My Report On The Turkel House
Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:51 pm
I was in the Turkel House today. I managed a look through a friend of mine who is a realtor. My dad and I were throwing around the idea of purchasing it as a destination rental (like the Penfield) so I made the call to my friend, and there we were.
First off, the condition of the house aint great, but its certaintly not hopeless, either. There is a lot of water damage from deferred maintenance, and there were several puddles on the floor. The wiring and plumbing will need significant work to get them up to code, and there was some deflection on the carport and some settling of the blocks.
As for the interior, the mahogany panels in the rooms looked to be in superb condition and were beautiful to look at. The bathrooms and the kitchen, as so often with Wright houses, were remodeled in a manner not matching the spirit of the house, although it looks as though the original stove is still in place. The floor looked in great condition, with the classic red cement floor looking brilliant and uncracked. A previous owner had put down carpet (and some carpet is still in a couple of the bedrooms) but it has been removed from the house. The elevator is stuck between floors and is, in my (unprofessional) estimation, beyond repair.
The built in desks, shelves and cabinets looked to be in good shape with the wood showing good color and texture. The classic usonian built in couch along the wall of the main living room was intact and in good shape. The house was freezing cold!
My realtor friend told me that the house was owned by a chap who defaulted on the mortgage and the house is now owned by the bank. There are some $13000 in back taxes owed on the property as well.
I had never thought much of the Usonian Automatics, but after being in this house, my opinion has changed. This may be one of the more underrated houses Wright did. The main living/music room is a spectacular space, on a par with some other Wright spaces I've been in. Even in its vacant/slightly run down state, the house's elegance shone through brilliantly. The upstairs bedrooms (never published in photographs to my knowledge) are models of efficiency and comfort. The study is a wonderful space, one that is naturally placed. There are wonderful cabinets placed in piers in the hallway, with ample storage space. A truly wonderful house, and an excellent example of organic architecture. Wright's genius is very apparent in this house.
Does anyone have any other information on the house's history? I am doing some research on this and other Wright houses in Michigan, and I would love to know more about Mrs. Turkel and this house. I took a lot of pictures (177 to be exact) and would love to post a few, if anyone could tell me how on this board.
All in all, the house is going to take some serious money to get put back right. The new owner would have to consult with an architect familiar with the block system to deal with the structural deflection and settling and the utlities are going to need a complete overhaul. The elevator will need to be rebuilt anew or written off entirely. There is some broken glass in the house's doors would need to replaced. There is no landscaping to speak of.
With an asking price of $462,000 with $13,000 in taxes waiting to be paid, and about $500,000 (at least) of issues to deal with, it will be an expensive proposition. We need a person like (Kentuck Knob owner) Lord Palumbo to come in and make it right. It will take a special person with a big checkbook to bring this place back to what it could be.
Again, please post if you know something of the history of Mrs. Turkel or subsequent owners of the house. I'm dying to know.
First off, the condition of the house aint great, but its certaintly not hopeless, either. There is a lot of water damage from deferred maintenance, and there were several puddles on the floor. The wiring and plumbing will need significant work to get them up to code, and there was some deflection on the carport and some settling of the blocks.
As for the interior, the mahogany panels in the rooms looked to be in superb condition and were beautiful to look at. The bathrooms and the kitchen, as so often with Wright houses, were remodeled in a manner not matching the spirit of the house, although it looks as though the original stove is still in place. The floor looked in great condition, with the classic red cement floor looking brilliant and uncracked. A previous owner had put down carpet (and some carpet is still in a couple of the bedrooms) but it has been removed from the house. The elevator is stuck between floors and is, in my (unprofessional) estimation, beyond repair.
The built in desks, shelves and cabinets looked to be in good shape with the wood showing good color and texture. The classic usonian built in couch along the wall of the main living room was intact and in good shape. The house was freezing cold!
My realtor friend told me that the house was owned by a chap who defaulted on the mortgage and the house is now owned by the bank. There are some $13000 in back taxes owed on the property as well.
I had never thought much of the Usonian Automatics, but after being in this house, my opinion has changed. This may be one of the more underrated houses Wright did. The main living/music room is a spectacular space, on a par with some other Wright spaces I've been in. Even in its vacant/slightly run down state, the house's elegance shone through brilliantly. The upstairs bedrooms (never published in photographs to my knowledge) are models of efficiency and comfort. The study is a wonderful space, one that is naturally placed. There are wonderful cabinets placed in piers in the hallway, with ample storage space. A truly wonderful house, and an excellent example of organic architecture. Wright's genius is very apparent in this house.
Does anyone have any other information on the house's history? I am doing some research on this and other Wright houses in Michigan, and I would love to know more about Mrs. Turkel and this house. I took a lot of pictures (177 to be exact) and would love to post a few, if anyone could tell me how on this board.
All in all, the house is going to take some serious money to get put back right. The new owner would have to consult with an architect familiar with the block system to deal with the structural deflection and settling and the utlities are going to need a complete overhaul. The elevator will need to be rebuilt anew or written off entirely. There is some broken glass in the house's doors would need to replaced. There is no landscaping to speak of.
With an asking price of $462,000 with $13,000 in taxes waiting to be paid, and about $500,000 (at least) of issues to deal with, it will be an expensive proposition. We need a person like (Kentuck Knob owner) Lord Palumbo to come in and make it right. It will take a special person with a big checkbook to bring this place back to what it could be.
Again, please post if you know something of the history of Mrs. Turkel or subsequent owners of the house. I'm dying to know.