When Jackie Kennedy persuaded the then president John F. Kennedy to acquire a family country hideaway he duly obliged with a country estate just outside Washington DC. Dubbed “Wexford” by the First Lady herself, history shows that they only managed to visit three weekends before the infamous assassination of John F. Kennedy. The property is back on the market, in all honesty it has been on the market for some time, and is a second home for the current owners. So, what do you get for your $5.95 million?
Wexford estate
Renovations to the Wexford property were completed just weeks prior to the president’s assassination and we can only assume it did not have the same attractions after the tragic events. This is a property, named after a county in Ireland, which comes with 167 acres and a breathtaking view over the “Blue Ridge Mountains”. By no means large, the property still boasted four bedrooms and four bathrooms with this was not a fanciful party destination, this was to be quiet, serene and proper family home for the Kennedys.
The determination to retain the historic look and feel of the property was central to the renovations of the 5000 ft.² home. To give you a feel for things, the property today still retains the original flooring, his and her dressing rooms, fireplaces in most rooms, formal dining room, 9 foot ceilings as well as its own generating system. There are also an array of built-in cabinets and bookcases which make it sound like a real family home as opposed to a showcase property.
Additions to the property
As you would expect for a family retreat there are array of outside facilities including outdoor cooking area, swimming pool, stone patio and a tennis court. If you have one or vehicles you will likely make full use of the three-car garage as well as the much rumoured underground bunker which was used by the secret services in charge of protecting the president. Those looking at a possible purchase of “Wexford” are not just looking at a property but a building with history, character and unfortunately much unfulfilled potential.
The current owners of the property have effectively had it listed for sale for some time now while they used it as their second home. There are not too many pictures of the property due to the fact that at the time the president wanted to retain as much privacy as possible for his family. We can only imagine what secrets the walls could tell in those three short weekends which saw the Kennedy clan visit their new home. There should have been many more secrets to tell but his untimely assassination put paid to that.
A piece of history
Millions of people flick through the property for sale brochures each and every day often oblivious to the history and the background of individual properties. It is a little surprising to learn that the Kennedys former country retreat has been up for sale for some time with little in the way of interest. You are buying not only a quality retreat away from the hustle and bustle of Washington DC but literally a piece of history. What price do you put on that?