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Family Adventures
Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope Leighey House
Nestled under tall trees and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, this
“Usonian” house was developed to give a family of modest means a
compact but sublime retreat near the city. The house was opened in
1965 on the grounds of the Woodlawn Plantation. Group tours of 10 or
more are available by reservation only.
Before you go:
Loren Pope was a young copy editor earning $50 a week in 1939 when
he read Frank Lloyd Wright’s autobiography and wrote a six-page
letter asking if Wright would design a house for Pope’s lot in Falls
Church. Pope’s “Usonian” house is the result, a genre advanced by
Wright to express his vision of beautiful yet affordable housing in
a democratic “United States of North America.”
In 1964, subsequent owner Marjorie Leighey enlisted the help of the
National Trust for Historic Preservation when the building of I-66
threatened to demolish the house. In exchange for a life interest in
the property, she donated it to the Trust.
December visitors will love the World War II Christmas, complete
with tree. Tours throughout the month will highlight activities and
traditions adopted during this difficult time in America’s history.
Consider taking a “behind the scenes” tour. From 8:30am to 11:00am,
participants will be given a light continental breakfast, the
Ursonian movement and Frank Lloyd Wright’s style will be explored in
depth, and still pictures can be taken. This is a tour for adults
and older children, and the cost is $25.
Ages 4 to 7
Wright designed his Usonian houses of lower-cost materials like
cypress, concrete, brick, and glass. Talk about how different
materials affect a structure’s appearance and durability, ranging
from the houses of the Three Little Pigs to well-known buildings
like the White House or the Statue of Liberty.
Ages 8 and up
Frank Lloyd Wright planned his houses inside and out – including the
furniture! He liked owners to preserve his exact placement of the
furniture, for he had designed it in a way that maximized space,
encouraged family activities, and harmonized with the proportions of
the room.
On the way there:
Explain that the house you are visiting is very small (1200 square
feet), but designed to accommodate a family of four in comfort. If
you had to reduce the size of your home, what things would you
eliminate? What would you want to keep? Wright insisted on including
fireplaces in all the houses he designed, regardless of the climate,
because he felt they formed the emotional core of the home. Would
you make the same choice?
Once you get there:
Your first stop is the Woodlawn Plantation museum shop, which sells
tickets for the Woodlawn mansion as well as the Pope-Leighey house.
Decide whether you have time for both tours; tickets can be bought
singly or in combination. On busy days, you’ll be assigned a
specific time on the hour or half hour to visit the house.
Enjoy your short stroll to the house along the Plantation grounds.
Just outside the house, a docent will greet you. He will point out
the cantilevered roof, which shelters the entrance and is a small
marvel of engineering repeated at Fallingwater, Wright’s design gem
in Pennsylvania.
Ages 4-7
Younger children may find the tiny kitchen just their size. Look for
the kitchen window opening near the stove, where Mrs. Pope could
reach out the window for fresh herbs to add to her sauces. Notice
the difference between the ceiling height in the entry way and the
living room.
Ages 8 and up
Wright designed narrow halls to save space, but also to make the
corridors seem longer and the bedrooms more spacious. Other design
features include repeated use of horizontal lines (Wright even
insisted that the carpenters tighten screwheads until their grooves
were perfectly horizontal), and storage for very few possessions,
since Wright believe they cluttered not just one’s home, but one’s
life.
At a Glance…
Location:
Pope-Leighey House
9000 Richmond Highway
Mt. Vernon, Virginia
Web site: www.popeleighey1940.org
Admission: $7.50 for adults; $3.00 children age 5-12 Admission free
on June 3 (Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday) and for National Trust and
Friends of Pope-Leighey.
Combination tickets with Woodlawn; $13.00 for adults and $5.00 for
children grades 5-12.
Wheelchair access for some, but not all areas of the Woodlawn House.
Time needed: One hour; additional time for Woodlawn Plantation.
Food: Small snack bar.
Restrooms: Yes, at Woodlawn mansion.
Baby changing facilities: Benches in the Woodlawn bathrooms may be
used for this purpose.
Hours: Open March through December from 10:00 to 5:00, Tuesday
through Sunday and select holidays (open Mondays during March)
Phone: (703) 780-4000
To get there: Located at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Va.
Route 235 South, three miles from George Washington’s Mount Vernon
estate.
Your kids will really like: the cut-out trim around the ceiling in
the living room and the compact kids’ bedroom.
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