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Chicago Home With Ties to Frank Lloyd Wright Selling for $7.65 million

The famed 20th century architect briefly lived on the Gold Coast site

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A five-bedroom, five-bathroom home on a Chicago site where Frank Lloyd Wright once lived hit the market Monday for $7.65 million.

Located on the Windy City’s Gold Coast, a historic neighborhood justnorthof downtown, the 7,000-square-foot house sits on a parcel where the famous architect lived in 1914 and 1915. Emily Sachs Wong of @properties has the listing.

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Wright lived in the original home, built in 1887, while separated from his first wife, Catherine, according to a 2011 Chicago Magazine article about the house. Although he was not yet divorced, his soon-to-be second wife, Maude Miriam Noel, lived there with him for some of that time.

When the current owners, James and Janice Jensen, bought the property in 2011 for $1.5 million, the existing structure had a plaque indicating it had been Wright’s studio, Mr. Jensen said.

"We had to do our due diligence because it was a historic property," said Mr. Jensen, who owns Metal Master, a steel company in Glendale Heights, Illinois. "But there was no indication that he designed any part of it, or made any improvements."

The Jensens eventually demolished the home on the 30-foot-wide lot, after finding out that its foundation had been damaged during the construction of a neighboring building. They brought in Dennis Burgener of McWilliams Burgener Architecture, a Chicago-based firm, to create the new structure, Mr. Jensen said.

The result is a home with a limestone facade, granite steps and, as one might expect from a man in the steel business, custom-made metal doors and windows. The floor-to-ceiling frames let light in on each level, according to the listing, and the 11-foot ceilings add to the brightness of the space.

"It's hard to find new properties on the Gold Coast," Ms. Sachs Wong said. "It's also one of the brightest houses I've ever been in, and I don't think I've ever said that about a Gold Coast house. They are all 100-something years old."

A full slab marble foyer greets guests and residents when they enter the home. The main level has six-inch plank flooring and an open layout with several reception areas. The kitchen has Miele appliances and a breakfast nook, the listing said. There’s also a heated terrace for outdoor entertaining.

A distinctive staircase, highlighted in the day by skylights above it, spirals to the upper floors. The master bedroom has a lounge area, a dressing room and a bathroom featuring his-and-her vanities, a soaking tub and a rain shower, the listing said. There are four additional bedrooms above, as well as a game room with a kitchenette, heated terrace and fireplace on the top floor.

There’s also a fitness room, elevator, wine cellar with vaulted ceilings and a home theater with a wet bar, as well as access to a two-car garage, according to the listing.

The Jensens moved into the home in December of 2016, after five years of construction. Both he and his wife enjoy the design process, Mr. Jensen said, but are now looking to downsize.

"Our children have moved on; we have three empty bedrooms," Mr. Jensen said. "I’m going to be 65. It’s time for smaller things, not larger things."