Nice!

Frank Lloyd Wright

But I sometimes wonder if I posted a Wright home as a candidate for reno, how many suggestions for "improvement" it would attract before some of the usual suspects here caught on and spoiled the fun.

You really got to watch yourself with those old Frank Lloyd Wright homes. We've got a lot of them here in Chicago and they're all kinds of "rules" involved if they have historic designation. They even go so far as to tell you what kind of art you can hang on the walls! I kid you not. Frank Lloyd Wright groupies are intense.
They're really pretty but are known for having lots of problems. Apparently he would use building materials somewhat experimentally and the houses sometimes suffer for it. I'll just enjoy them from afar...

Actually, for my area (Seattle), you'd have a hard time finding a regular house of that size for the listing price. I'm amazed at how "cheap" it is. I'm not ready to move to Rochester...but I thought about it for a few seconds!

"They're really pretty but are known for having lots of problems. Apparently he would use building materials somewhat experimentally and the houses sometimes suffer for it."

Which is why I've nicknamed him "Frank Lloyd Wrong" for ages. He may have drawn dang good pictures of houses but he was also a prima donna with little concept of livability and engineering. How many millions of dollars has it taken to keep Fallingwater from, well, falling into the water - it's been collapsing since BEFORE it was finished, and although it was occupied part-time (on weekends) for a few decades, it was never actually completely safely inhabitable from an engineering standpoint! It's a sculpture, not a house.

The Rochester house seems somewhat more livable, although I can't have been the only one who looked at the picture of the "Zen rock garden" and thought "neighborhood litterbox"? I wonder if it is being sold furnished?

The price is definitely reasonable given that you are buying a piece of history. In general, Rochester home values are pretty reasonable- though taxes are outrageous (about 3% of the assessed value).

There was an article about this house in the local paper. The dining room furniture is owned by the Landmark Society who rents it to the owners.

A follow-up on this house. The new owners have quite a project on their hands (and quite a bankroll).

http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/articles/2010/09/Preserving-a-Rochester-treasure/

Here is a link that might be useful: Boynton House

Thanks for the followup.

The failures in the house seem to be those of poor maintenance and idiotic "improvements" not the original design. Whittling down a main support beam from 12x8 to 2x8!

While a number of FLW buildings have had maintenance issues, you have to give the man credit for his design of Tokyo's Imperial Hotel, which was one of the few buildings to survive a major earthquake in the 1920's.

Personally, I will reserve judgment on Wright's quality as a designer since I hate Prairie School architecture--it may use natural materials cleverly which I should like from an aesthetic viewpoint, but I find all his designs cold and forbidding.
I also hate Bauhaus and anything else designed with a 'modern' flavor. Craftsman bungalows are as modern as I care to get in architecture.
Modern design is an effort to appeal to the masses more efficiently, thus, no need for things like details, quality or artistry. We are taught that minimalist is best--but that is only true because there isn't sufficient material to go around with the increase in our numbers these days; in earlier years, less population meant more materials could be used by designers.

**Which is why I've nicknamed him "Frank Lloyd Wrong" for ages. He may have drawn dang good pictures of houses but he was also a prima donna with little concept of livability and engineering. How many millions of dollars has it taken to keep Fallingwater from, well, falling into the water - it's been collapsing since BEFORE it was finished, and although it was occupied part-time (on weekends) for a few decades, it was never actually completely safely inhabitable from an engineering standpoint! It's a sculpture, not a house.**

Oh, Johnmari, you are so right. I high-five you from afar for posting that. It's good to know I'm not alone in questioning the way people seem to WORSHIP him.

Oh, how I LOVE Craftsman style... (sigh)

yet another historic one-of-a-kind house for sale in Rochester (quite different than the Frank Lloyd Wright house).

http://nothnagle.com/Properties/Details.aspx?MLS=19&M=R159665

http://jhjarchitecture.com/MushroomHouse/pictures.html