Archinect - News

The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Frank Lloyd Wright Homes

2013-05-20T18:22:00-04:00

For those willing to accept the challenge of owning a dwelling designed by America's most-famous architect, there are about 20 Wright homes currently up for sale in eight states. That's the largest number in recent years. Those on the market now range from a six-bedroom Illinois home listed at $649,000 to a sprawling Montana ranch with a price tag of $5.6 million. "It is a good time to buy a Wright house because there is a variety of prices and locations,'' said Janet Halstead...

Eisenman's House VI, Venturi's Philadelphia House, and Louis Kahn’s Esherick House all set to hit the market

2013-05-01T18:18:00-04:00

Three of the most important modernist houses in the Northeast, including the 1964 house Robert Venturi designed for his mother, have been (or will soon be) put up for sale by their long-time owners, two of them without covenants that would ensure their preservation.

Venturi's Philadelphia House

Louis Kahn’s Esherick House

A Motor City Missionary

2013-04-26T17:38:00-04:00

According to academics like Brent D. Ryan, author of “Design After Decline: How America Rebuilds Shrinking Cities," it is one of the most ambitious privately financed urban reclamation projects in American history.

Earlier this month David Segal traveled to Detroit to look into the efforts/urban boosterim of Dan Gilbert, chairman of Quicken Loans. Using his real estate company, Bedrock Real Estate Services, Mr. Segal is renovating properties, building apartments and wooing corporate tenants. The goal is to remake Detroit (or at least some of it's downtown) into a high-tech hub, full of the 'creative class', high culture and young entrepreneurs. Mr. Segal also explored the context and cause for the current crisis and interviewed some locals who worry about the creation of "two Detroits".

The specter of ghost buildings in London

2013-04-06T11:33:00-04:00

The salesclerk at a Belgravia clothing boutique, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because she did not want to get in trouble, said that at some times of the year the area was virtually abandoned. “We’ll shut for the whole of August,” she said.

Earlier this week Sarah Lyall explored how some neighborhoods in London have become "So Exclusive Even the Owners Are Visitors". This is because the owners are increasingly, superwealthy foreigners from places like Russia, Kazakhstan, Southeast Asia and India, who are purchasing a residence either as an investment or as Yolande Barnes of the real estate firm Savills explains "It’s more like buying their own private hotel" for their occasional visit to London.

As Bruce Sterling (h/t) commented over at his blog "the Gothic High-Tech soulless barns of the offshored ultra-wealthy. A city that once thrived by financialization is seeing its citizens replaced by money. It would be even more interesting if the entities owning these structures were themselves financial instruments, and never human to begin with. Maybe these 'ultraprime' structures could be purchased and owned by quant algorithms, stockmarket style"

Superscraper 432 Park Avenue is Officially On the Market

2013-03-20T13:22:00-04:00

It's the first official day of spring, and that means this year's crop of new developments is about to start hitting the market. They'll have a lot to live up to, because the season is starting off with a big one: 432 Park Avenue! The city's—nay, the western hemisphere's—future tallest residential building is now available. Or at least, two-thirds of the units are.

The Rafael Vinoly-designed superscraper at 432 Park Avenue -- which, when finished, will be the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere -- has officially kicked-off sales. Prices for what's currently available? $20 million to $82.5 million.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Millard House hits the market in Pasadena

2013-03-15T13:23:00-04:00

The 4,230-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath home—currently on sale through Crosby Doe Associates for $4,495,000—offers a rare opportunity to lay claim to a unique piece of Wright history. The house, located in Pasadena, California, was originally built for book dealer Alice Millard for $17,000. Wright once said, "I would rather have built this little house than St. Peter's in Rome."

Bob Hope Estate in Palm Springs Is Up for Sale (for $50m)

2013-03-08T13:43:00-05:00

The huge Palm Springs estate of Bob Hope, the comic icon of midcentury film and television, and his wife, Dolores, is being brought to market for the first time this month, at an asking price of $50 million. Perched high in the exclusive Southridge community, with panoramic views of the Coachella Valley, including the city of Palm Springs and the San Jacinto Mountains, the 23,366-square-foot home was designed in 1973 by the California Modernist architect John Lautner.

