AOL co-founder sells Jackie O’s childhood home to Saudi government

Diplomatic delegations from Saudi Arabia can now expect an immersive American history lesson on their stateside visits that will now likely include spending time at Merrywood, a seven-acre estate overlooking the Potomac River where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lived as a child.

The Saudi government bought the 23,000-square-foot home from AOL co-founder Steve Case and his wife Jean in a sale that closed last week, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Cases bought the house in 2005 for under $25 million and first listed the property last year for nearly $50 million.

When Jackie lived in Merrywood, it was owned by Standard Oil’s Hugh Auchincloss, the second husband of Jackie’s mother.

“The Saudi government understands the historical significance of the Merrywood home and has tremendous respect for its place in American history,” a spokeswoman told the Journal. Merrywood is one of several multi-million dollar real estate purchases the country has made in the area since the early 1990s.

The buyer’s representative, Monica Boyd of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, told the Journal the $43 million sale of Merrywood is the most expensive deal in the Washington, D.C. area to date. [WSJ] — Erin Hudson