Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Affordable Housing Sold For $635,000

WILMETTE, IL — A historic Wilmette bungalow designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sold last month for $635,000. Built in 1915 for Thomas E. Sullivan, the Lewis E. Burleigh House on Gregory Avenue is a rare surviving example of one of Wright's American Systems-Built homes.

Aiming for affordability, the homes were designed to be built out of pre-cut materials shipped ready to be assembled. They were manufactured in Arthur Richards' Milwaukee factory, with Wright designing more than 30 variations, which sold for as little as $2,750 according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

The Gregory Avenue property is one of at least six surviving American System-Built houses in Illinois, with three on the North Shore and two in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood, according to the foundation. Shortages of supplies after the U.S. entered World War I stalled the project, with very few of the homes ever produced.

According to its listing, the four-bedroom home includes a finished basement, custom blinds that match the original woodwork and stainless steal appliances in a kitchen that overlooks the back yard.

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The property was last sold in February 2004, when Bennett Kaye purchased the home for $245,000 from a trust in the name of George Sample, later adding his wife, Piedad, to the deed. according to county records.

Sample, who died in 2009, was a noted architect and founder of the Architectural Assistance Center, which provided architectural services to low-income residents and community groups.

Kaye, who died last May at the age of 67, was regarded as a top pediatrician, jazz aficionado and avid traveler, according to their obituaries.

An offer was accepted for the home on Jan. 26, the same day the property was publicly listed. The sale closed Feb. 24. The identity of the buyer does not yet appear in public records.

The listing agent told Crain's Chicago Business, which first reported the sale, that the buyer's offer was submitted after a few hours after she posted in a social media group that she was headed to the house to have it photographed. Images from the interior show wood-trimmed windows and a brick fireplace.

According to the Cook County Assessor's Office, the property's estimated market value was about $455,000 last year, with an annual property tax bill of nearly $11,000.

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• Address: 330 Gregory Ave., Wilmette
• Built: 1921
• Lot Size: 0.14 acres
• Square Feet: 1,458 aboveground
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 1 Full and 2 Half Baths
• Last Sold: $245,000 in February 2004
• List Price: $635,000 in January 2021
• Sale Price: $635,000 on Feb. 24

For more information and photos, click here.