethesda, Maryland.

For more news and beautiful photos of Frank Lloyd Wright’s works, be sure to check out Curbed here.


The Pope-Leighey House

9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Virginia

Photo via Cliff

Formerly known as the Loren Pope Residence, this suburban home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1940. If interested in getting an up close look at a Wright home, you can’t go wrong with this choice as it is the only Wright site open to visitors in the D.C. area.

The 1,200-square-foot home is glassy with an open floor plan, geometric window design, and locally sourced materials. It has been relocated twice, from Falls Church, Virginia then to Alexandria, Virginia. In 1965, it was dedicated as a National Trust Historic Site.


The Marden House

300 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, Virginia

If interested in perfect views of the Potomac River, the Marden House is a good choice. Designed by Wright in 1952, this residence is named after the late Luis Marden, who is known as a writer, photographer, and explorer for National Geographic.

In 2000, AOL Co-founder Jim Kimsey purchased the 21,000-square-foot home for $2.5 million and later completed a roughly $1 million restoration on the property. When it was constructed, the cost was $76,000.


The Robert Llewellyn Wright House

7927 Deepwell Drive, Bethesda, Maryland

Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Farragutful

This two-story, concrete structure was designed by Wright in 1953 and completed in 1958 for his sixth child, Robert Llewellyn Wright, who worked at the Justice Department. The first design Wright made for the home was too costly, and he later reconfigured it so that it offered a curving shape, modest cantilevered balcony, and built-in furniture.

Currently, the home is inhabited by Tom Wright, grandson of Wright and volcano specialist.


The Andrew B. Cooke House

320 51st Street, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Technically, this Wright-designed home is not located in the D.C. area, but it’s still worth an inclusion for those interested in making the trip. This Virginia Beach, Virginia, residence was completed in 1959, making it one of Wright’s last commissioned works.

Measuring 3,000 square feet, this hemicycle-shaped single-family home overlooks a lake and offers custom-built furniture. In June 2011, the Cooke House landed on the market for $3.75 million. Curbed reported that a later restoration added an underground bunker to the residence with a sauna and a gym. The property’s former servant’s quarters listed on Airbnb in October 2016.