Here’s a treat for architecture lovers everywhere: a mid-century masterpiece that bears the signature of architect extraordinaire, Frank Lloyd Wright, is now up for grabs in New Canaan, CT.
Known as Tirranna — a moniker inspired by an Australian Aboriginal word meaning “running waters”, as the home is cantilevered over a pond and overlooks a waterfall on the Noroton River — the property is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s largest residential properties.
It was also one of the legendary architect’s last projects, built by Wright in 1955, just a few years before his death in 1959.
But this isn’t just a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed property.
The architect also lived here while building the Guggenheim Museum — and even used some of the scalloped glass windows from the Guggenheim Museum project to complete the home’s south-facing greenhouse.
Now, the sprawling 7,000-square-foot Tirranna house is on the market, listed for $8 million with Marsha Charles and Albert Safdie of Coldwell Banker Realty.
Inside an $8M Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home
The property, also known as the Rayward-Shepherd House or the John L. Rayward House, sits on 14 acres of protected land in New Canaan, Conn., a Fairfield County town that consistently ranks as one of the wealthiest towns in the country.
And while location is the name of the game when it comes to luxury real estate, this property has so many things going for it that the great location pales in comparison to some of its most enviable attributes.
Clocking in at a generous 7,000 square feet, the 7-bedroom, 8.5-bath home blends geometric complexity with nature’s flowing curves, in typical Frank Lloyd Wright style.
Throughout the home, the architect combined and contrasted soaring ceilings and open living spaces with cozy and cocoon-like mahogany-paneled bedrooms.
The living room and dining area opens to an expansive circular patio that overlooks the pool and nature reserve beyond.
Related: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin house and its three (tragic) lives
The home’s functional wood-paneled and stainless-steel kitchen epitomizes the mid-century modern aesthetic, while each of the bathrooms are spa-like and adorned with spectacular wood panels and unique features.
A 200-foot covered outdoor walkway leads to a greenhouse with caretakers/guest quarters, along with a carport. This is a full one-bedroom house with a lovely kitchen, cozy bedroom, and full bath.
There are a few other structures and amenities on the property, including a cozy guest studio with a full bath, a tennis court, a large barn, a wine cellar (which is actually a converted bomb shelter), a playhouse, and even a rooftop observatory complete with a telescope.
Public records show that the current owners/sellers bought the property in 2018 for $4,800,000. At the time, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Tirranna house had been listed for the first time in 20 years, and sported a similar price tag of $8 million.
A fusion of nature and architecture
From an architectural standpoint, Tirranna embodies Wright’s classic hemicycle design, seamlessly blending curved lines with rectangular angles, and combining geometric and spatial complexities for optimum functionality.
Standing as a perfect example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architecture, which strives for a perfect balance between man, nature, and design, Tirranna reflects nature’s flowing curves and incorporates many of the architect’s staple design elements.
That includes low-slung roofs, Philippine mahogany walls, large windows, and Cherokee red concrete floors with radiant heat. It was built of concrete block and glass, trimmed with mahogany.
Related: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House also known as The Blade Runner House
The current owners have lovingly maintained the original architectural integrity, preserving details like built-in bookshelves, brass hardware, original lighting, cabinetry, and furnishings.
But it’s not just the house that comes with an illustrious name attached to it.
The beautiful grounds of the property were thoughtfully designed by Frank Okamura, the landscape architect known for restoring the Japanese gardens at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in the late 1940s. The Japanese-born American horticulturist is also known for helping popularize the cultivation of bonsai in America.
Along with Charles Middeleer, another famous landscape architect of the time, Okamura carefully designed the landscape to ensure privacy, making Tirranna the ideal sanctuary for those seeking a tranquil lifestyle.
As the brokerage that holds the listing told us via email, “Tirranna is more than just a home; it’s a mid-century masterpiece that will transport you to another time and place.”
We couldn’t agree more.
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If you’re not familiar with John Lautner’s iconic Beverly Crest mansion, or with the estate’s flamboyant owner, then you’re definitely missing out. This 1963-built mansion is an architectural gem and one of Hollywood’s best-kept secrets.
The Sheats Goldstein residence: John Lautner’s organic architecture dream
The 4,500-square-foot Sheats-Goldstein residence was designed by John Lautner (one of the most noteworthy American architects of the twentieth century) and built between 1961 and 1963, in Los Angeles’ Beverly Crest neighborhood.
The concrete-and-wood house was built into the sandstone ledge of a hill, and it’s a testament to the connection between man and nature.
Each space is open and offers stunning views of downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean, with glass walls throughout that serve to blend the indoors with the outdoors.
John Lautner designed the American Organic Architecture house for Helen and Paul Sheats and their three children. After going through a couple of different owners, it was acquired by James F. Goldstein, a businessman, real estate investor, and fashion designer, in 1972.
