On November 20, 2025, the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA/the Museum) 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.
“Like Eudora Welty’s House and Garden and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home, Fountainhead will become a must-see destination and unique experience for residents of and visitors to Jackson,” Lisa Percy, MMA Board of Trustees Chair, said.
“Under the Museum’s stewardship, Fountainhead will become a dynamic extension of MMA’s offerings,” MMA Laurie Hearin McRee Director Betsy Bradley said. “The site will be open to visitors for the first time, allowing access to this national treasure, inviting visitors to engage deeply with Mississippi’s architectural heritage and design legacy. In addition, Fountainhead will be activated through partnerships that enable it to preserve this important story and extensive archival collections related to it.”
MMA will begin work with architecture and restoration professionals to restore the home and fund a plan to maintain it properly into perpetuity. The property will be maintained and programmed under the Museum’s direction, ensuring its preservation and relevance for generations to come. Buses will shuttle visitors to the house from the Museum’s main campus in downtown Jackson. MMA will announce the opening date to the public at a future date.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead
Fountainhead is an example of what Frank Lloyd Wright called Usonian homes—typically designed as a single-level bungalow for middle-income families in the United States. Usonian homes feature native material, flat roofs and cantilevered overhangs, and natural lighting among other architectural elements. Designed by Wright when he was 81, Fountainhead contains four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and two half bathrooms across 3,558 square feet including the basement and porches.
The .97-acre property integrates Wright’s signature principles of harmony with nature and organic design. The innovative design follows the contours of the landscape which determined its parallelogram shape for the module nestled into a wooded hillside. The diamond-shape geometry is repeated throughout the house and dictated the placement of the walls and shape of the interior spaces.
With the walls and ceilings made of Heart Tidewater Red Cypress wood, the house was built without stud walls, sheetrock, brick, tile, carpeting, or paint. Large windows enable ample natural light and offer views of the wooded landscape. Additional elements include Wright-designed built-in furniture, hardwood floors, wooden shutters, skylights, a carport, terrace, three fireplaces, and the original copper-sheeted roof.
