History
The first structures on the site of Morven Park date to about 1780. A fieldstone house built by Wilson Cary Seldon is now a part of the north wing of the main house, stuccoed over to match the rest of the mansion. Judge Thomas Swann acquired the property about 1808. Around 1830 Swann built the center two-story portion of the house, with flanking pavilions. It is not known whether the pavilions were initially linked to the house, but the renovations included the prominent tetrastyle Greek Revival portico that dominates the front. While the brick structure remains, now stuccoed, none of the Swann interiors exist. Swann's son, Thomas Jr., began a remodeling program around 1850, using the Baltimore firm of E.G. Lind and William T. Murdock as architects, converting the Palladian house to the Italianate style with four towers, including one that was to be five stories tall, stated by The Buildings of Virginia to resemble Queen Victoria's Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. The pavilions were by this time linked to the main house. The towers were later removed. Thomas Swann Jr.'s daughter and her husband, Dr. Shirley Carter, made more changes, adding a music room at the rear of the main house with an octagonal end.
Westmoreland Davis bought the house in 1903 and expanded it again. Davis raised the height of the hyphens to two stories and reworked the interior. Davis, a New York lawyer, had roots in Virginia and made Morven Park into an agricultural showpiece, while his wife developed formal gardens near the house.
In the 1970s, Morven Park was home to the Morven Park International Equestrian Institute. The Institute was a training center for advanced dressage, 3-day eventing, and show jumping. More than one rider trained at Morven Park went on to international equestrian competition. In its day, Morven Park and the Potomac Horse Center were considered the two most prestigious riding schools in the United States. Today, the barns still stand and the gift shop is located in what used to be a student dormitory.
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