Known now as "The Cedars"
& the "Doubleday Mansion"
Howard Hughes' Secret Get-A-Way!
the mystery of The Cedars.
(The Cedars)
February 1946
(TWA File Photo)
One lady I have become acquainted with is Ruth Richter. Her father Paul Richter who was not only one of the founding fathers of TWA, who served as executive vice-president of the world-wide airline. Ruth lived with her parents in Kansas City, MO. On one particular occasion, Paul and his wife were en route to Washington D.C. and little Ruthie was to join them there. Although Ruth often flew on TWA commercial flights, it just so happened that Jack was in Kansas City and was ready to fly to Washington in his private plane, this was either his Electra or Lodestar. "Uncle Jack," as she calls him flew her up to DCA. Since her parents had not yet arrived Jack drove her out to the Virginia Estate to spend the night with Helen and him. When Ruth dined with Jack and Helen that evening she remembers sitting at a long daunting dining room table. Beautifully appointed with silver candelabras they were served by a butler and chef. Quite an experience for this young girl! Yet surprisingly, another little girl, Helen's niece, remembers a similar experience in 1944. She sat at a long elegant table and was served by a dark skinned cook who kept serving her more and more food, finally being able to hold no more she ran upstairs to a pink powder room and lost her dinner. She relates the swimming pool stands out in her mind, "because such luxury was unheard of in those days."
During this time period Jack and Helen Frye were often guests at the White House, as they were associated with the Roosevelt family and Harry S. Truman. The latter often was seen at Hillcrest Farm, as he and Jack were close friends. One undocumented example of the comings and goings at the mansion, was that there was once an unannounced guest at the front door, when the door was opened, it was Winston Churchill, he was in the area, and was just dropping by to chat!
To read about this exciting time period, please read the letters that Helen Frye wrote while she actually lived at Hillcrest Farm, describing her and Jack's amazing life there! Also please see the famous Fortune Magazine article on this page, paragraph: "From Cairo to Cathay," which mentions Hillcrest Farm and the activities executed there.
Information for this section has been compiled in part from interviews with Helen and Jack's personal chef and lifelong friend, Evangeline Brown. Also Helen and Jack's Godson, Aubrey. I cannot thank these wonderful people enough for sharing their rich memories, and their love and respect for Jack and Helen Frye! As well many thanks to the Stackelberg family. It must be noted that Evangeline, the Baroness, and Helen were all very close, much like sisters. Their eternal friendship was that sacred expression only true "girlfriends" can understand. The friendship was further cemented by the fact that Evangeline's husband worked for Jack and TWA, as did the Baron Steno Stackelberg. As matter of fact the Baron did much to help TWA secure their oversea routes! The Baron and Aubrey were two of Jack's most intimate friends and confidants.
After 2 years of searching for this estate, at last an exciting breakthrough! The street address of the mansion has been uncovered from TWA documents, and Jack and Helen Frye's Washington address. This has enabled me to locate the actual property which is still well-known in Arlington, but now with a different name, and address. I am currently trying to document the house and its history! Please see some of my research outlined below.
At risk of repeating myself on this page, I will relate what I know about this mansion, its past and current state.
During the war, one of Jack Frye's biggest dreams for TWA was to launch the airline into world-wide service. This vision did not come without a high price: the eventual sacrifice of his position with TWA. But the end result, in retrospect was glorious and rewarding. It was because of this man's vision, that TWA did indeed become the very first Trans-World-Airline. How did all this culminate? With the modern and advanced TWA Constellation airliner. A project often credited solely to Howard Hughes, who at the time was one of TWA's largest stockholders. This in fact is simply not true. The Constellation was initiated between TWA and Lockheed, before Howard Hughes ever came online with the company. Reprinted below are the actual words Jack Frye wrote to Look Magazine, after the expose' they did on Howard Hughes in 1954.
After the article ran in Look magazine, Jack Frye felt compelled to make the following statement:
Discrepancies Reported-
As a reader of Look, I have noted with personal interest the references made to me and TWA in your current series of articles, (Look, February 23) on "Oil, Airplanes, Movies and Women -- The Howard Hughes Story."
