Spiraling Frank Lloyd Wright house can be yours for $12.9M

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Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Price: $12,950,000

The David and Gladys Wright House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is on the market in Phoenix, Arizona. The three-bedroom, four-bath house is an early example of Wright’s late-career rounded style, which realized its apex in his Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

The concrete block home sits on 5.9 acres in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood with sweeping views of Camelback Mountain. It was built in 1952 for Wright’s son David and wife Gladys—they called it their Taj Mahal—and boasts a cantilevered, spiral walk up, and kitchen tower. “It was a family home, and he had a son pushing him to design something unique and special,” Rawling told Curbed in an interview from 2015. “It was Wright elevating his game and delivering one of his most creative designs.”

The house also features hand-cut Philippine mahogany, custom-designed furnishings, and a shaded central courtyard.

In 2012, the property was threatened with demolition before owner Zach Rawling purchased it for $2.4M. After establishing the nonprofit David & Gladys Wright Home Foundation, Rawling worked tirelessly to preserve the house, first as a proposed museum and later as part of a donation to the School of Architecture at Taliesin. But neighbors opposed the plans, battling zoning changes and the crowds that might come with a tourist destination.

According to listing agent Bob Hassett, Rawling has decided to move on from the project after trying to preserve the home. The 2,300-square foot main house has been partially updated but does require additional rehabilitations, including some structural and electrical repairs. The listing also includes a 360-square-foot guest house that has been recently restored as well as Wright’s signature “March Balloons” carpet designed for the living room.

The hope is that someone will buy the home to preserve it. “The great buildings impact every sense and create an emotional reaction,” Rawling says. “Wright’s original plans for the David Wright House are labeled ‘How to Live in the Southwest.’ After two years of being on the property, I appreciate living in the desert more than I ever have growing up. The care with which he sited the house to relate to the surrounding environment is incredible. Wright was a genius at thinking spatially. There is a continuous dance of light and shadows on the house. It’s a natural extension of the environment. “

Want to live in a masterpiece of American architecture? 5212 E Exeter Boulevard is on the market, now.