‘Extraordinary’ Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian That Embodies His Architectural ‘Genius’ Hits the Market for $2.3 Million

A meticulously maintained home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright has come on the market for only the second time in its storied 74-year history, priced at just under $2.3 million.

The two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom Michigan abode is described as embodying Wright’s architectural “genius,” bringing to life his incomparable “vision” to integrate nature into his designs.

Located in Charleston Township, the property has changed hands only once before, in 2017. It previously stayed in the family of the original owners, David and Christine Weisblat, who commissioned the Usonian-style property in the 1950s.

The current owner paid just $511,000 for the dwelling, and has since invested in multiple renovations and updates. Wright’s signature touches, including the original Honduran mahogany that fills much of the living spaces, remain.

She also cleared deadwood trees and improved a frog pond Wright designed, according to listing agent Brian Kirksey, with Keller Williams Paint Creek.

Kirksey, who was also involved in the 2017 sale of the property, tells Realtor.com® he is “honored” to have been a part of the home’s journey.

“It is quite an honor to shepherd this house through its owners,” he says. “This is a memorable career moment.”

Speaking about the current owner’s decision to sell, Kirksey explains that she originally moved to Michigan from San Diego, having grown “tired of the sun,” and is now planning to move to Pennsylvania, where she will “rehab another midcentury modern home.”

With this property, “she renovated the kitchen by adding new countertops, appliances, and cabinets,” Kirksey says. “In the primary suite, she knocked out a primary wall to make two bedrooms and expanded the primary bath and modernized it. She saved the wood (from the wall) and used it for the expansion of the bathroom.”

The community in which this home sits will also delight Wright fans. The 70-acre wooded subdivision called The Acres is home to 21 other Usonian-style properties, which feature Wright’s signature touches like a flat roof with overhangs, a carport, a hearth, and radiant floor heating.

The community is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Last year, two of Wright’s other Usonians came on the market: The Eric and Pat Pratt House was sold for $1,800,000, including original furnishings. The Samuel and Dorothy Eppstein House remains listed with an asking price of $2,100,000.

There was another renovation, in 1961, overseen by two of Wright’s protégés (Jack Howe and William Wesley Peters).

“It’s the only one in the subdivision that has the addition,” says Kirksey. It has “a little more functionality than the original version. … [The] bathrooms are wider and bedrooms are bigger. They added a basement that had a walk-out feature and [also] a greenhouse.”

Included with the listing is a conservation easement secured by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy in Chicago.

Whoever buys this will be able to open the home for short-term vacation rentals, as is the case with the Eppstein House.

“This is your standard-issue Usonian. It’s one story, set very deep into the ground,” says Kirksey. “Out of all the Usonians in this neighborhood, this is (the most) immersed in the nature aspect. The other ones are more ornate. This one is very much nature-designed.”

Kirksey believes this home will sell quickly, noting the “renewed interest in Wright right now.” The potential buyer might not even hail from Michigan.

“When marketing these properties, your buyers are national or international,” he says. “Some are buying for collections, and others are looking for income potential through short-term vacation rentals. … It doesn’t have much to do with the local community. These properties stand on their own.

“People across the country can’t get over how reasonably these have been priced” for Wright homes, says Kirksey. “It’s going to be an international buyer that’s likely cash.”