Marden House
Encyclopedia
The Marden House is a residence in McLean, Virginia
designed by American
architect
Frank Lloyd Wright
. It is located just off Chain Bridge Road
and overlooks the Potomac River
. Also known as "Fontinalis," it is named after Luis Marden
(1913-2003), a writer, photographer, and explorer for National Geographic. It was designed by Wright in 1952 and was completed in 1959 at a cost of $76,000.
The spot had caught Marden's eye in 1944 when he and his wife and had been fishing along the Potomac
. After purchasing a plot of land, Marden continued the correspondence he had maintained with Wright since 1940, asking the architect to design a home for him. It was not until 1952 that the designs finally came.
After Marden moved to a nursing home in 1998, the house was purchased by Jim Kimsey
, co-founder of AOL
, in 2000 for $2.5 million.
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
designed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
. It is located just off Chain Bridge Road
Virginia State Route 123
Virginia State Route 123 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 in Woodbridge north to the Chain Bridge across the Potomac River into Washington from Arlington...
and overlooks the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
. Also known as "Fontinalis," it is named after Luis Marden
Luis Marden
Luis Marden was an American photographer, explorer, writer, filmmaker, diver, navigator, and linguist who worked for National Geographic Magazine. He worked as a photographer and reporter before serving as chief of the National Geographic foreign editorial staff...
(1913-2003), a writer, photographer, and explorer for National Geographic. It was designed by Wright in 1952 and was completed in 1959 at a cost of $76,000.
The spot had caught Marden's eye in 1944 when he and his wife and had been fishing along the Potomac
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
. After purchasing a plot of land, Marden continued the correspondence he had maintained with Wright since 1940, asking the architect to design a home for him. It was not until 1952 that the designs finally came.
After Marden moved to a nursing home in 1998, the house was purchased by Jim Kimsey
Jim Kimsey
James V. "Jim" Kimsey was the co-founder, CEO, and first chairman of internet service provider America Online .-Early life:...
, co-founder of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, in 2000 for $2.5 million.