The Secret Curse of Owning a Frank Lloyd Wright House
David
Article: 'The secret curse of owning a FLW house'
I'm scratching my head as to what Ms. Velez's goal was with this article.
I once spoke with a reporter for the WSJ about owning a Wright house and the article was all about "my investment" and their position was that it was not one which would yield an adequate return. In terms of money? Maybe. But it is not about the money. They didn't get it...I was just some star crossed rube.
I once spoke with a reporter for the WSJ about owning a Wright house and the article was all about "my investment" and their position was that it was not one which would yield an adequate return. In terms of money? Maybe. But it is not about the money. They didn't get it...I was just some star crossed rube.
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Roderick Grant
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- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
FLW's use of materials for interior finish should be a relief from the sterile white 'trend' of today, not a drawback. If white is what you want, move on. There are plenty of houses to choose from that have all the character of a Builders Emporium off-the-shelf product. That the majority of American home-buyers are bereft of aesthetic nuance is not FLW's fault.
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outside in
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- Location: chicago
I attribute articles like this to writers who want to make a name by "questioning conventional beliefs" - but rarely have anything meaningful to add to the discussion. Yes, FLW homes are not for everyone, and yes, many owners enter the real estate market with unrealistic opinions as to the value of the house. But the most frightening comment that was made is the "half of FLW homes are not listed as local, state or national landmarks, making alterations easier to accomplish" - I think the FLW conservancy should start working with homeowners to apply for the listing of homes as landmarks ASAP!
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
I'm the newest FLLW homeowner on this chat board, as I'm about to close on The Stuart Richardson House (aka 'Scherzo') in the next days. I think this article is fair-minded. The truth is that there is not a singular residential real estate market - there are many different but contiguous residential real estate markets based on aesthetic, geographical, economic, and other factors. As an example, for the narrow niche market of those buying homes fundamentally as works of Art by well regarded architects, FLLW houses clearly merit consideration. For the broader majority of home buyers who simply look at a house fundamentally as a roof over their head and feel no merit regarding aesthetic concerns, that's perfectly fine too. The only fallacy of an article like this is conflating these different markets (and buyers) into a singularity, and treating them as if one market has an effect on or relationship to the other. There is no single residential real estate market, and these different markets do not correlate at all.
Yeah seems like a "have your cake and eat it too" article.... In this case, a general realtor site looking for page clicks that a "Frank Lloyd Wright" headline will generate, while also assuring their general market readers that a specialty market item really isn't for them.
Maybe we ought to stop linking to these FLLW click-bait pieces?
Maybe we ought to stop linking to these FLLW click-bait pieces?
Well put Todd, and welcome.There is no single residential real estate market, and these different markets do not correlate at all.
We are to be neighbors of a sort... my wife and I own Wright's J.A. Sweeton house in Cherry Hill, NJ, about an hour and a half south of you. Hopefully, we will cross paths sometime soon.
Dan Nichols
Congratulations, Todd! I hope you enjoy many inspiring years in your new home.
I can’t argue with any claims made in the article, it’s just the overall tone which I find annoying. It’s dripping with cynicism, jealousy and it’s flipside, schadenfreude.
Peter Maunu (owner of the Jack Lamberson house, Oskaloosa, Iowa)
I can’t argue with any claims made in the article, it’s just the overall tone which I find annoying. It’s dripping with cynicism, jealousy and it’s flipside, schadenfreude.
Peter Maunu (owner of the Jack Lamberson house, Oskaloosa, Iowa)
About the author:
Adriana Velez is a food, wellness, and home writer. Her work has been featured in Healthyish, Prevention.com, Lifehacker, She Knows, and CafeMom.
What she doesn't mention is that most Wright Houses have had the same Owner for an average of 25 years. As someone who actually has owned one for 15 years, I can say with absolute certainty they are spectacular to live in. The daylight quality, cross ventilation, amazing level of detail, the flow of space and so on, all contribute to living in an inspiring environment. An opinion by a hack writer is an opinion without a whole lot of expertise to go with it.
Adriana Velez is a food, wellness, and home writer. Her work has been featured in Healthyish, Prevention.com, Lifehacker, She Knows, and CafeMom.
What she doesn't mention is that most Wright Houses have had the same Owner for an average of 25 years. As someone who actually has owned one for 15 years, I can say with absolute certainty they are spectacular to live in. The daylight quality, cross ventilation, amazing level of detail, the flow of space and so on, all contribute to living in an inspiring environment. An opinion by a hack writer is an opinion without a whole lot of expertise to go with it.
Paul Harding FAIA Restoration Architect for FLW's 1901 E. Arthur Davenport House, 1941 Lloyd Lewis House, 1952 Glore House | www.harding.com | LinkedIn
We all agree the article is misguided, but is a personal attack on the author necessary?Adriana Velez is a food, wellness, and home writer. Her work has been featured in Healthyish, Prevention.com, Lifehacker, She Knows, and CafeMom..... An opinion by a hack writer is an opinion without a whole lot of expertise to go with it.