A restored farmhouse that’s among the late great architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s last creations has listed in Los Banos, California.
Built in 1961, the 4,041-square-foot property — better known as the Fawcett Farm — was constructed for a farmer named Randall “Buck” Fawcett, best known for turning down an offer to play for the Chicago Bears in the name of running his family’s business, according to the Fresno Bee.
Wright designed the home for him ahead of his 1959 death, making it one his final works, albeit one that was erected posthumously.
For 48 years, Fawcett remained the property’s only owner. After his death, in 2009, the Fawcett Farm listed for the first time. In 2012, its new owners undertook an extensive and ultimately award-winning restoration of the property with the help of Wright apprentice and Taliesin Associate architect Arthur Dyson — and consultation from Wright’s son, Eric Lloyd Wright, according to the Bee.
Now it’s back on the market and asking $4.25 million.
In 2012 the house underwent an award-winning renovation. Jim Simmons
It was owned by its original occupant until 2009. Jim Simmons
The home is one of Wright’s Usonian houses. Jim Simmons
The grounds include a Koi pond. Jim Simmons
The home has a swimming pool and a Japanese garden. Jim Simmons
Wright’s son helped consult on the renovation. Jim Simmons
There are approximately 60 Usonian homes total. Jim Simmons
The compound is set on 76 acres. Jim Simmons
The house is located in Los Banos, California. Jim SimmonsThe gated compound features a seven-bedroom, six-bathroom main residence with open plan living, dining and family areas — plus multiple fireplaces and a laundry room. There is also a “semi-attached small museum,” a large detached workshop, a swimming pool, a Koi pond and a Japanese garden.
“Sited on 76 acres of land in California’s Central Valley that Buck Fawcett characterized to Wright as the most fertile agricultural land in the world, the residence and surrounding gardens afford an island of peace rising from the crops and merging with the distant mountains on the far horizon,” the listing — held by Crosby Doe Associates — describes.
The home is “considered by many as one of the finest examples of Wright’s ‘Usonian’ homes” noted the California Preservation Foundation’s Design Award in its writeup of the property, which won in 2019.
Usonian homes refers to the approximately 60 middle-income family homes Wright designed starting in 1936.
“A strong visual connection between the interior and exterior spaces is an important characteristic of all Usonian homes,” the Foundation explained.