A number of my friends in the aviation field have called my attention to, and I have recognized as much myself, several gross errors appearing in the article of the February 23 issue which refers to Mr. Hughes' introduction to TWA and that part concerning me. As much for the present and future welfare and reputation of TWA as for myself and your readers, I think these errors should be corrected.
The references concerning the part Mr. Hughes performed in connection with the Boeing Stratoliner and Constellation are grossly exaggerated.....TWA had already secured bids from one manufacturer on the airplane in question that ultimately evolved into the Constellation -- before Mr. Hughes ever showed interest in TWA or became its principle stockholder.
In conclusion, I would like to say that Mr. Hughes deserves credit for having the courage to financially support the purchase of the Stratoliner and Constellation after he purchased a stock interest in TWA."
Jack Frye New York, N.Y.
(This letter was published on April 6, 1954 in Look Magazine)
By late summer of 1943, Helen Frye was delegated to find TWA the perfect residence which could be used to entertain the very highest level of the government and corporate world. The location needed to be near Washington D.C.- location of the new TWA corporate office. This hastily set-up TWA headquarters, at The Ring Building, (formerly a Y.M.C.A. location), was to become a crucial nerve center for TWA. For about 6 years. Monumental decisions were made here that insured the future success of this great company.
Helen started canvassing the countryside around the Potomac River in Virginia, directly across from the White House in late 1943. What she eventually found was described in a letter, written by Helen herself in February 1944, shortly after the Frye's had settled into the TWA mansion. In part, I quote:
"We are now established in our country house in Washington, which in my opinion, is a pretty poor substitute for the ranch, but still very, very much better than hotel life. The house is about 200 years old, and has seventy acres of land with a lovely swimming pool. We are going to get a couple of riding horses and stock the place soon. Do you think you would ever consider an eastern trip? Jack and I would both enjoy very much having you come and spend a month with us."
Note: (The pool Helen referred to was installed by TWA after it was decided that the mansion would become the official executive residence for TWA.)
Was the estate purchased or leased by TWA? This has never been positively verified, but I am researching the matter. Some people infer it was leased, but the facts are confusing. First the swimming pool TWA financed likely would not have been approved for a house that was leased. Also it has recently come to my attention that around the time Jack resigned from TWA in February of 1947, TWA decided to sell the "executive residence." This indicates to me that TWA possibly by that time owned the property outright. From the TWA Executive Committee meeting minutes, I quote:
"SALE OF EXECUTIVE RESIDENCE, WASHINGTON D.C.
Mr. Bradley then stated that in his opinion, the financial condition of the company did not justify the maintenance of the executive residence in Washington, D.C. The matter was discussed in detail and the opinion was expressed by all members that this property should be disposed of when, and if, a reasonable deal could be worked out. It was agreed that the property should be appraised and other proper steps be taken, looking to the ultimate disposal of the property."
Please note:
Jack Frye, president of TWA, was in attendance as a member of this committee, and totally agreed with the action.
TWA Board of Director Meeting:
February 25th, 1947
"HOCKLEY ESTATE-WASHINGTON D.C.
The matter of disposing of the Hockley Estate, D.C. was discussed, but no decision was reached pending a report to be made by the real estate appraisers."
I have discussed these TWA notations with a seasoned Real Estate Title Law expert, and a former board member himself, and the minutes to him indicate the house was likely owned by that time, not leased.