At the time, the house had fallen into disrepair and was in dire need of a makeover, so Goldstein reached out to Lautner to help bring the residence back to its former glory.
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What emerged was a two-decades-long partnership to remodel the house, which ended when John Lautner passed away in 1994. However, Goldstein never stopped tweaking and upgrading his Beverly Crest dwelling, even adding a nightclub to the list of amenities.
The James Goldstein house turned museum in 2016
The Sheats-Goldstein Residence, as the property is now known, still maintains all the original designs and touches that John Lautner carefully created.
His work is not limited to just the architecture of the house; Lautner also designed the interiors, the windows, lighting systems, all the furniture, the rugs, and other details.
James Goldstein worked with the designer for years to ensure every little detail was in tune with the overall theme of ‘organic’ architecture.
The result is a house so unique, so carefully crafted and fresh, that Goldstein wants everyone to be able to tour it and be inspired by it.
That’s why, in 2016, he decided that he would donate the house, with everything in it, to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
James Goldstein entrusted the home, its surrounding estate, as well as a 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and his eclectic wardrobe to the museum. This way, his and Lautner’s legacy will continue to inspire and attract curious minds and aspiring architects and designers. And let’s not forget about the celebrities.
Why Jimmy Goldstein’s house is Hollywood’s best-kept secret
The James Goldstein house, besides serving as home to the elusive businessman, has also been used by various showbiz producers and directors.
If you thought the house seemed familiar, you might have seen it in The Big Lebowski, as the home of porn merchant Jackie Treehorn, or in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, where it played the part of Alex’s house (Lucy Liu).
The house has also served as a setting for fashion ads and commercials, glamorous events, and, well, porn flicks. James Goldstein has always kept an open mind, apparently.
Then there’s the nightclub. Dubbed Club James, for obvious reasons, the venue was Goldstein’s idea, to keep Hollywood parties out of his house, but still close by.
Exclusive parties and events are held at Club James round the clock; Rihanna celebrated her 27th birthday party here, with Jay Z, Mick Jagger, and Leo DiCaprio in attendance. Needless to say, Goldstein wants the good times to keep rolling at Club James even after he’s gone.
Movies filmed at the Sheats-Goldstein residence
James Goldstein’s unique house is one of the most popular filming locations in Los Angeles, for obvious reasons. There’s just no other place quite like it, and its intricate design and stunning architecture draw celebrities like a magnet.
Various Hollywood movies and TV shows were filmed at the Sheats-Goldstein residence, including the now-iconic The Big Lebowski.
It’s by far the most recognizable house featured in the movie, set up as the home of adult film producer Jackie Treehorn, which earned Jimmy Goldstein’s house the moniker of ‘the Big Lebowski house’.
The other striking property in the movie is Lebowski’s opulent mansion, which is actually another popular filming location, namely the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. This is where movies like The Social Network, Eraserhead, The Witches of Eastwick, The Prestige, and X-Men were filmed.
But while the Sheats-Goldstein residence is known by many as Jackie Treehorn’s house or the Big Lebowski house, it’s been featured in quite a long list of other movies, including Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Star Time (1992), and Bandits (2001, starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett).
It was also featured in music videos, including Doja Cat’s Say So, Nelly’s The Fix, Babyface’s We’ve Got Love, and Snoop Dogg & Pharell’s Let’s Get Blown.
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The house is so impressive that in 2021, Kanye West aka Ye enlisted James Goldstein to help him design and spruce up his newly-purchased Malibu mansion.
The rapper was reportedly impressed and fascinated with the architecture of the Sheats-Goldstein house, and wanted to do something similar with his $57 million new home.
Unfortunately, those plans were put on hold, according to The Sun, after the star lost billions due to some very controversial remarks.
In the meantime, the residence is available for rent for photoshoots, and we’re willing to bet we’ll be seeing more of it in upcoming movies, TV shows, and music videos.
Decoding the mystery: Who is James Goldstein?
If you’re wondering, who the hell is this James Goldstein and why haven’t I heard of him before, unfortunately we don’t know a whole lot about him either.
Despite his flamboyant style and constant public appearances (he’s an avid NBA fan and attends as many matches as he possibly can), James Goldstein still remains somewhat of a mystery.
We know he grew up in Milwaukee and then moved to California to attend Stanford University, after which he got into real estate and started investing heavily in developing Century City in L.A. He’s always been into fashion, constantly in the front row at glamorous fashion shows, and he even has his own fashion line.
Back in the day, he’s also said to have had an affair with American actress, singer, and Playboy Playmate Jayne Mansfield, who was married to someone else at the time. Still, he never married, and he has no children, which is why the decision to donate his unique home to LACMA came naturally.
This is the first-ever architecture donation made to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and it’s surely one that will continue to inspire young architects, interior designers, and art and fashion aficionados for many years to come.
