Jamgochian designed the Moon House for a used-car salesman in 1965. Howard H. Hughes (not the eccentric billionaire) wanted a home that would reflect his flamboyant personality, and he specified something "out of this world," to which Jamgochian responded with a crescent-moon-shaped structure sheathed in glass and crumpled copper. Hughes, known in business as Mad Man Dapper Dan , wanted a fallout shelter near the pool, a large vault bolted to the floor of his office, and several hidden panels and secret places for storing valuables. His poker games and parties were legendary, and the house was a big draw with its spectacular terrace and views across the James River.
"Everybody would want to be invited to the house," recalls Sandy Beatley, who with her husband, Irv, bought the property from the Hughes family in the 1980s. "It was one of a kind — strange-looking from the outside but lovely inside. And oh, we had fun living there."