Two Eras of FLWright Design - Page 2

Crosby Doe is a Los Angeles-area realtor who has sold a few Wright houses and is seeking buyers for the Sturges House. He questioned the decision to sell the art and most of the furniture separately.

"In order for an auction to be really successful, you need a few bidders," says Doe, predicting that splitting the estate into separate sales may cost the sellers some "institutional interest." In addition, he says, "The house is going to be a significant undertaking to restore."

Loughry says the house is being sold as is and declined to speculate what work it might need, but commented, "I know I could move in and live in it right now."

Streeter says the 2,849-square-foot Lykes Home remains in excellent condition from a 1994 remodeling supervised by architect John Rattenbury, the Wright apprentice who oversaw its 1967 construction.

"Basically, it's ready to roll," says Streeter of the handsome three-bedroom, three-bath, which lost two bedrooms to expand others in ‘94 and gained a mother-of-pearl inlaid swimming pool that was in the original plan.

"We have had some people come a long way to see it," says Streeter of the house's first week on the market, including Las Vegas and Australia in that group, although no offers were made. He says it is available for viewing by appointment only, adding, "We want to try to get qualified buyers in and not become a museum."

Not like the Guggenheim, say, another late-career Wright design that the Lykes House vaguely resembles. Streeter says this is his first Wright house and the most historical home that he has ever represented, and one with a sensational desert view too.

"Sitting down in the living room, it's just a fantastic view of Phoenix," says the realtor.

It's the view of the Sturges House from the outside that has intrigued Loughry because George Sturges  was an aircraft engineer and "it's up on a hillside and looks like it's taking flight." Loughry, who runs the Van Nuys-based auction house with his wife, Shannon, says he is not worried about the decision to sell art and furniture separately decreasing buyer interest in the house.

"We believe a house like this will probably yield competing interests," he says, stating that 15 or 20 of the 300-some visitors to the house so far "seem to be very seriously interested," while adding, "Almost every Frank Lloyd Wright is a historic property."