Here’s where you can buy a Frank Lloyd Wright home for a ‘bargain’

The style of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright was always one with the land on which he built.

The Winn House, located at 2822 Taliesin Dr. of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is no exception.

The Usonian house of 1950, listed for $1.3 million from Jaqua Realtors, uses the hill the house sits on in the Parkwyn Village neighborhood.

Half of the house sits on top of the hill, while the other half slopes down uniquely with the help of a foundation retaining wall. Both sides are connected by a wonderful four-season patio that runs the length of the house.

The patio is highlighted by a series of glass panels that create a glass wall with views of nature and the lake outside.

Light enters the room at all times of the year.

The three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,469-square-foot home described in the listing as “an exquisite masterpiece by Frank Lloyd Wright that epitomizes the fusion of art and architecture” is the Home of the Week for Livea sister publication of MassLive.

Jaqua Realtor Fred Taber said Lloyd Wright built this house with no intention, no designated space, for televisions.

The house itself is a piece of art, worth admiring all year round.

From above, it appears as a semicircle.

Each of the houses that Frank Lloyd Wright built in Kalamazoo contains a wealth of architectural history, tied to the founding of the city itself.

The Taliesin House is one of eight Usonians he built in Kalamazoo, linked to the founding of Upjohn (now Pfizer).

• Read more: Frank Lloyd Wright home goes on the market for $790,000

Taber said Kalamazoo is the best place to buy a Lloyd Wright home.

“If you want to own a Frank Lloyd Wright house in this country, Kalamazoo is the best bargain,” Taber said. “The houses are great. They’ve been overlooked.”

An archive of correspondence between the architect and the original owners can be found at Columbia University, Taber said.

The Winn House is currently the cheapest Lloyd Wright Usonian construction in America at $1.3 million. A recent trend with Wright houses has been to restore, not renovate, the original vision the architect had when he designed it.

In 2019, the previous owners put up $800,000 to do it.

This included a complete restoration of all the woodwork, using new Michigan cherry plywood for the walls, accents and furniture.

The roof was redone and the cement floors were redone – a unique aspect of this home is that it is the only Usonian home to have forced air, with the house ducts running through the cement. It was advanced in 1950 as air heats cement floors and still does to this day.

The cement, together with the wooden furniture, creates an incredibly simple atmosphere throughout the house.

Exceptional architecture, optimized for sharing conversations and spaces with friends or family, with enough space to escape when needed.

Perhaps it is best told through the long couch in the living room and the sense of isolation in each bedroom.

The house is one of the most private in Parkwyn Village, as the original owners also bought the land next door.

This prevented another construct from appearing next to it. Each lot has about 2 hectares and allows you to immerse yourself in the landscape itself.

A gravel path through low-hanging trees leads to the house. Nature is abundant and it is not unusual to see a dozen deer enjoying the backyard, undisturbed.

For more information about this house and the architect, visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

To see the full list, click this link.

To see more photos of the house, scroll below.