Frank Lloyd Wright's Final North Shore Home Sells For $2,075,000

LAKE FOREST, IL — The only Lake Forest home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sold last week, after about four months on the market, for less than 5 percent under its initial asking price. Completed in 1953, the Dolores Mummert and Charles F. Glore Jr. House was the last North Shore home designed by the legendary architect to be built before his death six years later.

Located on a nearly two-acre parcel on Mayflower Road, the Glore House's 4,300-square-foot design mimics that of a yacht — the home's namesake was an avid boater who commissioned the famed architect to design something with a nautical feel. The long and open floor plan includes walls of south-facing windows overlooking a ravine, which the house was built closer to than current code allows.

The house is among the largest of Wright's Usonian designs, and one of the only ones to originally include a servant's quarters. The seller, Megan Beidler, an architect who was also the listing agent, said the house has been described as "Usonian on steroids."

By the 1980s, the home had fallen into disrepair. According to the architectural firm commissioned to renovate it, the house was at risk of being demolished when it was purchased for $1.425 million in 1999 by Richard and Beth Katz.

The subsequent remodel turned a cramped terrace into a family room and added a three-car garage, according to the firm. The interior was updated with mahogany trim in the home's midcentury style, and its outdoor terrace was realigned to bring it more in line with Wright's original plan.

The updates won praise and an increase of nearly 50 percent in its next sale price. In 2007, the American Institute of Architects Northeast Illinois awarded the home a Merit in Architecture Award for restoration, and two years later Lake Forest Preservation Foundation awarded the home its Historic Preservation Award.

After the renovated home was listed for nearly $2.5 million in January 2007, Frank and Megan Beidler purchased the home from the Katzes for $2.175 million later that year.

The Beidlers spent an unspecified amount updating the kitchen, bathrooms, air conditioning and flooring during their 13 years in the house. They put it up for sale in June with an asking price of $2.275 million.

RELATED: Only Frank Lloyd Wright House In Lake Forest Listed For $2.275 Million

The price tag was slightly reduced each of the next two months before an offer was accepted in August. The sale closed Oct. 7 for $2.075 million.

The home's new owners have not been identified in public records. The home's estimated market value for taxing purposes is $1.6 million and its annual property tax bill is about $29,000, according to Lake County records.

• Address: 170 N. Mayflower Road, Lake Forest, Illinois
• Built: 1953
• Lot Size: 1.92 acres
• Square Feet: 4,300
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 3 full, 1 half
• Last Sold: $2.175 million in October 2007
• First Listed: $2.275 million on June 3
• Closing Price: $2.075 million on Oct. 7

Listing information originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here, or find more recently sold home in Lake Forest here.