It seems that Chicago's Frank Lloyd Wright houses are playing musical chairs — as one home returns to the market, another decides to take a break. And just as the H. Howard Hyde House in Beverly decided to make another appearance on the MLS, Wright's Isidore H. Heller House in Hyde Park has quietly exited the market. Built in 1897, the Heller House is notable for being one of Wright's first true Prairie designs, but the house has been having trouble translating its architectural significance and history into a competitive offer from interested parties. Instead, the house has become a notable languisher with having spent nearly four years on the market.
According to the public listing info on Zillow, the latest retreat from the MLS marks the houses second time in four years that it has taken a break from the market. Redfin's data shows that this would only be the first time that the house has delisted in those four years. What we do know is that the 5,500-square-foot house quietly listed in January 2012 when it was listed in the printed pages of the Hyde Park Herald with a $2.5 million asking price. However, the house remained on the market for well over a year before receiving its first and only price cut of $75,000. Weeks, months and years passed before the Heller House decided to take its first break in December 2014. It returned the following April with the familiar $2.425 million ask and continued to idle on the MLS until it exited once more this past week.
The Heller's House plight is not uncommon for houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Numerous Wright houses have spent months or even years on the market before finally being sold. The most notable and recent example would be the George Madison Millard House in Highland Park. The Prairie Style house had been on the market for nearly four years and received a dozen price cuts before it finally sold for $687,500 in December. Other available Wright houses that have spent a considerable period on the market include the William Winslow House in River Forest, the J. Kibben Ingalls House in River Forest, the Avery Coonley House in Riverside and the F.B. Henderson House in Elmhurst.
·Will These Frank Lloyd Wright Houses Find a Buyer in 2016? [Curbed Chicago]
·Previous Heller House coverage [Curbed Chicago]
·Wright Stuff archives [Curbed Chicago]