John Glenn's House
On February 20, 1962: Arlington's adopted son, John Glenn, became the first American to orbit the earth.
On February 20, 1962, Arlington's adopted son, John Glenn, became the first American to orbit the earth.
Born in Ohio, Glenn became a Marine test pilot and veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. Glenn was commuting almost four hours a day between Maryland’s Patuxent Naval Air Station and a desk assignment in temporary offices on the National Mall. He and his wife, Annie, and their two children were attracted to Arlington in 1958 by good schools and a tree-shaded neighborhood on North Harrison Street. Their son, David, and daughter, Lyn, walked across their street to attend Williamsburg Junior High School.
In less than a year, Glenn was accepted by the newly formed NASA and its Mercury Project to put men in space. But despite the 180-mile weekly commute to Langley Research Center in Hampton, the family preferred to stay in Arlington.
The Glenn mission was set initially for December 1961, but weather and technical issues forced almost a dozen "no-gos." Annie Glenn and their children kept vigil by the television at North Harrison Street as reporters and other rubberneckers waited outside. After one frustrating no-go countdown in January 1962, Vice President Lyndon Johnson was left to fume in his limousine down the street when Mrs. Glenn refused to open her home to a photo-op. Glenn fully supported his wife’s decision and dared his superiors on their threats to bump him from the mission.
Finally, on February 20, 1962, Glenn orbited the earth three times, becoming America’s—and Arlington’s --favorite son. Amid the pomp and fame, the Glenns continued to call Arlington their home. Being minutes from the capital city enabled Glenn to develop a closer relationship with President John F. Kennedy. Glenn often hosted events at home on Harrison Street, including goodwill barbecues for a visiting Soviet cosmonaut, other dignitaries, and Vice-President Johnson.
As NASA began the US push to land on the moon, the new spaceflight center in Houston put Arlington out of commuting range, and in 1963, the Glenn family moved to Texas. In 2020, the property was sold for $1 million, and the house was torn down to make way for new construction.
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