realtor.com
Frank Lloyd Wright design enthusiasts have entered into a precarious period where his homes—designed and built between the 1890s and his death, in 1959—now require expensive upkeep.
One solution might be to purchase a home designed by one of Wright’s prolific protégés. The homes designed by architects taking their cues from Wright embody the same architectural values, but were built more recently.
We found a delightful example near the state line between Illinois and Wisconsin. Designed by John Vincent Anderson and built in 1970, this midcentury modern-meets-Prairie-style home in Harvard, IL, is on the market for $1.5 million.
Between the main home and the guesthouse are eight bedrooms and seven baths. They sit on an 11-acre lot.
The owner—the third to own the property, when he acquired it in 2000 for $815,000—immediately knew it was an Anderson home based on one clue.
Anderson “always put a penny in the mortar of every fireplace so you would know it’s his,” says listing agent Tyler Lewke, of Lewke Partners.
And this home was the architect’s towering achievement. “Of everything he’s built, it’s the ultimate house, the crown jewel,” adds Lewke.
Another key Anderson trait was the blurring of spaces. “He wanted you to not know whether you were inside or outside,” says Lewke.
Even the matching guesthouse features glass walls and the same exterior stonework for a seamless aesthetic. The home is surrounded by conservation districts, which eliminates neighboring development.
True to Wright’s and Anderson’s designs, the home features a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace in the living room, wood paneling throughout, brick floors, walls of glass, and room entrances set at an angle, slightly off-center.
Mature landscaping and outdoor spaces are in abundance, whether it’s a covered walkway or spacious brick patio.
realtor.com
realtor.com
realtor.com
realtor.com
realtor.com
realtor.com
realtor.com
realtor.com
realtor.com
“The owner is an airline pilot and meticulous about detail,” says Lewke. A new kitchen, windows, and roof are among the recent improvements—all of which honor the structure’s history.
The location has proved to be a hurdle for the home, which has been on the market since last year. Chicago is two hours away (or a 90-minute train ride), and Milwaukee is the same distance. Madison, WI, is an hour away.
The home would be ideal for a posh, well-designed retreat. “The greatest interest we’ve had is from people who want to open a retreat center, like a yoga center, and we’ve had a group of writers look at it,” says Lewke.
This bodes well for the community, too, which includes the nearby county seat of Woodstock.
“It’s becoming an arts destination,” Lewke says about the area. He points to Starline, a former factory in an 1893 building in Harvard spanning several blocks that now hosts live music and art shows, with open studios as well as arts instruction and a pub-style eatery.
The post Designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright Protege, This Illinois ‘Crown Jewel’ Awaits a Buyer appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
source https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/frank-lloyd-wright-protege-designed-illinois/
No comments:
Post a Comment