What we do know, is for over 100 years it has been identified as the "Doubleday Mansion." Purchased in 1898, by Col. Charles and Sarah Doubleday the mansion was well over 100 years old at that time. Yes, it appears they were connected to the Doubleday dynasty, but it is not sure just how they fit in. Throughout the years many names and associations have been attached to the property, Helen and Jack called it "Hillcrest Farm." The TWA Board of Directors called it the "Hockley Estate," and at times the "TWA Executive Residence." Another name that is known to apply to the property was "The Admiral Wilkinson School for Boys," which was, it is assumed, its nature prior to TWA acquiring the property. Helen personally saw to the renovation of the mansion, which TWA in turn paid for. There was controversy within TWA as to the expenditures it doled out on the property. However, Jack and Helen can be thanked at this point in time, for the divine insight to establish the residence in the first place. The funds were entirely justified, as the property was the pivotal vehicle that enabled TWA, through entertaining and lobbying in a strategic location, to secure the overseas routes that established its status as the very first trans-world airline, and guaranteed the company's future success.
In Robert Serling's famous book: "Howard Hughes' Airline," Serling refers to the property as the "Four Winds." This was the name Howard applied to the property when he stayed there. However I have not found any other references to the mansion by this name. The house was said to have views of the Potomac in four directions. Keep in mind this property sits on a crest, and the mansion, it is said has the highest and best views of vistas in all directions. Bravo, Helen Vanderbilt Frye, for you are documented with the full credit of finding the property in 1943, and it bodes well of your history of establishing similar residences in Sedona, Arizona.
For more than a year I delayed writing about it, hoping to fathom the mystery of its builders, Colonel Charles William Doubleday and his wife, Sarah Louise. They were obviously wealthy and cultured and are said to have entertained notables of Washington and cavalry officers of Fort Myer. Their Virginia neighbors did not know them personally and are unable to tell me who they were, from whence they came, why they left such beauty, where they went, and whether or not they had heirs.
Their name is uncommon, and I wonder if there is a relationship to General Abner Doubleday who was recognized as the "father" of our national game, baseball. The couple is unknown to the Doubleday family of the well-known publishing company. The little we do know about Colonel and Mrs. Charles W. Doubleday comes from the land records at the Court House. These same records turned up some interesting facts about the site of the home and its various names.
This was part of the Thomas Going patent which, with the Owsley tract of the previous chapter, was later acquired by the Mason family of Gunston Hall and Analostan Island. John Mason's financial difficulties led to foreclosure in the 1830's by the Bank of the United States. It was sold in 1848 to William Jewell of Georgetown, as related in the previous chapter.
The Doubleday mansion shows evidence of having been built at different periods; beneath the white paint, the bricks of the wings are of a different color and bond. The older central section may have been built by Charles Bradley, a bachelor of Georgetown whose relatives had a liking for attractive country estates. His grandfather, Assistant Postmaster General Abraham Bradley had charge of bringing the official records by boat from Philadelphia to the new Federal City in 1800. Abraham had a townhouse in Washington and a country estate, "Chevy-Chase," which is the site of the Chevy Chase Country Club. In August 1814 when the British burned the Capitol, several Cabinet-members took refuge there, bringing important records. Another relative, William A. Bradley, purchased Analostan Island in 1855.
Included in the Doubleday tract is the site of Mason's Mill on the west bank of Spout Run, described on page 50.
The Doubledays extended the existing house on both sides, creating a beautiful pillared mansion, which they named The Cedars. On March 16, they sold to Harry Wardman, builder of Wardman Park Hotel (now the Sheraton-Park.) Three years later it was purchased by the Richard Harlows. They named it Hockley, for Mr. Harlow's ancestral estate in Maryland. Mr. Harlow was the builder of the Montana Railroad (nicknamed The Jawbone), and the owner of a large ranch in Montana. Their daughter, Catherine, married Theodore Wilkinson, and came to live at Hockley after the death of Mrs. Harlow in 1923.
During World War II, Vice Admiral Wilkinson commanded Halsey's Third Amphibious Force. Following Admiral Wilkinson's death at the end of the war, Mrs. Wilkinson moved to Washington. She later married Admiral Sir Henry Moore and now resides in England. Her daughter, Ann Wilkinson, inherited Hockley; she is now Mrs. Ralph W. Hunter of Hanover, New Hampshire.
