Frank Lloyd Wright Homes in Metro Detroit
Story by Katherine Stozicki
Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright has several beautiful homes in the metro Detroit area—some of which are available for tours or even overnight stays. Many of Frank’s home concepts included homes designed to be affordable and manageable for the average American as well as open living concepts designed to allow families and friends to mingle together in the home. Whether you’re a professional architect or designer, an architecture buff, or simply interested in the interesting and beautiful homes of Frank Lloyd Wright, here is your comprehensive list for all of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Metro Detroit!
The Smith House
Now owned by Cranbrook, the Smith home was originally commissioned by Sarah Stein Smith and Melvyn Maxwell Smith who were schoolteachers. This home is a wonderful example of what Wright called Usonian style homes which was what Wright saw as a low cost and affordable home option for the average American. This beautiful home has an L-shaped floor plan with a fairly flat and horizontal roof. Today, you can reserve a tour spot through Cranbrook’s website.
The Affleck House
The Affleck House, located in Bloomfield Hills, was commissioned by Elizabeth and Gregory Affleck in 1941 and is now owned by Lawrence Technological University. This home is another example of Wright’s Usonian home concept. The kitchen, dining room, and living room shared an open concept while the master-suit is located almost inside the hill the home is built on. The Affleck House isa beautiful one-story home with lots of windows and a wood-like appearance. The home is now available for select business and educational events as well as private tours.
Palmer House
The Palmer House, located in Ann Arbor, is a beautifully designed home, made of Tidewater Red Cypress and something called the “Cranbrook Brick” which gets its name from its stunning resemblance the material used on many of Eliel Saarinen’s Cranbrook House and Garden’s buildings. What makes the Palmer House so special is that it is nestled within the hill making it seem as though the home itself is rising from out of the dirt-representing Wright’s want for more natural architecture. The home is uniquely designed with shapes not traditionally seen in architecture used throughout the home. The home is available for overnight stays which you can book here.
Turkle House
In Detroit lies the Dorothy G. Turkel House—a large and beautiful home with many windows. Before its current owners, the home saw little maintenance. In 2006 Norm Silk and Dale Morgan began restoration on the home which was overseen by former Wright apprentice Lawrence Brink. The home is now a private residence and is not currently open for tours.
Goddard House
Located in Plymouth is the Goddard House which was built in 1953 for Louis Goddard and is located near the Wall House and is another example of a Wright Usonian home. The home, not visible from the street, is a private residence and is not currently open for tours.
Wall House
The Wall House, also known as “Snowflake,” for the hexagonal patterns found within the home, is in Plymouth. The home was designed for Carlton and Margaret Wall in 1941 and is a complex Usonian style home. This home was designed in such a particular way that the main hexagon in the home is subject to morning sunlight in the dining room and afternoon sun in the living room. This home’s unique diamond and hexagonal shapes, along with the lack of right angles, give it a unique look. Currently, this home is a private residence and is not currently open for tours.