Architect/Contractor Couple Builds Home Out of Shipping Containers in Williamsburg

2013-03-01T12:54:00-05:00

The couple bought a 20-by-40-foot piece of land at 351 Keap St. in 2008, trying to get ahead of the wave of gentrification they feared would soon price them out of Williamsburg. Initially, they planned to build a tiny home out of bricks and mortar, but when they put out a bid, it came back as potentially costing half a million dollars.

After doing some calculations, they decided to make it work with shipping containers.

Architect Wants to Relocate New Jersey Frank Lloyd Wright to Italy

2013-02-25T14:38:00-05:00

Wright aficionado and architect Paolo Bulletti has launched an effort to purchase the 1954 Bachman Wilson House, one of Wright’s Usonian Houses in New Jersey, and transport the structure to the town of Fiesole outside Florence.

Ghostly Condos of New York

2013-02-12T18:49:00-05:00

“I’ve seen Kelly Ripa there. Two little kids were playing with Legos on the treadmill next to her, and there was nobody else.”

If you thought China or Dubai are the only places where you enter a multi million dollar condominium just purchased for that unruly son / daughter or a mistress, or laundering money.., hold on... Why is that all sold out prime luxury condo building in New York only occupied 10% with concierge, room service and all?

Frank Lloyd Wright's Cincinnati Tonkens House For Sale For First Time

2013-02-11T11:45:00-05:00

Designed by the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1955 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, the Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens House was listed for the first time ever this week, with an asking price of $1.788M.

Government Offers to Swap for a New F.B.I. Headquarters

2013-01-31T18:05:00-05:00

For nearly 40 years, the F.B.I. has had its headquarters in a massive example of Brutalist architecture on Pennsylvania Avenue. But the federal government hopes to swap the building and its prime location for a sprawling new home in the suburbs, and there seem to be plenty of developers eager to help make that happen.

The General Services Administration, the federal government’s landlord, held an “industry day” this month to lay out its wish list for new F.B.I. headquarters, drawing more than 450 interested developers, architects, brokers and consultants.

Developer Unveils New Plan for Grand Avenue, sans Gehry

2013-01-18T19:47:00-05:00

Developer Ditches Gehry Mega-Project for Phased Approach, Starting With Second Residential Tower The real estate development firm Related’s long-delayed plan to build a $2 billion Frank Gehry-designed hotel, housing and retail complex on Grand Avenue has been off the table for several years. Now, a new proposal is finally coming into focus.

Hong Kong’s $60 Million Dollar Apartment

2012-11-18T23:38:00-05:00

While the design industry may not pay as much heed to star architects – or starchitects – as it once did, on a consumer level, they clearly still pack a punch. This is exemplified by the sale of an apartment in the Frank Gehry-designed Opus Building in Hong Kong which, according to William Lau of Midland Realty, reached a record-breaking sale price of nearly $60 million due to its ‘unique’ architectural design.

Buyer drops bid to purchase David and Gladys Wright House

2012-11-13T17:23:00-05:00

“While the prospective buyer strongly supports efforts to preserve the David and Gladys Wright house, he has concluded that for personal and business reasons, this is not an opportunity he will pursue at this time. He has every confidence that a preservation minded buyer will be found, and that the house will be preserved," representatives of the prospective buyer told Joffe.

The cost of living in a "landmark status" Frank Lloyd Wright home

2012-10-26T14:13:00-04:00

Its owners are hoping to sell the house before Nov. 7, when the City Council is scheduled to vote on giving it landmark status, which they oppose. Though they agree that the house ought to be saved — “The property is gorgeous,” Mr. Sells said in its master bedroom one morning — they say they must first safeguard their investment, as well as their livelihood. “If it becomes a landmark,” Mr. Sells said, “we’re out of business.”

Eric Owen Moss' first built project is for sale

2012-10-03T18:43:00-04:00

1977 Contemporary Addition and Renovation was the first built work of Architect Eric Owen Moss. Zoned as Duplex, but divided into 3 Spaces, all with Kitchen Area, Guest Bath, W/D, and Fireplace. Top Space is light and bright multi-story Luxury Loft with 1.5 Baths, 4 Outdoor Decks, and Ocean Views Throughout.

