For those who’ve dreamed of living in a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house, there’s now a chance to scoop up not just one, but two of the famed architect’s creations.
The Louis Penfield House, a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home overlooking the Chagrin River in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, was listed on Thursday for $1.3 million. That’s $400,000 less than when it was last on the market in 2014, according to public records.
That price includes the 1,730-square-foot home built in 1955, as well as plans for Wright’s last-known residential design, dubbed Riverrock.
"If someone were to have Riverrock built, it would be the very last Frank Lloyd Wright house," said listing agent Karen Eagle of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.
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Wright’s designs are famously site specific, and Riverrock was conceived around a large tulip tree on the 30-acre estate, Ms. Eagle said. The plans were made in 1959, and were on the architect’s drawing table when he died, according to listing information. The family received the plans soon after Wright’s death at age 91 in April 1959.
The Louis Penfield House is still in the Penfield family, and is now managed as a vacation rental, the agent said. It’s also used for events, she said, adding that she first visited the house for a friend’s birthday party 10 years ago.
"When the owner called me to list the house, I almost fell out of my chair," she said. "I told him I knew the house; I went to the best party of my life there."
There are two other income-producing buildings on the property, a farmhouse and a cottage, which predate the architect’s work there. Both those buildings have long-term tenants.
"Someone might purchase this home because they are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan," Ms. Eagle said. "But it’s also a nice little business that brings in more than $100,000 a year."
The home has a light, expansive look, with 12-foot glass walls making up the facade. Tall ceilings were a design must for the original owner, who was very tall. The floor-to-ceiling windows also allowed for expansive views of the bluffs of the Chagrin River.
The Louis Penfield House is one of the architect’s practical Usonian homes, built for middle-class clients. Dark wood, a hallmark of a Wright home, can be seen throughout the house, including its floating staircase and paneling.
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The kitchen countertop was made from a tree that was felled on the property during a storm, enhancing Wright’s vision of "organic architecture." All of the Wright-designed furniture is also included in the house, according to the listing. That includes built-in bench seating and shelves.
Radiant-floor heating is fueled by a natural gas well on the property, which is heavily wooded. The land is also part of the American Tree Farm System, a program that works to sustain forests and wildlife habitats, according to its website.
Louis Penfield’s son, Paul, manages the estate. At 72 years old, he is ready to retire. The home, which is about 20 miles west of Cleveland, is one of only 11 Wright-designed ones in Ohio and attracts aficionados of the architect.