A Restored Frank Lloyd Wright House Lists in Tulsa for $7.9 Million

A Frank Lloyd Wright house in Tulsa has just listed for $7.995 million following a two-year restoration, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. The home, known as Westhope, was designed by Wright in the late 1920s for his cousin, Richard Lloyd Jones, a publisher for the Tulsa Tribune. The property is listed by Rob Allen of Sage Sotheby’s International Realty, and according to the WSJ, Stuart Price, a commercial real-estate investor, is the seller. 

Located in the Greater Oakview neighborhood, the home is largely defined by an expansive façade, which makes use of Wright’s innovative “textile block” system (a building method that involved stacking patterned concrete blocks together to build a structure’s walls). Westhope is the only Wright project outside of California to use this style, the most famous example of which is likely the Ennis House in Los Angeles. Aside from the blocks, the façade also features thousands of glass panes that bring the outdoor scenery inside. At 10,400 square feet, the five-bedroom home is one of the largest the architect ever designed. It was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. 

Price told the WSJ that most of the restoration involved repairing the facade’s concrete blocks, replacing foggy windows, removing carpeting, and updating the kitchen to a style that better reflects Wright’s original design. He also restored the pool and updated the landscaping of the nearly two-acre property. According to listing images, the house appears to be staged in a collection of Wright-style furniture, like in the dining room where chairs similar to Wright’s Robie 1 stand, as well as more contemporary midcentury-inspired pieces. However, several original bookcases and wood-burning fireplaces can also be found throughout the home. Since completing the renovation, Price said that local organization like the Tulsa Ballet have held fundraisers at the property. The home has also be used for private events.

Among it’s unique design and size, the home’s most notable claim-to-fame is a frequently quoted anecdote that took place within the walls. During a bad Tulsa rainstorm, water started leaking through the roof, a common occurrence among Wright homes. Lloyd Jones reportedly called his cousin, saying, “Damn it, Frank, it’s leaking on my desk!” to which Frank Lloyd Wright calmly replied “Richard, why don’t you move your desk?” Georgia Lloyd Jones, Richard’s wife, had a more poetic take on the situation. “This is what we get for leaving a work of art out in the rain,” she said.