Hickory Hill is a ghost of a house. Not in the "haunted by spirits" sense—though the history is thick enough to choke you—but because the version of it that lives in the American psyche doesn't really exist anymore. It’s been scrubbed, renovated, and sold.
If you drive through McLean, Virginia, today, you’ll find 1147 Chain Bridge Road looking sharp and stately. But for decades, the Robert F. Kennedy Hickory Hill home was anything but orderly. It was a beautiful, loud, chaotic mess of 11 children, a literal menagerie of animals, and the high-octane engine of the 1960s Kennedy political machine.
The Myth vs. The Reality of the "Kennedy Mansion"
Most people assume the Kennedys built the place. They didn't.
It was actually built around 1870 by a master carpenter named George Walters. He named it for the hickory trees that lined the driveway. Before the Kennedys ever touched the doorknobs, the house belonged to Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson.
Then came the "musical chairs" phase.
John F. Kennedy bought it from Jackson’s widow in 1955. He and Jackie moved in, and he actually wrote Profiles in Courage there. But the house became a place of grief for them. Jackie suffered a miscarriage in 1956, and she couldn't stand to look at the nursery they’d been preparing.
Bobby and Ethel, meanwhile, were basically outgrowing their house in Georgetown. They had five kids already and were heading toward 11. They bought Hickory Hill from Jack in 1957 for about $125,000.
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It Wasn't a Stately Home; It Was a Zoo
Honestly, calling it a "residence" is a stretch. It was more like a fraternity house crossed with a high-stakes war room.
The kids were everywhere. The dogs—and there were many—had free rein. Bobby Jr. famously kept a reptile house in the basement. We're talking snakes, lizards, and a literal turtle in the laundry room.
Visitors often walked into a scene of pure madness. One moment you’d be discussing civil rights with the Attorney General, and the next, a sea lion would be splashing in the swimming pool. That's not an exaggeration. They actually had a sea lion.
There was a sign in the yard that read "Trespassers Will Be Eaten." People thought it was a joke. Given the sheer number of animals and rowdy Kennedy boys, it might have been a warning.
The Hickory Hill Seminars: Brains and Beer
You’ve probably heard of the "Hickory Hill Seminars."
These weren't stuffy academic lectures. They were Bobby’s way of catching up on the education he felt he'd rushed through. He’d invite the smartest people in the world—John Glenn, Rachel Carson, Arthur Schlesinger Jr.—to give talks in the living room.
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They’d drink, eat, and then Bobby would grill them.
He had this "thousand and one questions" style of curiosity. He wanted to know what it felt like to be weightless in space or how a specific policy would actually affect a person in Harlem. It was a "Fraternity Party meets Intellectual Salon."
The Infamous Pool Parties
If you were invited to a party at Hickory Hill, you brought a spare suit. Or you just expected to get wet.
It became a legend. Dignitaries, movie stars like Grace Kelly, and Cabinet members would inevitably end up in the swimming pool—often fully clothed. Usually, someone was pushed.
Ethel was known to be just as competitive as Bobby. During their legendary touch football games, she once allegedly bit a guest on the ankle to keep them from catching a pass. They played to win. Always.
What Happened After 1968?
After Bobby was assassinated, the house changed.
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Ethel stayed there for decades, but as the kids grew up and moved out, the 13-bedroom mansion became a massive, crumbling burden. By the early 2000s, it was in rough shape. No central air. Ancient wiring.
She put it on the market in 2003 for a staggering $25 million. Nobody bought it.
It sat. The price dropped. And dropped.
Finally, in 2009, tech businessman Alan Dabbiere bought it for $8.25 million. He spent three years gutting the place and modernizing it. He kept the iconic white Georgian facade, but the "Kennedy" version of the interior—the one with the muddy footprints and the reptile basement—is gone.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you’re interested in the Kennedy legacy or historic Virginia real estate, there are a few things you should know about visiting or researching the site:
- It is a private residence. You cannot tour the inside of Hickory Hill. It is tucked away behind gates in McLean.
- The Langley Fork Historic District is where the house is situated. You can walk the surrounding area to see other historic structures, like the Langley Ordinary, which served as a Civil War hospital.
- The Library of Congress and the JFK Library hold the most authentic photos of the home's interior during the 1960s if you want to see the real, unpolished chaos.
- Don't confuse it with the Kennedy Compound. That's in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Hickory Hill was their "work" home; the Cape was their "play" home.
The Robert F. Kennedy Hickory Hill home stands as a reminder that history isn't just made in marble buildings in D.C. Sometimes, it’s made in a house where the kids are screaming, the dogs are barking, and the pool is full of people who probably should have known better.
Check out the National Register of Historic Places filings for the Langley Fork District to see the original architectural surveys of the property before the 2010 renovations.