Light, bright, and brimming with history, this two-bedroom Usonian home in Weston, CT, is looking for just the right (Wright-loving) buyer.
Listed for $1.45 million, the home was built in 1963 by Allan Gelbin, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. Constructed as Gelbin's own personal residence and studio, it still retains its Usonian charm, feel, and even some of the original furniture.
"Usonian" is a term used to describe a style of post-Depression homes designed by Wright. Listing agent Inger Stringfellow says Wright had a vision to create simple, affordable homes with straightforward designs for American families. Most were single-story and had minimal storage space and no garage. Like this home, they were open, bright, and made with native materials.
"They're sort of like collector items now," Stringfellow says.
Unlike many others that have fallen into disrepair over the years, this Usonian is like stepping back in time to when Gelbin roamed the wood floors.
Homeowners Mark Parrotta and Kim Hunter bought the home in February 2004 from folks who had purchased it directly from Gelbin. The second owners didn't do much to the home while they had it.
"If something broke, they didn't throw it away; they put it in a drawer," Hunter told The New York Times in 2010.
However, Parrotta and Hunter went to work restoring the home to its original glory. From refinishing the buffed concrete floors to maintaining the built-in furniture, they've been meticulous in keeping things true to the original design. They even tracked down the original grout mixture when they refurbished the bathroom.
"They haven't bastardized it all," Stringfellow says.
The home comes with original furnishings such as built-in tables and couches, as well as several pieces of artwork.
Unlike other Usonian homes that were built in clusters in the Northeast, this one sits at the end of a shared driveway atop a knoll on more than 2 acres of land. "You feel like you're in a very personal space," Stringfellow says.
Just over an hour and 15 minutes to New York City, the property backs up to a river and is surrounded by trees that can be seen from the numerous floor-to-ceiling windows. Stringfellow says being in the home feels "like being in a tree house."
As charming as it is, however, she admits the home isn't for everyone.
"It's going to take a bit of a specialized buyer to appreciate this home, the artistry, and history behind it," she says. "For the right buyer, though, it's a little jewel box."