In the mid-1940s, roughly a dozen Michigan scientists working for the pharmaceutical manufacturer Upjohn came together to commission architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a community for them. The group had pooled their resources to purchase around 70 acres (~28.3 hectares) in Galesburg, a city a little more than 15 miles from the company’s former corporate headquarters in Kalamazoo, and they were drawn to Wright’s “Usonian” homes: inexpensive, L-shaped, single-story dwellings with strong connections to nature. A few years later, some members of the group who decided Galesburg was too far of a trek also engaged with Wright to develop another community in Kalamazoo.
Now, three Usonian homes from these neighboring Michigan communities are on the market, offering prospective homebuyers an opportunity to own a piece of mid-century modern architectural history — for less than the cost of some Brooklyn brownstones.
During his lifetime, Wright designed more than 300 homes, several of which are currently for sale around the country in Arizona, California, and Oklahoma, according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy’s Wright on the Market tracker. However, the three residences currently for sale in Michigan — all less than 13 miles from one another — not only exemplify his quintessential architectural philosophies for middle-class living, but also draw on his broader visions for urban and suburban city planning, as proposed in his 1932 Broadacre City concept.
In Galesburg, the Weisblat and Eppstein homes are currently listed at $1.95 and $2.1 million, respectively. They were both designed in 1948 and are situated on circular lots on the same drive, as part of a compound known today as The Acres that also includes two other Wright landmarks, the Pratt House and the Meyer House. The community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
In nearby Kalamazoo, the Winn House is listed at $850,000. It was designed in 1950 as part of the cooperative community known as Parkwyn Village, which was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
“The houses [in the Acres and Parkwyn Village] vary, but share elements of Wright’s Usonian concept,” Eric Rogers, a spokesperson for the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, told Hyperallergic.
He referenced the homes’ open-floor layouts to encourage people to socialize in the main living areas; carports in lieu of garages; and affordable materials consisting of concrete slabbed floors, walls made of wood or brick, and flat roofs with large overhangs.
Many of the Wright-designed houses in the area have had extensive repairs in recent years. Realtor Fred Taber told Hyperallergic that the Eppstein House and the Pratt House underwent a combined $1 million in restoration, and the Winn similarly has about $800,000 worth of repairs.
“Their value was really stagnant for a very long time … many of [the homes] were in very bad condition and almost beyond repair,” Taber said. Their original tar and gravel roofing, which was prone to leaks, has since been replaced with waterproof rubber. The homes have had “no issues” since the update, Taber said.
But in addition to being on the market, several of the Wright residences in the area, like the Eppstein House and the Meyer House, are also listed on Airbnb for overnight stays.
“With so many [Wright homes] having recently changed hands, and three currently on the market, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy hopes new owners will appreciate their significance within this interesting regional history and Wright’s larger body of work,” Rogers said.
