As well as occupying the most famous house in America, the Kennedy couple lived in a number of interesting and impressive homes, from a historic townhouse to a multi-acre estate. Here we track, in chronological order, Jackie and John F Kennedy’s marital homes:
3321 Dent Place Northwest
image: google streetview
This was John and Jackie’s first home as a married couple, situated in Washington the house was rented from Blair Childs. The red brick townhouse was built in the 1940s with four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a basement. Though the house hasn’t been on the market for a while it is estimated to be worth $1.8 million. There were several profiles of the Kennedys living in this house made at the time, with pictures still existing of the couple enjoying the back yard, despite this they decided to move on from Dent Place after just two years.
Hickory Hill
image: google streetview
After living in the city for a few years John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy sought some refuge over the Potomac river in McLean, purchasing Hickory Hill – a 1870s nine bedroom estate with 14.5 bathrooms, over five acres of private land and a host of original features including fireplaces and hardwood flooring. Though beautiful with lots of space, Hickory Hill became a painful reminder of Jackie’s loss after suffering a miscarriage, because of this the couple sold the house on to JFK’s brother Robert F. Kennedy who kept the property in the Kennedy family until its sale in 2009 for $8.2 million.
111 Irving Avenue, Hyannis Port
Though the Kennedy’s summer residence at Hyannis Port has become almost legendary, the future president and his wife decided to purchase a house of their own close by at 111 Irving Avenue. The house, built in 1925, comprised of nine bedrooms, seven bathrooms and almost an acre of land. The summer house remained the couple’s ‘Kennedy compound’ retreat throughout their marriage, and was subsequently passed to their children JFK Jr and Caroline, and was last sold in 2004 for $3 million according to records.
2808 P Street NW
image: google streetview
After moving out of Hickory Hill, the Kennedy couple returned to Washington D.C. to a three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse. As one of the smallest homes the couple lived in, the property may have proved a little too small for the family after the birth of their daughter Caroline, as the trio moved on to a larger home in another part of the city.
3307 N Street NW
image: google streetview
The classic red brick Georgian-style townhouse was the last house the family lived in before moving to The White House and, as such, was featured heavily in profiles of the couple at the time. Many photographs show the young family together with newborn John Junior in this four bedroom, four bathroom home. The house, which benefits from a yard and attic space, was last purchased in 2004 for $3.3 million.
The White House
image: creative commons
Probably their most famous residence, the family of four moved into the presidential home in 1961 benefitting from a square footage upgrade but, in Jackie’s eyes, a downgrade in terms of furnishings and decor. The First Lady oversaw one of the biggest renovations in The White House’s history culminating in a television special in which Mrs Kennedy gave the cameras a tour of the results. Antiques once owned by former presidents and national treasures were returned to the residence thanks to Jackie’s passion for conservation, along with a redesigned garden. See inside the White House in this previous post, or view the private quarters in this post.
Glen Ora
Leased during Kennedy’s time in office Glen Ora in Virginia was the family’s country retreat where Jackie could pursue her equestrian hobby and the children could run without photographers capturing their every move. The 400 acre estate was leased by the family who loved the property so much they attempted to buy it off the owners, who were not willing to part with it. Instead the family bought a plot of land nearby to construct their own country home.
Wexford
Well known as the only home John and Jackie ever designed themselves, the house comprised of 167 acres, along with four bedrooms and four bathrooms constructed on one single storey. The construction of the house was completed in 1963 and was most likely only visited by JFK twice before his assassination. The house, which features an underground bunker and ‘secret service facilities’, was put on the market a year later. It has most recently been up for sale for $3 million.
Of course, both John and Jackie lived in many other houses throughout their lives, to see the childhood homes of John F Kennedy view this previous post, or to see the childhood homes of Jacqueline Bouvier view this post.