frank lloyd wright's restored fawcett farm house hits the market for $4.25M in california

Fawcett Farm by frank lloyd wright is now on sale

Sited amid acres of agricultural land in Los Banos, California, Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1961 Fawcett Farm hits the market at $4.24 million. Spanning 375 sqm, the gated residence originally belonged to renowned Chicago Bears player Buck Fawcett before Ken & Carrie Cox, its current owners, came into the picture. Upon their request, Fawcett Farm underwent a multi-award-winning and extensive restoration consulted by the architect’s grandson, Eric Lloyd Wright. Today, tucked within a peaceful island of greenery, the refreshed property stands ready to become someone else’s dream home.

all images © Jim Simmons Photography, courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates 

exemplifying the ‘usonian’ home 

For many, Fawcett Farm perfectly exemplifies the ‘Usonian’ home, a term first dubbed by Frank Lloyd Wright when designing for the archetypical American middle-class family: L-shaped, one-story, hugging a garden or a terrace, large cantilevered overhangs, local materials, clerestory windows and, most importantly, a strong indoor-outdoor visual flow. ‘We have no longer an outside and an inside as two separate things. Now the outside may come inside, and the inside may and does go outside. They are of each other. Form and function thus become one in design and execution if the nature of materials and method and purpose are all in unison,’ the architect once wrote.

the property was restored a few years back alongside Eric Llyod Wright

Warm-toned and spacious, with natural daylight pouring in generously, the main residential spaces echo a timeless character thanks to an intricate material composition. Completed initially by American Interior Designer Cornelia Brierly (1913-2021), the Fawcett Farm interiors feature a main open-plan living area, seven bedrooms, six baths, a kitchen and dining room, and a service/laundry area. Complementing the living interiors is a small, semi-attached museum, a large detached workshop, a swimming pool, a Koi pond, and a lush Japanese garden.

the property once belonged to renowned football player Buck Fawcett

award-winning restoration uplifts the property’s charm

Fawcett Farm is the winner of a 2019 Preservation Design Award for Restoration. The rehabilitation process was led by Arthur Dyson from Taliesin Associated Architects, a practice founded by apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright. Eric Lloyd Wright joined as a historic preservation consultant, while Roberto Boro extensively improved the landscape design. Last but not least, overall security was optimized on the gated premises. You can find out more about the restoration project here. 

interiors originally designed by Cornelia Brierly

bedroom area opening onto the landscaped outdoors

a strong connection between indoors and outdoors

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project info:

name: Fawcett House 

location: Los Banos, California, USA

owners/clients: Ken & Carrie Cox

selling at: $4,250,000

completion year: 1961

property area: 375.4 sqm 

land area: 307,561 sqm 

features: 7 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 3-car parking 

project author: Frank Lloyd Wright 

interior designer: Cornelia Brierly

lead restoration architect: Arthur Dyson

historic preservation consultant Eric Lloyd Wright

landscape architect: Robert Boro

lead engineer: Barcus Structural Engineering

contractors: Eric Bower / BMY Construction

specialty sub-contractor: William Saleh

photography: Jim Simmons