Frank Lloyd Wright’s slow-to-sell Avery Coonley House finds buyer at $1.15M

After eight years and more price cuts than we care to count, a notable home within Frank Lloyd Wright’s Avery Coonley estate finally found a new owner in suburban Riverside, Illinois. The five-bedroom, five-bathroom residence originally listed for $2.89 million in 2010, but sold on February 1 for just $1.15 million, according to Crain’s.

Constructed between 1908 and 1912, the 10,000-square-foot Coonley complex was later subdivided into four separate living spaces. At 6,000 square feet, the newly sold unit is the largest and arguably most architecturally significant portion of the Wright-designed property. It displays many of the famous architect’s trademark design elements such as broad overhanging eaves, decorative art glass windows, and detailed interior woodwork.

Previous owners Dean and Ella Mae Eastman paid $975,000 for the home in 2000 and subsequently sunk “much more than that” into restorations, reported Crain’s. Improvements included repairing crumbling exterior walls, restoring its landscaped lilly pond, and recreating a 28-foot-long forest scape mural in the main living room.

Although this particular portion of the Coonley House is no longer available, Frank Lloyd Wright afficiendos still have a chance to purchase the nearby Avery Coonley Playhouse. The Wright-designed school turned two-bedroom residence is currently listed for $800,000.

• Significant Wright home sells after 8 years on market [Crain’s]
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Coonley House Returns with Lower Asking Price [Curbed Chicago]
• Previous Frank Lloyd Wright coverage [Curbed Chicago]