Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rayward-Shepherd House on the Market for USD$8 Million

Feature Article

New Canaan, CT, USA

The last residential commission from Frank Lloyd Wright has hit the market for just the third time since its completion in 1955. Listed for USD$8 Million, the immaculate “Rayward-Shepherd House” or “Tirranna” in New Canaan, Connecticut, USA, sits on a 15-acre property boasting lush woods, a stream, and a waterfall.

The horseshoe-shaped house was designed by Wright in the final years of his life, at the same time he was completing the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The home has been meticulously preserved and maintained by its previous owners, who include the late prominent businessman Ted Stanley. The 650m2 home was extended by Wright’s firm just four years after its completion to now comprise of seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a guest studio, caretaker’s quarters, a greenhouse, a central garden, extensive open plan living space and much more.

The Rayward-Shepherd House is yet another example of Wright’s ahead-of-his-time principles of clean lines, open plan living, and a strong connection to nature and a building’s surroundings.

The internal courtyard is a nod to Wright’s philosophy of Organic Architecture, which promotes harmony between a human dwelling and the natural world. This philosophy can also be easily seen in another of Wright’s well-known projects, the Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania.

An abundance of natural light and rich mahogany characterise the property, as does the use of Cherokee red tiles for the floor. The home also features extensive built-in storage lessening the need for pieces of storage furniture, adding to the fluidity of the open plan living spaces.

Wright employed the use of detailed wood panelling, adding an extra dimension to the extensive use of timber that characterises the ceilings and joinery throughout. Wright also designed a number of pieces of furniture that have remained in the house, some of which can be seen here next to the fireplace painted in gold leaf.

The greenhouse is characterised by metallic semicircle arcs that adorn the glass windows. This semicircle pattern was also used on the Guggenheim in New York City, Wright’s major project of the time.

To find out more about this listing, visit the agent Houlihan Lawrence here.