Celebrity Neighbor Trades McLean for Potomac Estate

When you own the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards, making trades becomes a part of your job. But McLean celebrity neighbor Ted Leonsis showed off his top trading skills when he swapped his mansion in McLean for a historic estate in Potomac.

Ted Leonsis, who made his first fortune as a pioneer creator of AOL, swapped his McLean mansion just off Georgetown Pike for Nextel founder Chris Rogers’ home, the famous Marwood Estate, located on 13 acres in Potomac, Md., overlooking the river.

Leonsis has not said how much he paid for the new home. Rogers, our new McLean neighbor, paid $9 million for the 10,000 square foot house complete with a large gate to guarantee their privacy. The luxurious home is assessed for nearly $7 million.

The swap/sale occurred in January but just showed up in the Fairfax County real estate transactions last week. The transactions are published after they have been recorded by the county tax office, not after the deeds have been recorded in the county courthouse.

In his blog post at the time, Leonsis said, ”My wife Lynn and I are very excited to be moving into such a significant local home on the river front here in the DC area and we promise to respect the tradition and history of this estate. The Rogers family has in turn purchased our home in McLean, Virginia. Chris and Nalini will live in this lovely home with their family until they find their next dream property and develop it to their exact family specifications.”

Washingtonian Magazine reported in January 2006 that Neurosurgeon Yonas Zegeye and his wife, H. Seleshi Zegeye, sold Marwood, a historic riverfront estate in Potomac, to telecommunications executive Chris Rogers and his wife, Nalini, for $4.91 million.

"The chateaulike mansion was rented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as John F. Kennedy's parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, in the 1930s. Built in 1931, the 11-bedroom, 11-bathroom house sits on 13 acres and has views of the Potomac River. Rogers was one of the founders of Fleet Call, which became Nextel Communications," Washingtonian reported.

Business Inside ran a series of pictures of the estate, inside and out, when it reported the deal in January.

According to AOL Real Estate, Marwood was renovated in 2011 and tons of goodies were added, including a new underground parking garage.

Our new McLean residents no longer have a river view but they do have a mansion with:

Of course, there is a tennis court and a swimming pool. Built in 1999, it appears from Fairfax County land records that the home has had only one previous owner.

Not to worry, other members of the AOL alumni society remain as McLean neighbors. They include Steve Case, who lives in his own historic estate on the Virginia side of the river, Merrywood, former address of a young Jacqueline Kennedy. And neighbor James Kimsey.