Mississippi Museum of Art has acquired Fountainhead, the Usonian house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

The Mississippi Museum of Art has officially acquired Fountainhead, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home located in Jackson’s Fondren neighborhood, after approval by the Jackson Planning and Zoning Board and the City Council. The home, along with its furnishings, was conceived by the celebrated architect in 1948 and completed in 1954 for oil entrepreneur J. Willis Hughes, who lived there with his family until 1980.

Later, the property was purchased by architect Robert Parker Adams, now deceased, who devoted many years to its restoration. Last June, the house was put back on the market by Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as early as 1980, it was originally known as Hughes House, but is also called Fountainhead, since the novel The Wonderful Spring (The Fountainhead) by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand is believed to have been inspired by Wright’s life. In addition, to accommodate the steeply sloping terrain, Wright extended the bedroom wing, incorporating a fountain that feeds a pool, from which a small stream flows.

The Mississippi Museum of Art decided to purchase this important example of modern architecture. The intention is to make it accessible to the public with guided tours by appointment, after extensive restoration work. The museum will enter into partnerships with architectural and restoration experts to initiate the work and prepare a long-term maintenance plan. Management and programming of the residence will be entrusted to the museum, which will ensure its protection and enhancement for future generations. A shuttle service will connect the house to the museum’s main campus in downtown Jackson. The public opening date will be announced soon.

Fountainhead constitutes an example of a Usonian house, as Wright defined single-story bungalows designed for middle-class American families. These homes are distinguished by the use of local materials, flat roofs with cantilevered overhangs, abundant natural lighting and other architectural solutions typical ofWrightian architecture. Designed when Wright was 81 years old, the house includes four bedrooms, two master and two half-baths, with a total area of about 320 square meters, including basement and porches.

The house features Frank Lloyd Wright’s core principles: harmony with nature and organic design. The innovative layout follows the movements of the land, which resulted in the building’s distinctive parallelogram shape. Diamond geometry recurs everywhere, influencing both the layout of the walls and the configuration of the interior spaces. Clad internally with red cypress wood, the house was built without traditional partition walls, nor plasterboard, brick, tile, carpet or paint. Large windows allow natural light to penetrate the rooms and offer continuous glimpses of the surrounding landscape. Other features include custom furnishings designed by Wright, wood floors and shutters, skylights, a carport, a terrace, three fireplaces, and the original copper roof.

Mississippi Museum of Art has acquired Fountainhead, the Usonian house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

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