Jackson, MS…The Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA/the Museum) has confirmed its acquisition of Fountainhead, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed property in Jackson’s Fondren neighborhood following approval by the Jackson Planning and Zoning Board and City Council. The residence and its furnishings were designed by the renowned architect in 1948, and completed in 1954 for J. Willis Hughes, who lived in the home with his family until 1980.
The single-family home was next purchased by the late architect Robert Parker Adams who spent years restoring it. In June, Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty listed the property. On the National Registry of Historic Places since 1980, it was originally named the Hughes House but is also known as Fountainhead because it is believed Ayn Rand’s novel “The Fountainhead” was based on Wright’s life. Also, due to the level changes afforded by the site’s sloping topography, Wright extended the bedroom wing into the landscape with a fountain that feeds into a swimming pool that, in turn, feeds into a stream.
Inspired by the success of institutions like Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its acquisition of the Wright-designed Bachman-Wilson House, MMA leadership is expanding its mission by purchasing this significant architectural landmark and making it available to the public for tours with advanced reservations. The purchase is part of the Museum’s strategic goals to embed the Museum in neighborhoods across the city in ways that help accomplish their community building priorities.
For more information, visit www.msmuseumart.org
G. Douglas Adams Photography