Emirati Ambassador’s Residence
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Interpretive architectural study of the catalogued property.
1003–1005 Crest Lane, McLean, VA
Two connected houses occupy a riverside estate in McLean. The UAE acquired 1005 Crest Lane in 2006 and Hugh Newell Jacobsen’s White Residence at 1003 in 2012.
| Fact | Value | Basis and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Constructed | 1981 | documented 1003: county construction year 1981; Jacobsen’s design is dated 1978 and an addition to 1988. 1005: construction 2002, remodel 2009. The earliest construction year, 1981, is the compound’s catalogue sort value. |
| Acquired by UAE | 2006 & 2012 | documented 1005: 3 August 2006 for $11,000,000, deed 18662/2032. 1003: 13 September 2012 for $7,000,000, deed 22558/0006. These acquisition prices are separate from the 2026 assessed values. |
| Neighborhood | McLean | documented Both street addresses are in McLean, Fairfax County, Virginia. |
| Architect | Hugh Newell Jacobsen (1003) | documented The Jacobsen attribution applies to the White Residence at 1003 only. USModernist identifies Rodger Speas as project architect for the original house and Ernest Schickler for the 1988 addition. The original architect of 1005 has not been verified. |
| Rooms | 20–45 est. | estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this residential reception property, assume 55%–70% of the recorded 19,114 sq ft is enclosed usable room area, with an average 300–450 sq ft per room. The range combines the low fraction with the larger room size and the high fraction with the smaller size, rounded outward to five rooms. Room allocation and average size are assumptions. Above-grade rooms only; basement rooms are excluded. Estimated room range. |
| Floor area | 19,100 sq ft | verified; Fairfax County residential SFLA records for the two-property residence estate sum to 16,383 + 2,731 = 19,114 sq ft. This is reported above-grade living area; basements are excluded. Land and valuation retain the two-parcel estate scope. |
| Site area | 204,200 sq ft | verified; Fairfax County recorded land square footage (SF), summed once across estate parcels. Current land working-roll TAXYR is 2027; the valuation is separately fixed to 2026. Uses the recorded area in square feet. |
| 2026 Value | $28.0M | verified; Fairfax County 2026 APRTOT, land plus improvements, summed once across the identified estate parcels. Tax exemption does not imply zero value. |
| Diplomatic use | 2011 | verified; Fairfax County case FPUD-2011-228530, submitted 15 July 2011, explicitly identifies UAE Ambassador Residence at 1005 Crest Lane. Earliest documented diplomatic use at this address. The move-in date remains unresolved. The 1003 property was added in 2012. |
Scope and Evidence
The property record and model cover the connected houses at 1003 and 1005 Crest Lane. They form one catalogue entry, with parcel values summed once.
The wider photographed cluster also includes UAE-government-owned 1001 and 1009 Crest Lane. The intervening 1007 parcel is registered to Potomac Properties McLean LLC; the county report does not establish its ultimate ownership. These three neighboring properties are outside the connected-pair model and all displayed totals.
Fairfax County record FPUD-2011-228530, submitted 15 July 2011, explicitly identifies the UAE Ambassador Residence at 1005 Crest Lane, parcel 0224 05 0003A. Both parcels remain in UAE government ownership in the reviewed county record. Current personal occupancy was not independently verified; that uncertainty does not alter the identities, recorded ownership or physical locations of these buildings.
1005 Crest Lane: built 2002, remodeled 2009; acquired 3 August 2006 for $11 million; 16,383 sq ft recorded above grade, 103,725 sq ft of land and $16,490,350 TY2026 assessed value.
1003 Crest Lane: White Residence by Hugh Newell Jacobsen; county construction year 1981, design dated 1978, addition dated 1988; acquired 13 September 2012 for $7 million; 2,731 sq ft recorded above grade, 100,449 sq ft of land and $11,486,570 TY2026 assessed value. The low above-grade figure does not include its full daylight basement and should not be read as the area of every visible level.
The exterior drawing follows supplied aerial imagery dated 15 August 2023 and Street View imagery from April 2022. Other supplied 3D imagery is undated. Dimensions and concealed details are approximate.
The green terrace surfaces are visible in the supplied imagery; their material has not been identified.
DEMOR-2026-00345, submitted 28 July 2026, is a partial-demolition application with status Waiting for Corrections when checked on 22 October. The related rough-grading application is also pending. Neither application proves completed demolition, vacancy or relocation, and neither is represented as completed work in this historical-imagery model.
1019, 1049 and 1079 Crest Lane belong to separate later acquisitions and compound proposals; they are excluded from these area and value totals. The Massachusetts Avenue former residence is separately recorded as the current annex.
BOWA and Harper’s Bazaar document the McLean ambassadorial home and its historical interiors.
- icare.fairfaxcounty.gov
- icare.fairfaxcounty.gov
- icare.fairfaxcounty.gov
- plus.fairfaxcounty.gov
- plus.fairfaxcounty.gov
- services1.arcgis.com
- services1.arcgis.com
- services1.arcgis.com
- services1.arcgis.com
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- services1.arcgis.com
- services1.arcgis.com
- therealdeal.com
- washingtonlife.com
- www.bowa.com
- www.fairfaxcounty.gov
- www.fairfaxcounty.gov
- www.fairfaxcounty.gov
- www.fairfaxcounty.gov
- www.google.com
- www.harpersbazaararabia.com
- www.usmodernist.org
- www.wsj.com
Research Questions
Where Is Emirati Ambassador’s Residence?
1003–1005 Crest Lane, McLean, VA. Google Maps place point for 1005 Crest Lane, visible in the owner-supplied references; a building locator, not a surveyed parcel centroid or compound boundary.
When Was Emirati Ambassador’s Residence Built?
Constructed: 1981. Record status: documented. 1003: county construction year 1981; Jacobsen’s design is dated 1978 and an addition to 1988. 1005: construction 2002, remodel 2009. The earliest construction year, 1981, is the compound’s catalogue sort value.
Who Designed Emirati Ambassador’s Residence?
Architect: Hugh Newell Jacobsen (1003). Record status: documented. The Jacobsen attribution applies to the White Residence at 1003 only. USModernist identifies Rodger Speas as project architect for the original house and Ernest Schickler for the 1988 addition. The original architect of 1005 has not been verified.
What Is the Floor Area of Emirati Ambassador’s Residence?
Floor area: 19,100 sq ft. Record status: verified. Fairfax County residential SFLA records for the two-property residence estate sum to 16,383 + 2,731 = 19,114 sq ft. This is reported above-grade living area; basements are excluded. Land and valuation retain the two-parcel estate scope. Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.
What Is the Site Area of Emirati Ambassador’s Residence?
Site area: 204,200 sq ft. Record status: verified. Fairfax County recorded land square footage (SF), summed once across estate parcels. Current land working-roll TAXYR is 2027; the valuation is separately fixed to 2026. Uses the recorded area in square feet. Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.
What Is the 2026 Value of Emirati Ambassador’s Residence?
2026 Value: $28.0M. Record status: verified. Fairfax County 2026 APRTOT, land plus improvements, summed once across the identified estate parcels. Tax exemption does not imply zero value. This is a tax assessment, not a verified sale price or market valuation. Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.