Jackie O's Childhood Home in Virginia Goes on the Market

Built from brick and limestone in 1919 and set on the banks of the Potomac River, Merrywood has been the site for countless high-profile gatherings for some of the world’s most affluent people. The spectacular Georgian-style mansion was also once home to a young Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and since the 1940s, Merrywood has seen a glittering trail of business leaders, politicians, and artists come through its doors.

Merrywood currently belongs to the CEO and co-founder of AOL, Steve Case, and his wife Jean, the chairman of the National Geographic Society. According to Sotheby’s International Realty’s press release, the influential couple has decided to sell the estate because of their work-related travel and to spend more time at both their farm in Virginia and newly acquired D.C. apartment. The Case family listed the property for a record breaking $49.5 million, making it the most expensive property on the market in the area, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Situated on seven acres, the estate boasts 11-bedrooms, a “gracious entry hall [that] opens to public rooms scaled to accommodate both large gatherings and intimate family occasions,” a climate-controlled wine cellar, and an elevator to provide access to all four floors of the residence. There’s also a four-automobile carriage house on the property.

The classic, modern interiors were designed by Barry Dixon – a designer known for his warm, distinctly Southern aesthetic. But perhaps one of the most luxurious aspects of the property is the formal garden. Designed in the style of 19th/20th century landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, the formal garden includes a series of outdoor rooms, exercise studio, indoor and outdoor pools, changing rooms, a tennis court, and a pavilion constructed especially for parties.

The entire estate is gated and “protected by a state-of-the-art security system,” says Sotheby’s. There are even on-site estate and security offices, and staff accommodations. You know, just for the workers on the property.

Only minutes away from the Washington, D.C. border, McLean, Va., is one of the affluent counties in the United States, with the median annual household income listed as $188,639. A former resident of Merrywood, John Dickerson (whose mother was a famous D.C.-based reporter), wrote in a 2016 article for the New York Times that living at Merrywood was like “growing up in a glamorous Neverland.” And as far as American legacy homes go, this one takes the cake.

Scroll below for more photos of the historical American home and visit Sotheby’s for more information on the listing.