A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence has entered the Minneapolis-area real estate market, with an asking price just below $2.5 million.
Completed in 1951, the home sits in a wooded neighborhood southwest of Minneapolis. The property includes half an acre, sweeping views of Cedar Lake and a notable place in architectural history.
Architectural historian Jane King Hession says the house remains in “remarkable shape.”
“Not all Frank Lloyd Wright houses have survived as well as this one did, and it’s had a series of owners — three stewards who have really taken exceptional care of it — and it’s a real Minnesota treasure in my opinion,” Hession told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Wright built his reputation by merging architecture with the landscape around it, often relying on straightforward, cost-conscious and environmentally friendly materials.
Henry Neils and his wife, Frieda, asked to incorporate marble, larchwood and aluminium into their home. Wright initially objected, believing the materials did not fit his design principles.
But Neils, who headed a foundry and manufacturing company, ultimately changed the architect’s mind. Through his business and personal contacts, he secured the otherwise costly materials at a reduced price.
The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence is listed for approximately $2.5 million
Clever spatial design helps the 2,511-square-foot home feel significantly larger
Set in a wooded neighborhood southwest of Minneapolis, the property includes half an acre and views across Cedar Lake
The result is a distinctive single-level house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It is also believed to be the only known Wright residence to feature cull marble.
At 2,511 square feet, the home feels more expansive than its measurements suggest. Oversized windows, carefully planned transitions between indoors and outdoors, and soaring ceilings create that effect.
Hession told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the experience begins with a conventional entry and hallway before opening dramatically into the main part of the house. “The ceilings would get higher,” she explained, as the interior space appeared to expand.
That contrast between compression and openness was a signature element of Wright’s work.
The home’s windows further direct attention toward the water, listing agent David Stickney told Realtor.com.
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“If you look at the roofline, how it blocks neighbors, the focus is really on taking in Cedar Lake and the adjacent park land,” Stickney said.
The design places the relatively compact bedrooms apart from the larger living and dining spaces, making the central rooms especially suited to family life and entertaining. A floor-to-ceiling fireplace anchors the living room.
Frank Lloyd Wright remains one of the most influential American architects of the 20th century
Listing agent David Stickney described the ideal buyer as “someone with a strong appreciation for architecture and design who is looking for something truly unique and special”
The generous living and dining areas were designed for entertaining and are distinctly separated from the smaller bedrooms
The single-story home comes with three bedrooms and three bathrooms
The current owner added bulk and loft-style beds to two of the bedrooms but the original items can be returned
The property costs only $95,000 more than what the current owner paid almost two decades ago
Although the current owner added bunk and loft-style beds to two of the bedrooms, the original structures can be re-established.
Wright further included built-in desks and storage throughout the home as he advocated that design parts merging with the larger structure worked the same way a ‘leaf relates to a twig relates to a branch relates to the truth of a tree,’ according to Hession.
The current home owner added a modern garage for two cars.
Interested buyers can acquire the gem for $2,495,000 – only $95,000 more than what the owner paid almost 20 years ago.
Stickney told Realtor.com: ‘The ideal buyer is someone with a strong appreciation for architecture and design who is looking for something truly unique and special.
‘It is particularly compelling to someone who understands the significance of owning an important piece of architectural history but also wants a home that can be enjoyed and lived in today.’