Then, in 1946, a lease of ten years with an option to buy was granted to Trans-World-Airlines through its president, the late Jack Frye. A token rent was to be supplemented by the lessee's investment of a specified amount in improvements. Mr. Frye remodeled the entire interior. Within two years, Howard Hughes, who owned the controlling interest in the corporation and the lessor dissolved the lease by mutual consent.
It was then (1948) that the estate was purchased by G. Grant Mason, Jr., one of the founders of Pan-American Airways, an original member of the Civil Aeronautics Board and currently vice-chairman of the Board of Vision, Inc. The Masons were looking for a hotel-sized home with ample acreage for their six children and numerous dogs. It is good to see a mansion become a family home, its proper destiny. It is now named Peakleigh, which combines parts of the names of the mothers of both Mr. and Mrs. Mason.
Please note: Until I find evidence to the contrary, and in view of Helen Frye's letters from the mansion, I have to assume that Ms. Templeman was in error on the above date of 1946. It appears the date was actually 1943, unless perhaps TWA rented the house for several years before signing a lease in 1946. However, it is most unlikely that TWA would have signed a 10 year lease in 1946, when by that time they knew the property had well served its purpose. The article does clear up a few issues with the improvements made by TWA, to a supposed leased house. But it does not explain why the TWA Board of Directors were seeking an appraisal. Possibly they were trying to decide if the property should be purchased, and re-sold, or the current lease dissolved. Another note of interest is that Ms. Templeman indicates that Howard Hughes personally dissolved the lease. This was not possible, as Howard did not have the power to intervene with TWA business in this manner, he never held any official position with the company. However, he did have controlling interest, through vote, on the board. The real conclusion to this entire mystery will only come from me traveling to Virginia and going through court documents. By the time I finish The Helen Frye Story, I will have all the facts.
The above photo of The Cedars Mansion, and the photo below is courtesy of Eleanor Lee Reading Templeman and Nan Netherton. It is from the book authored by these two ladies entitled: Northern Virginia Heritage 1966
Randy:
The Doubleday property was a part of an original patent grant of 640 acres to Thomas Owsley (also spelled Ousley) in 1696. George Mason (1690-1735), the father of George Mason of Gunston Hall, purchased the land in 1717 (I found a reference but have not found the deed in our records.) We do know that George Mason of Gunston Hall resurveyed and re-patented the land in 1767, clearing up the boundary questions. At his death in 1792 he willed all his land in that area -- around 2000 acres -- to his son John Mason who built a house near there on Analostan Island (now Theodore Roosevelt Island) and also had a house near Georgetown, just across the river. It is unlikely that he had a house on the property you are interested in. In 1833 John Mason lost all his property in that area when it was taken by the Bank of the U.S. as collateral for non-payment of his debts. There is supposedly a survey of Mason's property done for the Bank of the U.S. in 1836 by Lewis Carberry. I do not have a copy of that map but it would show if there were any structures on the land.
Kevin Shupe
Library, Internet & Technology Manager
Gunston Hall Plantation
10709 Gunston Road; Mason Neck, VA 22079
www.gunstonhall.org
Further history of the Doubleday Mansion will continue to be researched, information will be added as it is uncovered.
Interesting recollections about Hughes by the late Evangeline Brown are clearly recalled. A meeting was scheduled at the house with a group of very important business men. Hughes was to attend but no one could find him. Jack got together a secret recovery team and started a search. It seems Howard had been in another plane accident. Once located, somewhere in the desert, he was whisked back to DCA where he was immediately transported to Hillcrest Farm. There he was quietly brought into the kitchen of the mansion. Evangeline herself cleaned him up; Howard standing at the kitchen sink in his shorts, blood and grease from head to toe. After he was presentable and dressed in an appropriate attire, he entered the meeting, which by now was in progress. Hidden from the men that Howard had been in another accident they were none the wiser. The nature of the meeting would have been compromised by Howard's behavior. Jack and Helen, along with many others were always covering for Hughes.
