POTOMAC, MD: Norton Manor, the 47,000-square-foot home of Indian American entrepreneur Frank Islam and his wife, Debbie Driesman, was termed the “largest residential compound recently built in the DC metropolitan area” by the CBS local affiliate WUSA 9. It also is considered one of the 100 largest houses in the United States. The sprawling Neoclassical in the upscale Washington suburb of Potomac, MD, consists of three buildings.
Like the White House, after which many of the features of the mansion were modeled, it has West and East wings. In space, the Norton Manor nearly rivals the 55,000-square-foot White House. The Islam residence has nearly 32,000-square-foot of main living space and a five-bedroom, 7,000-square-foot guesthouse and a tea house, spread over roughly 10 acres. The three-level mansion features 14 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms, besides a gym and a movie theater. It has a whopping 60 chandeliers and a lounge that can seat 120 people. More than six years in the making, Norton Manor was completed last year.
Icons and representations from American politics and history are everywhere in Norton Manor. Besides the West and East wings, there is a rotunda similar to the Capitol Building and a replica of the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, to name the most obvious ones.
English, French, Spanish, Italian and Turkish influences are visible in various art works, furniture, rugs and carpets. The Azamgarh-born Islam’s mansion also has an Indian-inspired feature in the form of a reflection pool, similar to the ones in front of Taj Mahal and Rashtrapati Bhavan.
(The American Bazaar Staff)