2 min readThe Georgetown home that belonged to Jackie and John F. Kennedy in the years leading up to their time in the White House hit the market last October for $7.5 million. This was months before the premiere of the Ryan Murphy–produced Love Story, which kicked off a freshwave of interest in the Kennedy family. Now, nearly seven months after the house first became available, the property has sold for $6.125 million, per Mansion Global. That’s more than 18 percent less than its original asking price.
As the deed is not yet publicly available, the outlet could not identify the buyer, who was represented by Sotheby’s agent Kelly Garret. “My clients loved all of the light, elegance and, of course, the garden,” she explained.
A fireplace in one of the parlor areas.
Known as the Marbury House, the Federal-style residence dates to 1811 and was originally owned by another crucial figure in American history, William Marbury, whose landmark Supreme Court case—Marbury v. Madison—established judicial review.
The 5,200-square-foot townhouse, which has five bedrooms, was the first home ever owned by the Kennedys in Washington. The couple acquired it for $82,000 in 1957, when John was the junior senator from Massachusetts, per Donald Spoto’s 2000 book, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life. After moving in, the future First Lady spent a reported $18,000 on a remodel that included decorating the interiors with choice antiques. The couple was living in the house when they welcomed both of their children, Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr.
John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, leave their Georgetown home for the White House, where they had coffee with President Eisenhower prior to the 1961 inauguration ceremonies.
The three-story home also served as an informal campaign headquarters during the 1960 presidential election, which Kennedy won. Per the listing, a slew of advisors and cabinet appointees were said to have met with the President-elect in the house following the race. The couple was notably captured departing the stately residence prior to the 1961 inauguration ceremony. President Kennedy and the First Lady sold the residence after moving their family into the White House later that year.
One of the home’s five bedrooms.
The most recent owners, Vincent Griski and Cameron Knight, acquired the townhouse in 2004 for $3.35 million, reported the Wall Street Journal. As stewards of the historic property, they made a few sensitive updates, such as restoring a firebox that had been sealed and replacing the drawing room mantles. Knight also revamped the rear outdoor space, replacing boxwood hedges with an array of new plantings including dogwood trees. They decided to part with the property now that their children are grown.
Go Inside Jackie and John F. Kennedy’s Former Georgetown Home
The Marbury House was listed with Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.