Remarks:
We are pleased to announce the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Gerald B. Tonkens House is available for purchase.
This home has been continuously lived in by the Tonkens family, maintained to a superb standard and lauded by numerous architectural luminaries including the contractor of this home, Eric Lloyd Wright, The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and Stuart Greenspan, former editor-in-chief of ART & AUCTION who said of this home “The extraordinary sensitivity of the ensemble, the house set within its landscape and open to the out-of-doors, the extreme care with which the elements were used and its consistency of scale make this perhaps the most seductive house I have ever been in.”
This best-of-breed Usonian Automatic home is set on over 4 private park-like acres on one of the finest streets in Cincinnati’s Amberley Village. Built to Wright’s exacting standards using 11 different patterns of concrete block with over 400 inset windows creating a one-of-a-kind indoor/outdoor light show. Features include interiors paneled in Philippine Mahogany, bedroom wing ceilings gilded in 18K gold-leaf, grand 13’ 6” high living & dining rooms anchored by a massive fireplace, a masterfully outfitted & updated cooks’ kitchen, a long library/gallery entry hall, a private study, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths and fantastical outdoor spaces including an attached carport/shed which further extends Wright’s inspiration into the landscape. Included in the sale is a separate guest cottage on the property of an earlier vintage.
This home is being offered with the original Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furniture specified for this residence. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own both a home and an incomparable work of art.
This home is being offered with original Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furniture specified for this residence.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own both a home and an incomparable work of art.
Master bedroom includes abundant closets, ensuite 2-room full bath & private study
Acreage: 4.088 acres per Auditor, flat & rolling, mature trees and landscaping, near a pastoral city park, abundant flora, fauna and wildlife. The house sits atop a knoll and cannot be seen from the street.
Winding Cherokee Red-stained drive with two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed street-level entry gates.
Outside features: 2-car carport. Lighted concrete and glass pillars. Two storage sheds integral to the house. Walled Lanai for entertaining accessed from French doors in the living & dining rooms. Private Patio off of the study in the master bedroom suite.
Additional items included in the sale: The original FLW designed Henredon furniture specified for this home is available at an additional cost as part of this sale. Also included in the sale is an extensive collection of original documents, plans, correspondence, telegrams and the like between the owners and Frank and Eric Lloyd Wright. Eric Lloyd Wright was the construction supervisor for this home and lived in Cincinnati for 18 months while it was constructed. In addition, there are numerous boxes full of photos, articles and books featuring the house, letters from famous folks who visited the house including: Walter Cronkite, Neil Armstrong, Jack Lenor Larsen and many others and every other imaginable form of records, documentation and ephemera.
Historic Designations: This house has the FLW signed red tile inset by the front doorbell designating Frank Lloyd Wright’s approved of its construction to his specifications. As well, inset into the house near the FLW tile is a brass plaque indicating this home is on the National Historic Register.
Showing Procedure:
All interested parties are required to complete a showing form and provide a pre-qualification or proof of funds letter from a recognized financial institution.
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