Real Estate News

Frank Lloyd Wright mansion in Conn. sells for $6m. See inside.

Set on just under 14 acres, the seven-bedroom mansion is built into the landscape.

By Megan Johnson

February 8, 2024

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“Tirranna House,” known as one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most iconic properties, just sold for $6 million.

Nestled within the natural landscape of New Canaan, Conn., the seven-bed, 8.5-bath home, which was completed in 1955, was originally known as “The Rayward-Shepherd House.” Built on the Noroton River, the home’s current name, “Tirranna,” is an Australian Aboriginal word that means “running waters.” 

“This is a special one, for sure,” said “Chau Ngo of The Jennifer Leahy Team at Douglas Elliman, the buyer’s agent on the property. “He built it on top of a waterfall, which is so beautiful. It’s embedded into rocks, and so he incorporated everything possible to mold around [it]. He worked with the environment and with nature as his landscape.”

One of Wright’s largest residential properties, “Tirranna” features a unique semicircular shape that appears to wrap around the water below. Boasting intense wooden curves and complex shapes, the home’s Usonian design is a calling card for Wright’s work. Tucked behind a “Cherokee Red” iron gate, the 7,861-square-foot home features Philippine mahogany, soaring ceilings, and carefully curated elements of concrete. Red concrete floors flow throughout the home, where floor-to-ceiling windows allow the sun to stream in. 

There are several unique spaces in the home, including an expansive greenhouse built with scalloped glass windows left over from Wright’s work designing the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, according to ArtNet. 

On the lower level, you’ll find a refrigerated wine cellar built in a former bomb shelter. 

Set on just under 14 acres, the landscape was designed by Frank Okamura, known for his work on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “Tirranna” features palatial gardens, lush landscaping, a babbling brook, and a semicircular swimming pool tucked into a stone wall. There are four bridges in total on the property.

“When you’re walking on the property, you really get lost. You don’t feel like you’re in New Canaan. You feel like you are at a retreat somewhere,” Ngo said. “There’s a sense of peace and serenity.”

The prominence of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work is enduring, but also quite niche. While some see his work as an acquired taste, Ngo said there’s an “allure” and “special layer of attraction with buyers” who are interested in properties like these.  

Wright frequently visited “Tirranna” during construction while he was simultaneously working on the Guggenheim. While he never took up personal residence within the home, he maintained a suite at the Plaza Hotel for seven years while working on both projects. 

Ngo would not reveal the buyer of the home.

Albert Safdie and Marsha Charles of Coldwell Banker Realty were the listing agents on the property.

The home was originally listed for $8 million in 2023.

See more photos of the home below: