Owners of unique Wausau home plan to retain vision of the famous architect
WAUSAU — Another page is turning in the story of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house nestled at the top of Wausau's East Hill, as new owners work to make sure the home retains Wright's vision for years to come.
David Miller, an interior designer, and Grant Almquist, a luxury real estate agent, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, purchased the home at 1224 Highland Park Blvd. in July for under $400,000.
“This is an adventure, and it's become a big part of who we are,” Almquist said.
Like the two previous owners of the home, Donald Aucutt and David Wood, Almquist and Miller purchased the property because they love the design and artistry of its creator. Their goal is not only to use the house as a vacation home for northern getaways, they say, but to preserve and honor the Frank Lloyd Wright legacy.
Wright is America's most famous architect, with a career spanning more than seven decades. He was born in Richland Center and went on to create the Prairie-style design for homes and architectural icons such as Fallingwater in southwestern Pennsylvania, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the headquarters of S.C. Johnson in Racine. UNESCO designated eight of his buildings as World Heritage Sites in 2019.
The Wausau house was built in 1941 for Charles Manson, a journalist with an unfortunate name who had returned to Wausau to join his family's insurance business, and his wife, Dorothy. Wright designed their home without visiting the site. The home included a darkroom on the second story for Manson's photography and 37 windows framed with pine tree designs.
Owning a home in Wausau wasn't even on the radar when the life partners first decided to buy another house. Miller and Almquist began their search in California, but soon cast a wider net as they both became more and more intrigued by owning a Wright house and a piece of history.
The Wright fascination comes mostly from Miller, who was born in La Crosse and raised in the Chicago area. Wright's ideas resonated with him early.
“When I was in high school, I read his autobiography,” Miller said. “I just was intrigued . ... There's a feeling of richness and of order (in Wright's designs). There's something about it.”
Miller and Almquist are in the midst of renovating and restoring the home to reflect Wright's original intent. They've hired an architect who has expertise in Wright designs and properties, and a contractor doing the work lives on-site.
Part of the work is structural and basic, such as redoing the roof, bolstering heating and cooling systems and upgrading insulation. But other projects get to the heart of what Wright wanted when he created the design.
For instance, Wright designed a kind of open-air carport on one side of the home. The original owners of the home enclosed it and made it into a tool shed. As they researched the history of the home, Miller and Almquist learned that Wright was not happy with the change.
Wright told the couple they had ruined the house, Almquist said.
“He let them know how he felt,” he said. “We're trying to undo that ruinous event.”
Contact Keith Uhlig at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on Twitter and Instagram or on Facebook.