The Ultimate Guide to Frank Lloyd Wright
With more than a thousand projects to his name—over 500 of them realized—and a 70-year career that straddled the turn of the century and made way for modernism, it’s safe to say Frank Lloyd Wright is among the most prolific architects of our time, and arguably America’s most famous.
Whether you’re looking to learn more about his design thinking or just poke around inside Wright-designed homes that have surfaced on the market, we’ve created a compendium of our top stories on the renowned 20th-century architect and his sphere of influence.
Frank Lloyd Wright Projects and Deep Dives
When it comes to Frank Lloyd Wright, we’ve covered everything from peer remembrances to preservation wins (and setbacks), as well as deft restorations of Wright’s structures—some of which are now museums or rentals. Below, delve into some of our stories that elucidate his oeuvre.
Who Owns Frank Lloyd Wright’s Legacy? It’s Complicated
When Frank Lloyd Wright died in 1959, he left behind a vast body of work scattered throughout the nation. Today, the estate of the legendary American architect is tied up in a convoluted web of foundations, conservancies, and a trust—one that outlines the current state of preservation.
America’s most famous architect inspires legions of fans, but his structures are notorious for aging poorly. We asked Frank Lloyd Wright homeowners and curators who would share what their restoration processes entailed—including what the projects cost them.
Wright treated his residential projects as testing grounds for his evolving visions. We mapped his impact on later generations of architects through homes by his protégés and admirers.
The 1936 Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison, Wisconsin, marks Wright’s first Usonian-style home. But "Usonia" isn’t just an architectural style the architect popularized; it’s also a historic site with houses constructed to his vision of American utopia.
Wright’s longtime obsession with bringing well-designed houses to the masses sometimes extended to modular constructions, starting with his early-20th-century American System-Built Homes—six of which are still standing in the Burnham Park area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In designing Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, a young Wright crystalized some of the aesthetic ideas that endure in the homes he built across the United States—specifically, a dramatic shift away from the Prairie-style homes of his early years toward intricate Mayan Revival details.
The still-operating R. W. Lindholm Service Station in Cloquet, Minnesota, is the only design actually built from Wright’s vision for a utopian, car-oriented American city.
This self-guided trail weaves through southern Wisconsin, stopping at nine of Wright’s most impressive buildings along the way, including the SC Johnson headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.
Wright’s Fallingwater made the 1938 cover of Time, touted as his "most beautiful job," and in 2019 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Pennsylvania home has been a catalyst for tourism since it opened for tours in 1964. So, Dwell went there, and reported back.
Built in 1937, Taliesin West was an experiment in desert living that evolved at the hands Wright and his apprentices. The architect’s home, studio, and school in Scottsdale, Arizona, underwent restoration projects in 2021, and is once again slated for an update.
Frank Lloyd Wright Homes on the Market
It’s not every day that a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed real estate listing becomes available, and when one does, it usually doesn’t linger on the market. While many of the below houses have found buyers, at least the listings allow for a look inside. (And, in some of the following cases, we know how much the historic homes sold for.)
There are Currently Multiple Frank Lloyd Wright Homes for Sale for Less Than $1M
Given how cherished Wright-designed homes are, it’s not every day that one pops up for less than a price point of $1,000,000. Here are three listings ranging from $790K to $899K.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beloved Ennis House Trades Hands After a Nearly $17M Renovation
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Year Built: 1924
- Previous Asking Price: $23,000,000 (sold for $18,000,000)
Designed by Wright and built by his son for retailer Charles Ennis and his wife, Mabel, the 6,200-square-foot residence is the last and largest of the architect’s four textile-block houses in the L.A. area. It has been featured dozens of times in film and television.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Iconic Freeman House Hits the Market With Many of Its Original Furnishings
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Year Built: 1925
- Previous Asking Price: $4,300,000
According to historical records, the clients approached Wright with a $10,000 commission, although the project ultimately cost $23,000. The home is one of four examples of Wright’s textile-block architecture in the L.A. area.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s "Favorite Small House" Lists in Nearly Original Condition
- Location: Okemos, Michigan
- Year Built: 1939
- Previous Asking Price: $479,000 (sold for an undisclosed sum)
The Wright-designed Goetsch-Winckler House features a wide, open floor plan. A pair of roof planes set at different heights emphasize the horizontal design. One section cantilevers off the back to create a carport.
One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Early Usonian Homes Hits the Market For the First Time in 20 Years
- Location: Pleasantville, New York
- Year Built: 1948
- Previous Asking Price: $1,500,000 (sold for $1,310,000)
Located an hour outside of Manhattan, the Sol Friedman house (also called Toyhill) is one of a handful of homes that Wright personally designed as part of his Usonian homes project, which was intended to offer beautifully designed, affordable homes to middle-income buyers.
A Rare Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian Home in Iowa Is Being Offered as a Private Sale
- Location: Oskaloosa, Iowa
- Year Built: 1951
- Previous Asking Price: price upon request
The Alsop House is not formally listed on the market, but the seller will entertain bids above $450,000. The property will be sold as-is, including all of its original furniture designed by Wright.
One of Three Remaining Frank Lloyd Wright Designs in the Garden State Seeks a Buyer
- Location: Glen Ridge, New Jersey
- Year Built: 1951
- Previous Asking Price: $1,200,000 (sold for $1,300,000)
The Usonian-style home was previously occupied by the president of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, and has been lovingly restored over the years. Its hexagonal rooms feature the same recessed, triangular lights that Wright used in the Guggenheim Museum.
The Only Frank Lloyd Wright Home in Its Chicago Suburb Looks Hits the Market
- Location: Lake Forest, Illinois
- Year Built: 1954
- Previous Asking Price: $2,300,000 (sold for $2,075,000)
The previous architect-owner of the Charles F. Glore House made some updates to the original design, such as swapping Wright’s red-stained floors for polished concrete.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Famous "Playhouse" Reduces Its Asking Price
- Location: Riverside, Illinois
- Year Built: 1912
- Previous Asking Price: $650,000 (sold for $550,000)
Originally a private school and now a single-family residence, the restored house showcases Wright’s "kinder-symphony" windows, which are considered his most important window design.
A Home From Frank Lloyd Wright’s Experimental Phase Hits the Market With a Bargain Price
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Year Built: 1900
- Previous Asking Price: $175,000 (sold for $135,000)
Wright’s Japanese-inspired Foster House was built as a summer residence for attorney and land association president Stephen A. Foster.
Top photo of Frank Lloyd Wright by Pedro E. Guerrero
Keep up with our ongoing Frank Lloyd Wright coverage here.
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