Moss' "Triplex Apartments" in Playa Del Rey (LA) have been listed at $1.925M

Christopher Hawthorne, LA Times Architecture Critic, put his home on the market

2012-06-12T17:42:00-04:00

Although as a preservation-minded fellow, he probably wouldn't suggest that the two-bedroom, one-bathroom house off Colorado Boulevard is a teardown: "Now is your chance to live in the cottage and oversee construction, or you can just move in, enjoy the charm, the seclusion, the views--and write that novel."

Gehry Luxury Tower Boasts Hong Kong’s Priciest View

2012-04-12T21:03:00-04:00

Built for Swire Properties Ltd. (962), the structure cost HK$27,000 ($3,477) per square foot to construct, including land premium. A standard high-rise apartment in the city can cost as little as $HK4,000 per square foot to build, according to Swire Chief Executive Officer Martin Cubbon. “Of course, it’s going to be enormously expensive by any standards,” says Cubbon. “In rental values and capital values, it’s going to command the highest numbers that Hong Kong has ever seen.”

Wyoming’s Buford, self-proclaimed smallest town in US, sells for $900K; lone resident retiring

2012-04-09T18:39:00-04:00

The new owner will get a gas station and convenience store, a schoolhouse from 1905, a cabin, a garage, 10 acres, and a three-bedroom home at 8,000 feet altitude — overlooking the trucks and cars on the nearby interstate on one side and the distant snowcapped mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado on the other.

Honest Buildings Website Launches To Make Building Research Easier

2012-03-20T16:57:00-04:00

Every building is unique, and each has good things and some not-so-good things. The new website Honest Buildings launched today to make it a lot easier to learn about projects and open up a discourse on how to make them perform better. As the site matures, the creators see it developing into an organic gathering place for discourse on the built environment – a social media hub just for buildings.

Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in metro Atlanta, to be auctioned today

2012-02-07T19:59:34-05:00

The foreclosure of Bank of America Plaza comes as delinquency rates for commercial mortgage backed securities, or CMBS, a type of loan for commercial properties, reached an all-time high in metro Atlanta in December, according to Trepp, a real estate research firm.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Heller House is on the market for $2.5m

2012-01-31T18:08:00-05:00

Its astonishing 6,100 sq ft of outrageous opulence - including 33 stained glass windows, four fireplaces, several wood panelled walls, seven bedrooms and its very own working elevator - has allowed its residents to live in spectacular splendour for almost 120 years. Now prospective home-owners have the chance to buy into bliss as Chicago's luxurious Isodore H Heller House goes on the market for $2.5million.

Bogus architect claims inflate house values

2011-10-05T19:35:11-04:00

Ryan also described a property as being designed by 'award-winning architect Noel Jessop'. A search of the New Zealand architect's register reveals that Jessop is not an architect, but that he has a certificate in drafting. Ryan rejected the claim his conduct was misleading, saying members of the public use the words 'architecture', architecturally' and 'architect' interchangeably.

In Gaza, real estate is at a premium

2011-07-08T18:10:36-04:00

If you believe the adage about real estate -- that bit about the three most important things being location, location, location -- then one would think there are few places worse to own a home than the Gaza strip. [...] And yet, home prices are up sharply.

MoMA to Buy American Folk Art Museum Building

2011-05-11T10:31:00-04:00

The folk art museum’s building was designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and opened in 2001. It was not clear whether it would be torn down. The folk art museum took on $32 million of debt to construct the 53rd Street building. But attendance never met expectations, and after sustaining investment losses in the financial crisis, the museum defaulted on its debt.

China's Ghost Cities and Malls

2011-04-12T14:18:44-04:00

Documentary by SBS Dateline (Australian TV) about the Chinese real estate market.

Wanna Live in a Meier?

2007-11-21T13:05:00-05:00

Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy has never lived in the 176 Perry Street triplex he bought for $17.57 million five years ago, but it still may go down as the best home he ever owned. That's because Joy is looking to get a whopping $40 million for the 11,000-square-foot slab of Richard Meier minimalism, a nice profit even after hiring Meier to also design the interior.

Curbed shows us what $40mil will get you in NYC's Meier-designed Perry tower.