House Hunting: Frank Lloyd Wright in Houston
As the only Houston home Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed, the William Thaxton House has had a long and interesting history.
A 1954 Usonian (designed for independent living without servants), its focal point was the fireplace for family gatherings.
The home was designed and built for successful insurance executive William Thaxton, who wanted an artistic design for living and entertaining. Wright followed the Usonian trend of small bedrooms and small kitchen leading to a dining space that would force the family into the larger living room together to converse in front of the fire in the days before television. This home provided space for entertaining in a living room that opened to the patio and pool area.
Originally encompassing only 1,800 square feet, the parallelogram-designed house was sufficient in size for the original owner. But over the years, an addition has mushroomed into the 8,026-square-foot open and airy manse that accommodates today's bigger lifestyle.
Along the way, previous owners had their way with the home and applied a little too much creative license, where all Wright enthusiasts agree they shouldn't have. They painted the redwood siding white, added pineapple finials to the roof corners, removed the Wright-designed furniture and added Ionic columns, the antithesis of Wright's abhorrence of classicism.
Fortunately, dentists Alan Gaw and Betty Lee discovered the home and set about to restore it as closely as possible to Wright's original.
To add the livability needed for today's functional values, they added a large wing that turned the original L-shape into a U-shape, with the pool in the center courtyard.
The original house has been restored and can be viewed as a Wright work of art from the addition. On just over an acre with a gated entry, the home has six bedrooms, seven baths, a library, large open spaces for entertaining and a bonus room.
Frank Lloyd Wright's only Houston home is for sale and priced at $3.195 million.
Details: toptenrealestatedeals.com
