Architecture Wednesday: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Harper House

Michigan has its share of Frank Lloyd Wright–designed homes and the small town of St. Joseph has two of them, and just one has views of Lake Michigan through a myriad of cascading windows—and it’s now on the market for the first time in 25 years, for just $1.96 million.

Harper House, built in 1953, is believed to be the last home Wright, then 83, designed in Michigan. But it was crafted of materials familiar to Wright, like the tidewater cypress and Chicago common brick. The L-shaped home was named for , and commissioned by, Dr. Ina Harper, who lived here with her husband, F. LeRoy Bradford; sadly, just three years after her dream house was built, Dr. Harper died at 77 years old.

In contrast to earlier Prairie-style residences, the Harper House features characteristics of Wright’s later works, like walls of windows, a massive brick fireplace, stained glass and mahogany entry doors, banquette seating, and recessed lighting. Wright’s signature attention to detail is apparent in the mitered glass corners—which allow for unhindered sunset views over Lake Michigan—multiple built-ins with piano hinges, and a combination of pitched, angled, and flat roofs with custom fabricated copper fasciae and downspouts. By using cypress on the walls and ceilings, the interiors of the home glow with light, both day and night.

Prior to the current owners, the 1,700-square-foot plan was expanded to 3,150 square feet with an addition facing away from the lake that was designed by Charles Montooth, a Wright apprentice and faculty member at Taliesin. The new flat-roofed section holds two bedrooms, the family room, and a bathroom, but was carefully integrated into the original home through use of the same building materials.

The current owners did a full restoration, working closely with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and though the house remains essentially intact—the original concrete floors beneath the carpet retain their built-in radiant heating—new creature comforts like Toto toilets, a tankless water heater, Brizo Litze fixtures in the bathrooms, Emtek door hardware, and energy-efficient windows have been added throughout. The largest upgrades are in the kitchen, where granite counters, slide-out pantry drawers, and KitchenAid appliances sit alongside Wright’s wood designs. Other updates include central air conditioning, an automatic sprinkler system, and Bosch security. In addition, the home includes all the furnishings, including several custom-designed pieces like a glass cocktail table and vanity in the half bathroom, and multiple art pieces, including a full-size reproduction of a Sprite sculpture designed by Wright for Midway Gardens in 1914, and that Baldwin grand piano in the Great Room.

Goddess, I love these houses.

Dwell