Photos by Udor Photography
A 1950s Connecticut home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright has sold for $6 million. Known as “Tirranna,” an Australian Aboriginal word meaning “running waters,” the home at 432 Frogtown Road in New Canaan measures over 7,000 square feet and sits on 14 acres, making it one of the largest private residences ever completed by the famous architect. The horseshoe-shaped home, which cantilevers over a pond and waterfall, has had only four owners in the last 70 years, according to Mansion Global. The property was listed in May by Coldwell Banker Realty’s Marsha Charles and Albert Safdie for $8 million and closed last week.
Designed in 1955, the home has maintained many classic Wright details, including its Philippine mahogany paneling, Cherokee red concrete floors, concrete-block walls, built-in bookshelves, and large windows overlooking nature.
Wright even briefly stayed in the home during the construction of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which he designed. As 6sqft previously reported, Wright died in 1959, and the home’s second owner, Herman R. Shepherd, completed the home’s construction.
The home features public spaces, like the living and dining rooms, with soaring ceilings and open floor plans, paired with more snug, wood-paneled bedrooms. The living area overlooks the oval-shaped terrace, which steps down to serene gardens designed by Frank Okamura, a landscape architect and bonsai specialist who worked for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for nearly 40 years.
In total, there are seven bedrooms and eight and a half baths, with the bedrooms located in a separate wing across an open courtyard from the living area. A 200-foot-long covered walkway leads to a one-bedroom guest suite and an attached greenhouse.
Tirranna last sold for $4.8 million in 2018, after listing for $8 million. Chau Ngo of Douglas Elliman represented the buyer, who has not been named. But as Albert Safdie of Coldwell Banker told Mansion Global, the new owner plans to spend “millions of dollars” renovating the home.
“They came so prepared about the house, so well-informed,†Safdie told the website. “They are moving in immediately to the guest house so that they can supervise the restoration.”
[Listing details: 432 Frogtown Road by Marsha Charles and Albert Safdie of Coldwell Banker Realty]
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Photos by Udor Photography
