Tour of Original 1949 Frank Lloyd Wright Home in Michigan Is a Trip Back in Time

The Frank Lloyd Wright Smih House in Bloomfield Township, MI Andrew Jameson via Wikimedia Commons

Modern American architecture wouldn't be what it is today without the lasting influence of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the greatest architects of all time. Frank Lloyd Wright's sleek, geometric, and utilitarian design principles are exemplified in his greatest works, such as the Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater, and helped lay the foundation for the later mid-century modern movement of the 50s and 60s.

Though Wright pioneered many aspects of modern home design, only a select few have ever been fortunate enough to live in an original Frank Lloyd Wright home. One of those homes is now open to public viewing in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and while the property is no longer inhabited, its former occupants left as much of a mark on their home as its iconic architect.

Located in this modest northern Detroit suburb, you'll find the striking Frank Lloyd Wright Smith House, a jawdropping residence constructed in 1949. Architectural enthusiast Aonor Malee (@amaleew) toured the historic home, going on a trip back through time as she told the house's surprising - and inspiring - story.

This stunning home looks as if it was commissioned by a millionaire, but if anything, it was quite the opposite. According to the Cranbrook Center (which now oversees the property), it was commissioned by school teachers Sara Stein Smith and Melvyn Maxwell Smith, who were fortunate enough to meet Wright in 1941. As Aonor said, the couple lived on a very modest $35-a-week salary. In 1941, that would have been around $604 a week in today's money, dropping in value to just $458 per week by 1949. Nevertheless, they scrimped and saved up enough to make their dream home a reality... and boy, did Frank Lloyd Wright deliver!

A Usonian Haven: Budget-Friendly Beauty

The Smith House is a Usonian home, an architectural style that Lloyd Wright himself pioneered. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, Wright wanted to create modest, affordable homes for the American middle class that were both stylish and functional -  and thus, the Usonian style was born.

According to Thought Co., Wright's Usonian homes were small, one-story, built on heated concrete slabs (eliminating the need for thick, insulated walls), and incorporated designs that would become popular in later modern architecture, like open kitchens and carports. Usonian homes had a lot of similarities to Wright's earlier Prairie-style homes, too: they had low roofs, built-in furniture, open living spaces, and were primarily built from basic materials like brick, wood, and concrete. Instead of being painted or plastered over, these simple yet stunning homes were designed to blend into the natural beauty around them.

All of this can be seen in the Smith House. The 18,000 square foot home, built on a 2x4 grid, is angular and simplistic in its design, with built-in furniture lining most of its walls. But simple here doesn't mean boring. The walls and ceilings are decorated in striking patterns of glass and wood, flooding the space with natural light. You can really see how Wright's Usonian architecture influenced the mid-century modern movement. It's warm and cozy, yet incredibly sleek and stylish - and affordable on a schoolteacher's salary!

The Smiths really turned their house into a home and made it even greater than it already was. As Aonor described, the couple were huge art lovers who collected hundreds of art pieces over the years, filling the home and its grounds with color and personality. Lloyd Wright built them an architectural masterpiece, but they finished it!

Both the Smith House and the couple's art collection are available for public viewing. If you'd like to tour the property as Aonor did, grab a ticket for one of the guided tours hosted by the Cranbrook Center from May to November every year!

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