Calling All Deconstructivists: Eisenman’s House VI About to Hit the Market
Peter Eisenman’s House VI. (Via Archdaily)
If any admirers of deconstructivism are in the market to buy a house, they will be curious to learn that Peter Eisenman’s iconic structure, House VI, will be up for sale in late May or early June. Owners Suzanne and Richard Frank commissioned Eisenman—a member of the New York Five—to design and build a house on their 6-acre property in Cornwall, Connecticut. Suzanne Frank had previously worked as a researcher and librarian for Eisenman’s Institute for Architecture & Urban Studies. The house, completed in 1975, is an unconventional play on a grid and intended to be a “record of the design process.”
Look Alive! Paul Rudolph’s Manhattan Loft at 23 Beekman Hits The Market
23 Beekman Place. (Courtesy Bernheimer Architecture)
The Paul Rudolph townhouse at 23 Beekman Place hit the market in early December, listed at $27.5 million. The property consists of four separate apartments, including the four-level penthouse that Rudolph himself lived in, along with his pet rabbits. But buyer beware: the penthouse, which was renovated in 2006 by Della Valle and Bernheimer, retains many signature Rudolph elements, like the death-defying stairways with no rails. Potential buyers should also consider getting “some new sprinklers and a back-up security system installed,” as Chas Tenembaum, one fictional former tenant of The Royal Tenenbaums fame, noted after failing to escape the house in adequate time after a fire drill. “Four minutes and forty-eight seconds. We’re all dead. Burned to a crisp.”
Wright or Wrong? Debate over Massaro House Authenticity Rekindled
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Massaro House. (Ahalife)
The story goes like this: In 1949 an engineer named A.K. Chahroudi commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home on Petra Island in Lake Mahopac, New York, which Chahroudi owned. But the $50,000 price tag on the 5,000 square foot house was more than Chahroudi could afford, so Wright designed him a smaller, more affordable cottage elsewhere on the island.
Fast forward to 1996 when Joseph Massaro, a sheet metal contractor, bought the island for $700,000, a sale that also included Wright’s original yet unfinished plans. Though he says he only intended to spruce up the existing cottage and not build anything new, one can hardly fault Massaro for wanting to follow through on a home Wright once said would eclipse Falling Water. In 2000 Massaro sold his business and hired Thomas A. Heinz, an architect and Wright historian, to complete and update the design, a move that incensed the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, who promptly sued him, stating he couldn’t claim the house was a true Wright, but was only “inspired” by him.
Feel Wright at Home in Chicago's Riverside
Front view of Frank Lloyd Wright's Coonley House (Courtesy Baird & Warner)
A sprawling Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece could be yours for a cool three mil. Curbed Chicago digs up the listing for Chi-town’s Coonley House in the historic Riverside neighborhood. The original clients apparently buttered up Wright, who, flattered, gave the house extra attention to detail.
Morris-Sato Stunner for Sale
Morris-Sato's recent masterpiece can be yours for a cool $4.195 million.
Is it a good sign or a bad one for real estate that all these spiffy homes are for sale? And what does it say about high-end, name-checking architecture? Most recently, we noted a notable Eric Owen Moss home up for sale, and now our good friend and frequent contributor Alexandra Lange notified us (how else—via Twitter) that the stunning YN-13 House designed by Morris-Sato Studio, which she highlighted in her summer homes feature last year, is now up for sale. At the time, she wrote, “the one thing the YN-13 House is not is a cookie-cutter, shingles-on-steroids McMansion.” Corcoran, in its listing for the Shelter Island stead, puts it this way: “Inspired by the historic homes of Kyoto, Japan, this unique architecturally designed residence combines artful living with uncommon functionality. The clean lines and meticulous detailing and construction throughout infuse the light filled spacious home with remarkable serenity and grace.” They’re currently asking $4.195 million. Read More
Some-Glass House for Sale
Philip Johnson's first commission work, the Booth House in Bedford, New York. (Courtesy philipjohnsonsfirsthouse.com)
Philip Johnson’s first commissioned work, a house for the Booth family built in 1946, can now be yours for the forgiving price of $2 million. It’s not exactly Johnson’s first building ever—that distinction goes to his Harvard thesis project, completed two years prior—nor is it exactly his best—according to one first hand report, it’s basically a Glass House with cinder block walls. Still, that’s about par in price for the area according to Coldwell Banker, and how many other of those homes can boast such history? Just so long as it’s not bought for the land and torn down like so many other modernist homes north of the city that have been lost in recent years.
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