A Rare Frank Lloyd Wright Home in New York Lists for a Shocking Price
Frank Lloyd Wright designed hundreds of private homes in his career, but you can only find one in New York City—the Crimson Beech home on Staten Island. It’s not too much of a secret that the famed architect wasn’t the Big Apple’s biggest fan, and the city doesn’t typically offer the connection with nature that Wright harnessed in his designs. But travel just a little outside of the concrete jungle, and Wright designs start popping up: One of them just went up for sale. Just 35 minutes from Manhattan, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Socrates Zaferiou House sits on 2.5 private acres within Clausland Mountain Park in Blauvelt, New York. “It’s a complete escape from our New York City life, so it’s meant to be a decompression,” Sarah Anderson-Magness, the home’s current owner, said in a video about the property and her journey with it. The four-bedroom and two-and-a-half-bathroom property was recently listed for sale through Sotheby’s for $1.52 million.
Dubbed the Socrates Zaferiou House after the original owner, the property is one of Wright’s prefabricated homes sold through Marshall Erdman & Associates. In the mid-1950s, Wright worked with the developer to design three options, including an L-shaped single-story home and a square two-story design. The third option was never realized. The Socrates Zaferiou House is one of nine of the former design, which is colloquially known as prefab number one.
Before purchasing any of of the Marshall Erdman homes, prospective owners had to send Wright images of the lot and topographic maps for his approval. When Zaferiou sent these materials to Wright, the architect originally rejected the site stating it was too small. After acquiring more land, Wright ultimately granted his approval, and even added a fourth bedroom and walkout basement to the design per Zaferiou’s request. The 2,619-square-foot home also features an oversized masonry fireplace, large window expanses, wood paneling, and red flooring.
