The Mod House:





























While riding a bike around the neighborhood you see various periods of architecture. The older section where I live has Victorian houses and turn of the century cottages and bungalows. We have a park just about every two blocks and one big park right smack in the middle, Central Park. Not really Central Park but a bayou, a water Central Park as it were and not a public park at that but more of a private central water park. The bayou bisects an entire part of town. It’s a small section of town but because of the central water park you have to travel all the way around. There’s no way through it or across it so it makes the whole thing feel huge.






























Anyway, there is this one house that sits on the bayou and every time I pass it and look at the mitered glass with the wood cut inserts and the horizontal bands of brick and the flat roof line, I wonder who built this masterpiece? It looks to be the work of Frank Lloyd Wright but I know it’s not and is in essence an imposter, a really good imposter.





Guess what I found on the multiple listing services? That’s right the Wright knockoff. Turns out it was built by a totally important architect, John Randal McDonald. It lists for $850,000.00. Take the virtual tour here. Buy it for me here.



14 comments:

  1. Nice place. I like houses in Wright's Prairie Style. Something about the roof-line.

    PS: The links don't work for me.

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  2. Damn your quick Mr. LX. I was in the process of repairing them when I received your comment.

    I like the style too. My dad was an architect in the same vein. I like the roof lines as well but know from him that they just don't work that well. Because there's no pitch.

    They leak!

    Also, A belated Merry Christmas to you.

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  3. Thanks for the tour Mr Pirate.
    At that price is it good value? I have no idea.
    I could live on the water though...

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  4. At first I laughed at the huge price taggery. Most of the houses on the water are around $500,000.00 and up. The ones across the street are more like $250,000.00.

    After the shock wore off and considering the primo location, the architectural provenance, and the fact that it has never been touched or remodeled. At that price there is no room to spruce it up or turn a profit. I have to say it is probably a good buy at around $550. It would be a shame if someone came in and changed everything but it kind of needs an update. But I like it unspoiled.

    They'll never sell it at that price.

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  5. You need to move the current residents' stuff OUT (I wish I hadn't clicked on the interior tour) and move your lovely stuff IN.

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  6. Sorry.

    Hey, you could throw a Rat Pack-themed party there!

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  7. I was rapt until the combination of the game show music and poor interior decorating choices made me want to start cutting myself again.

    Plus, Scandinavian mid-century furniture gives me shingles.

    But thanks for sharing - it IS a cool house.

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  8. YOU can buy it for me. then, i'll let YOU clean it.

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  9. Nice! We have a few Wright knockoffs around here too. No one ever seems to know what to do with the interiors, sadly.

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  10. That is some random ass decorating. I think this style of architecture is just less forgiving of mistakes in furnishing it. Also, the yard looks pretty raggedy for so much money.

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  11. I love it! From the outside, anyway.

    Of course, there are plenty of Wright buildings out here...

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  12. In the hands of a skilled interior designer, this gem could shine.

    Especially if Jon Hamm was the resident mad man.

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  13. I too would buy the house if they would throw in Jon Hamm - because I would love to eat Jon Hamm's John Ham.

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  14. The Mad House? Happy New Year Ayem8y!

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