Have you ever dreamed of staying in one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian homes? The Eppstein House in Galesburg, Michigan, is now available for overnight stays through Airbnb.
Wright’s ‘Usonian’ homes were designed for the middle class; the first was built in 1936. Wright wanted to make high-end architecture accessible to what he called “the common people,” which we’d call the middle-class today, according to co-owner Marika Broere. Ironically, a Usonian house in California with an ocean view recently sold for $22 million!
The challenge was that these homes had a budget of around $15,000 at a time when an average family home could cost as little as $5,000. The owners often had to do a lot of the work themselves to keep costs down, sometimes taking up to 10 years to complete their dream homes.
Marika and her partner Tony Hillebrandt decided to restore the house to its original condition when Wright handed it over to the Eppstein family, completely respecting Wright’s original vision.
Guests from all over the world stay in the house, and many stay just to experience the house itself. The house is now updated to modern standards but restored to Wright’s original vision.
Marika and Tony consulted the Eppstein family’s children. “During the renovation, they had sent us photos and information about the house’s origins,” says Tony.
Their parents, scientists, had invested a lot of their family budget into the house while raising five children, so they didn’t have a budget for beautiful furniture. The furniture is very simple and time-appropriate.
You can visit other Usonian homes that are now museums, but you can’t touch anything. Here, guests can sit in chairs, listen to music, and read books.
For more information about staying in The Eppstein House, click here.
Photos by Tim Hills