Helen had a wonderful canine companion that she rescued when she was married to Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr. This German Shepherd was named Sonja, and is mentioned on this page in personal letters from Hillcrest Farm, by Helen Frye. At Hillcrest, the dog was never allowed upstairs. This dictated by Jack, who felt the dog's place was downstairs, not in the private quarters of the mansion. However- this dog proved to have quite an intuitive sense. Late one evening in the wee hours of the morning the phone rang. Jack answered it, only to learn that a TWA airliner had crashed, with fatalities. Somberly he replaced the phone and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Helen, awake by now was trying to comfort him. At that moment Helen heard Sonja come up the stairs and into the master suite where she walked straight over to Jack and gently laid her head in his lap. Jack was overwhelmed by the dog's sensitivity and compassion for his anguish. A side of Jack Frye rarely seen, a man crying for the loss of passengers he could not save. The safety of every person at TWA rested solely on Jack's shoulders, a burden not always easily carried by this giant of a man. From that point on, Sonja was allowed upstairs whenever she desired, and Jack would take her on flights whenever possible. She would sit in the cockpit between Jack and Helen in their private Lockheeds, and proudly sit beside Jack when he would pilot TWA airliners. Thanks to Rosie Armijo and Evangeline for this story.
as told by Helen Frye
“The first time I met FDR, I was shocked to see that he was in a wheelchair. I was not previously privy to the fact that he had been afflicted by polio.”
Many citizens were not aware that Franklin Delano Roosevelt had limited use of his legs. The handicap was kept from the nation at large and at the time television was in its infancy.
Helen Frye was also remembered to have said that one time when she was invited to a dinner at the White House that the president fed his dog from the dinner table. She was touched that he had that kind of love for animals. This, Helen said, endeared her to him from that point on. Of course we know that Helen Frye was a avid animal lover and advocate, later even a founder of the Sedona Humane Society. It is not clear "which" president she was referring to with this comment but with a little investigation the trail leads straight to Harry S. Truman who was himself a great lover of animals. Roosevelt was not known to have had pets in the White House, but Truman did. Jack and Harry would get together as time allowed and fly off in Jack’s Lockheed plane on hunting and fishing trips. As well, Jack and Helen entertained Truman often at their mansion in Arlington, Virginia. At the Frye mansion, Truman could get together with his peers to relax and play poker. Jack Frye was a pivotal and powerful man of the Democratic Party. If you wanted something done you could count on Jack Frye!
now known as- 2145 North 24th Street- Arlington, Virginia
Daisy R. Khalifa.
Please click for larger files.
It appears the property was purchased by the current owners in 1978. Today it is no longer a private V.I.P. residence, but rather, more akin to a high level presidential retreat. The most elite members of our government and corporate world still meet within the stately walls, but in our current day the meetings appear to be of a more clandestine nature. In front of the marbled fireplaces and within the hushed shadows of the 20-some rooms, the mansion is a cloak and dagger affair, apparently one which shares no secrets. A compound, by no other accurate description, seen by some as a mini-Camp David of sorts for the current religious, corporate, and government leaders of our world. This all enhanced at times with machine gun toting sentry guards and it is said, endless numbers of bullet proof limousines stealthily negotiating the long winding drive of the estate.........
Imagine Helen Vanderbilt Frye that long ago day walking through the estate's musty corridors with a real estate agent sizing up its attributes with no idea she was setting into motion a dignitary association that is still being practiced at this residence some 60 years later! Not surprising for this amazing woman however, as her former husband, Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr. dined with Kings, and it was in this very mansion that Jack Frye, a staunch Democrat and intimate friend of President Harry Truman, was encouraged by his political peers to run for President of the United States. This campaign proposal dissolved however when Jack after careful consideration, stated he was much too busy running TWA, and later Aniline Film Corporation, to effectively tackle such a monumental challenge.
the 'Camelot Years of Transcontinental and Western Air' and the Future of Aviation!"
Transcontinental and Western Air
Historic Webpage
and the exclusive property of the Sedona Legend Helen Frye Website.
All Rights Reserved
Sedona Legend Helen Frye