KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of two homes architect Frank Lloyd Wright built in Kansas City is for sale.
The property at 3600 Bellevue Avenue is tucked away in the trees. Some people don’t even realize it’s there.
“It’s amazing,” said Tom Suther, a realtor for ReeceNichols. “It’s like you’re standing in a piece of history. Thinking that someone as important an architect as Frank Lloyd Wright built this, created this, and to be here it’s very special.”
Suther said the Sondern family commissioned the original house in 1939. They asked Wright to design a small home, which was 900 square feet. The family owned it for nine years before they sold it to the Adler family in 1948.
The Adler family commissioned Wright to return and expand the home to almost 3,000 square feet.
The house -- made up of cypress and brick -- is one of Wright’s Usonian homes, which have a simplified approach to residential construction. Wright developed the style in response to the financial crisis of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression, according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
The 1.4-acre property is now on the market for $1.65 million.
Suther said they’ve had a lot of interest in the home both from people who are just interested in Wright from a historical perspective and from people who are truly interested in the house.
Suther said he thinks the buyer is going to be someone who has a deep interest in architecture and art.
“This would be like living in a piece of art,” he said. “It’s going to take someone who understands it will be a restoration process and someone who will be a good steward of the property over time.”
