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Rare Frank Lloyd Wright concrete home asks $850K

Designed in the Usonian Automatic style

By Megan Barber
A Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home is made of concrete bricks with a long flat roof, green grass, and a red poured concrete patio. Photos courtesy of Paula Martin Group at Keller Williams

For fans of Frank Lloyd Wright, owning a home by the iconic American architect is akin to surrounding yourself with dozens of paintings by your favorite artist. Each Wright home dazzles at every turn, from the built-in furniture to the unique angles.

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The latest home designed by Wright to hit the market is the Toufic H. Kalil House in Manchester, New Hampshire. The home is a Usonian Automatic designed in the 1950s. While Usonians were Wright’s solution to more economical homes, built with no attics and basements and with less ornamentation than some of his other designs, Usonian Automatics took this idea one step further.

Wright created a concrete masonry building system so that materials could be manufactured and sent to the owners in a kit for self-construction. Using different types of inexpensive concrete blocks, the homes proved more challenging to assemble than anticipated, and it’s estimated that only 10 or 20 Usonian Automatic houses were built.

With two bedrooms, a study, and two bathrooms, the New Hampshire listing was built for Dr. Toufic Kalil and his wife Mildred in 1955. It’s modest in size with 1,406 square feet of living space, but the home required approximately 4,800 of the Usonian Automatic blocks.

The concrete bricks are the dominating feature in every room, filtering the light and creating a striking background in the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom. Other features include a sunken fireplace, panels of Philippine mahogany wood, and a red poured concrete floor with radiant heat.

The listing also comes with all of the Wright-designed original furnishings and fixtures, including tables, bedside stands, bed platforms, and three table lamps. A small studio— made of the same concrete blocks—also sits on the .73 acre lot.

Ready to own a piece of architecture history? 117 Heather Street is on the market now for $850,000.

A concrete driveway in front of a house made of concrete bricks. A carport is in the front and two red doors provide entrance to the home.
The entrance to the Toufic H. Kalil house.
Concrete bricks form the windows to the outside while on the left there is a sunken concrete fireplace. Two chairs and a coffee table are in the foreground, while along the walls are built-in sofas with cushions.
The living room features the signature concrete blocks, a sunken fireplace, and built-in sofas.
The kitchen features red countertops, wooden cabinets, and views out into in the yard through the concrete brick windows.
The kitchen area features red countertops that match the home’s poured red concrete floors, and in the background you can see the small eat-in style dining room.
An eat-in dining area features a small table and two upholstered chairs below more concrete brick windows.
The home’s dining room is small, actually more of an eat-in dinette adjacent to the kitchen.
A bed sits on the left side of a bedroom, facing a built-in wooden desk area with shelves and a chair.
One of two bedrooms features mahogany panels and a built-in desk.
A bed sits in a room with concrete blocks, red floors, and cushioned ottomans on the right.
The master bedroom features more concrete blocks with clerestory windows to let in light.
A wood-paneled bathroom features a sunken tiled blue tub, two cream sinks, and a large mirror.
The ensuite bathroom to the master bedroom.

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