Frank Lloyd Wright designed the home in the mid '50s. All Photos: Jim Simmons Photography. Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
It’s not everyday that a Frank Lloyd Wright house hits the market. Though the famed American architect designed hundreds of residential properties in his 70-year career, an impressive number no doubt, they remain rare commodities that don’t list for sale all too often. But, if owning your own piece of Wright history has been on your dream list, it might just be your lucky day.
The Fawcett Farm, or Randall Fawcett Home as it’s often called, is a late Wright design completed in 1961 that recently hit the market for $4.25 million. Listed through Crosby Doe Associates, the seven-bedroom and six-bathroom home features many elements Wright is known for such as large floor-to-ceiling windows and a strong connection to the surrounding nature.
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Located in Los Banos, California, the property is in a somewhat unusual location—even for a Usonian home, which are often in lower profile areas. A town where the largest employer is the local school district, the rural city in California’s central valley has a population of less than 50,000. It’s not the type of place you typically associate with world-class architecture and design, but then again, nothing about the home’s origins are what you’d expect.
After graduating from Los Banos High School, Randall “Buck” Fawcett continued his academic career at Stanford University. On campus, he was a star athlete and participated in football and track. After enlisting as a paratrooper in the army during World War II, he was picked by the Chicago Bears in the 1944 NFL Draft. Instead of of accepting a jersey with his name on the back, Fawcett touchingly chose to return to Los Banos to help out on his father’s farm. It was here that he and his wife met with Wright to design their family home, which they built themselves over two years using the architect’s blueprints.
For some, the one-of-a-kind home, which also includes a pool, a semi-attached museum, and Japanese garden, is a steal. Just a few months ago, Wright’s Arthur Mathews House—which is less than half the size of the Fawcett home—listed for nearly twice the amount at $8 million. Whoever buys the Fawcett property will be the third family to live in it and the second to enjoy the home after a premier restoration completed in consultation with Eric Lloyd Wright, Wright’s grandson, and overseen by Arthur Dyson, a Taliesin Associated architect.