The Lamberson House for $185K????

hypnoraygun · Post by **hypnoraygun** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:25 pm

So I haven't checked the Wright houses for sale in awhile. I see the Lamberson house in Iowa is for sale for $185,000!!?? Is that right? Or should it be 1.85 million? That seems really cheap for a Wright usonian. I have been by this house and it is a beautiful setting in a residential neighborhood. I don't know about the condition of the house, but it looks perfect from the outside.

Anyone else have any ideas? This is a great little town too. I wish I was able to jump on this..

But it could be just a misprint.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:14 pm

This is one of my favorite late houses. But don't look for it in the Monographs; for some unknown reason -- BB Pfeiffer couldn't explain it -- the house was skipped, even though the nearby Alsop House was included. I too would like to buy it, but Oskaloosa is a bit off my radar. I doubt the price is a typo. I can't imagine houses in Oskaloosa going for $1.85M.

turner22 · Post by **turner22** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:56 pm

Does anyone have any further info on the Lamberson house - condition, etc.? Is it still for sale?

rosalyndoe · Post by **rosalyndoe** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:36 am

Would be nice if savewright.org/Wright on the Market includes the date when the property was up for sale,

Deke · Post by **Deke** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:07 pm

it would be nice to know how long it's been on the market. The ad doesn't mention any condition issues, so I'm assuming it's in working shape. Hmmm...what kind of town is Oskaloosa?

Deke

Wrightgeek · Post by **Wrightgeek** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:33 pm

Deke-

I was just in Iowa about 3 weeks ago, and of course while there I had to go through Oskaloosa to see both the Lamberson House and the Alsop House. I'll try to address some of your questions here.

When I went by the Lamberson House, there was no visible indication that the property was on the market, i.e. no "For Sale/Realtor" sign in front of the house. The exterior of the house appeared to be in good condition from the street (of course I did not trespass, RJH). The house sits on a large lot, approx. 2 acres +/-, with some roll to it, and the house seems to sit atop a bit of a knoll.

The area the house is in was very nice, with a mix of older and newer homes, all of which were on larger lots. After driving through the town of Oskaloosa, I would guess that the neighborhood surrounding the Lamberson House must certainly be one of the more upscale residential areas in town. If I'm not mistaken, the house address is on Country Club Drive, or something close to that, if that tells you anything.

I don't want to be disrespective of the town, but from what I saw of my admittedly brief tour, Oskaloosa appears to be a nice, but somewhat economically depressed, typical small midwestern town.

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:08 pm

The house is not listed on Realtor.com and the contact email on the Wright on the Market website goes directly to the owner.

Real estate prices of Wright homes in Iowa appear quite reasonable as the Robert Sunday house sold for less than $400K recently.

Education Professor · Post by **Education Professor** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:30 pm

Does anyone have any good pictures or picture sets of the Lamberson house?

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:40 pm

My photos have been deleted from Flickr at the request of the homeowner.

dkottum · Post by **dkottum** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:00 am

Thanks for the photos Paul. Only the bricked-in fireplace, wood-rail terrace wall, and lack of Usonian furnishings compromise the beautiful scale, proportions, and siting of this house. Some structural imperfections perhaps, but not severe considering the price. I have seen Usonians in better condition, but less desirable due to additions and alterations.

Doug Kottum, Battle Lake

pharding · Post by **pharding** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:04 am

That house is a great value at that price. To replicate the house, without the lot and site development, is approximately a minimum of $600,000 in rural Iowa.

hypnoraygun · Post by **hypnoraygun** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:34 pm

Great photos Paul R! When I had gone by there about a year or so ago, I didn't get very many usable photos. Thanks for posting them. Great shots inside.

I noticed the verticle brick mortar is not the same color as the bricks, and also as Paul has notated on the photo, that Redwood is used, Not Cypress. Was this home considered a "less inexpensive" Usonian?

A Usonian home owner I had spoken to said, People with more money got Cypress, those who had less got Redwood.

Any truth to that?

My prediction is this house will not last long on the market! Let's collectively buy it and use it as a museum/time share! I'll throw in $10 bucks! Who's with me?

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:43 pm

hypnoraygun wrote: A Usonian home owner I had spoken to said, People with more money got Cypress, those who had less got Redwood.

That is what Loren Knox, the current owner, told me too.

Taxes $2,400, Gas+Elec $193/mo. 2.3 acres including a detached metal 3-car garage.

New roof and skylights in 2006.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:16 pm

These are the first good photos I've ever seen of this house. Correcting the fireplace would just about do it. Mrs. Mossberg, whose fireplace was almost "walk-in" said that it sucked up heat something terrible, which is why they installed a stove (now removed) in it. I can understand why the fireplace was bricked up, but one must be willing to live with such small inconveniences to appreciate fully the experience of a FLW house.

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:35 pm

Wright Chat

The Lamberson House for $185K????

The Lamberson House for $185K????

Wirght on the Market

The Lamberson House