Tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House Through Time
It’s been disassembled, moved, and reassembled two—yes, two—times. But Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House looks almost exactly as it did back when it was built in 1941. This is thanks, in part, to a recent restoration of its exterior siding, which you read all about in the Winter 2017 issue of Preservation magazine.
In this story, we'll take you on a tour of Pope-Leighey House—a National Trust Historic Site in Alexandria, Virginia—showing how it looked before its final move in 1996, and how it looks today.
photo by: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS VA,30-FALCH,2--10
The east and north facades of Pope-Leighey House, as seen in 1969.
photo by: Lincoln Barbour
The exterior siding restoration was completed in 2015.
photo by: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS VA,30-FALCH,2--4
The geometric window patterns on the east side of the house.
photo by: Lincoln Barbour
Today, Pope-Leighey House is one of the best examples of Wright's Usonian house design.
photo by: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS VA,30-FALCH,2--19
The living room in the 1960s, featuring a built-in bookcase and furniture designed by Wright.
photo by: Lincoln Barbour
The bookcase, board-and-batten walls, brickwork, and ribbon of clerestory windows emphasizes the house's horizontality.
photo by: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS VA,30-FALCH,2--5
The cantilevered fireplace and dining area.
photo by: Lincoln Barbour
Wright designed an open floorplan for the house to make it feel bigger.
photo by: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS VA,30-FALCH,2--23
Wright referred to the kitchen, shown here in 1969, as the "workspace."
photo by: Lincoln Barbour
The tall slot window in the kitchen fills the small space with light.
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