Wright Chat

Finally, the speculation can end: the Turkel House is up for sale. Plus, the beautiful Lykes House is available, for a pretty penny. It is great to see the photos of each: the Turkel photos lift the shroud a little on this rather mysterious house, and the color interior shots of Lykes are fantastic (who wouldn't love that office?).



Strangely, as great as the fully-refurbished, fully-furnished Lykes House is, I fear that, after my time participating in this forum, I am more drawn to an FLLW house in need of significant, costly renovation, like Turkel, than one "ready to wear," as it were, like Lykes.

For its size, Turkel is suspiciously cheap, and the "summer" tax of $13,619 seems high for that neighborhood. I've been to the house, and in addition to the questionable nature of the neighborhood, the traffic on 7 Mile Road is quite heavy and noisy. It might, in the right hands, be converted into one of the best B&Bs, considering how spacious the bedrooms are! I hope someone has the wherewithal and bank account to undertake its restoration.



Lykes was one of FLW's last commissions, built after his death. The office that you rave about was added by John Rattenbury during original construction. The current owner did a very interesting renovation which included combining some of the tiny bedrooms into larger ones.

Unlike with most FLLW houses, the Turkel lot seems utterly devoid of walls or vegetation to obscure the house from the surrounding roads and houses. Presumably some added landscaping would help cut down on the noise and improve the view.



As for Lykes, first the LIFE Dream House catches my eye, now the Lykes office...I fear I may be a closet John Rattenbury fan! Do we know anything about his interaction with or approbation by FLLW?