For now, James Goldstein is living his best, most glamorous life up in his hillside mansion overlooking the City of Angels.
What’s more, James Goldstein’s net worth is reportedly around $350 million – not a bad way to live life in your 80s, is it?
If you want to see more, take a virtual tour of the residence with Goldstein himself below:
All image credit goes to James Goldstein.com
Frequently asked questions
Who lives in the Sheats Goldstein residence?
Businessman James Goldstein has been the sole owner of the Sheats-Goldstein house since he purchased it in 1972. He continues to spend time at the residence, but also often rents it out for photoshoots or as filming location for Hollywood movies or TV shows.
Where is the Goldstein residence?
The Sheats-Goldstein house is located in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, just up the hill from the Beverly Hills city limit. Due to its location, the house offers amazing views of the city, but is also very secluded.
How much is the Goldstein house?
The James Goldstein house was in a state of disrepair when the businessman purchased it in 1972 for $185,001. Nowadays, the property is reportedly worth roughly $75 million or more.
Can you visit the Sheats-Goldstein residence?
Unfortunately, the Sheats-Goldstein house is a private property, so it’s not open to the public. But, you can rent it out for photoshoots.
Where is the Jackie Treehorn house?
The Jackie Treehorn house from The Big Lebowski is, in fact, the Sheats-Goldstein residence, owned by elusive businessman James Goldstein. It’s located in L.A.’s Beverly Crest neighborhood and it’s a private property.
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Frank Lloyd Wright is undoubtedly one of the most influential architects of all time.
A champion of organic architecture, a philosophy he promoted throughout his career that focuses on the harmony between human living and the natural world — incorporating buildings into their surroundings — Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,000 structures in his lifetime, out of which 532 were actually built.
Credited with building some of the most innovative spaces in the United States, Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous works include the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the striking Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, California, Robie House and the Illinois Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the Tokyo Imperial Hotel in Inuyama, Japan, and the famous Blade Runner-featured Ennis House.
But of the hundreds of architecturally distinct homes he built in the span of his 70-year career, Lloyd Wright’s own home in his native Wisconsin has the most interesting — and downright tragic — backstory.
While undoubtedly one of the legendary architect’s best works, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin house was the site of a gruesome attack that took the life of Wright’s girlfriend and her two children.
It also burned to the ground (more than once), growing bigger every time the architect had to rebuild it. So let’s take a look at the storied history of Taliesin.
What is the story of Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s personal home in Wisconsin?
The American architect was born and raised in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, which left a lasting impression on his young mind and inspired many of his most iconic works.
At the age of 29, in 1896, Wright built a windmill on the Taliesin estate, on land that belonged to his mother’s family.
The project, requested by his aunt, was the first in a series of developments that over the years became part of the 600-acre Taliesin estate as we know it today.
Wright would return to his homeland of Taliesin in 1911, under more controversial circumstances.
In the early 1900s, Wright was married to Catherine Lee Tobin, had six children, and was living in Oak Park, Illinois.
He was then tasked to design a house for his friend and neighbor Edwin Cheney when he fell in love with his friend’s wife, Mamah Borthwick Cheney.
In a daring and controversial move, the two lovers ran off to Europe, where their affair flourished, and when they returned to the U.S., they wanted a place to call their own, far from the judgmental eyes of the public.
That’s when Frank Lloyd Wright decided to leave his Chicago family behind, return to his roots and build a house for himself and Mamah in the secluded hills of Taliesin.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin I — the “love cottage” with a harrowing story
Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin I, as we now call it, was completed in 1911 near Spring Green, Wisconsin, to serve as the home of Wright and Borthwick.
The home/studio that Wright created is the quintessential representation of the architect’s Prairie School design.
Wright described the 12,000-square-foot house as ‘low, wide, and snug,’ and that’s exactly what it is.
The house, which was named after the Welsh bard Taliesin — and translates into ‘radiant brow’ — was the result of Wright’s attempt to blend man-made structures and materials with nature and the elements.
The house had an open-space design, with windows placed so that the sun could come through in every room at every point of the day.
All the materials used in the construction were locally sourced, in an effort to seamlessly integrate the house with its surroundings.
Wright was a big fan of Japanese culture and architecture, and he was inspired to bring a taste of Japan to Taliesin, as well. The architect’s home included an artificial lake stocked with fish and aquatic fowl, a water garden, as well as a ‘tea circle’ in the middle of the spacious, green courtyard.
The home that Wright built was stunning, and to this day it remains one of his most beautiful creations.
The beauty of Taliesin, however, did not do much to impress those living in nearby communities, who disapproved of Wright’s relationship with Borthwick.
At the time the couple lived in Wisconsin, Borthwick had divorced Cheney, but Wright was still married, as Catherine Tobin refused him a divorce. Due to the scandalous aspect of their relationship, locals and media dubbed Taliesin ‘the Love Cottage.’
Nonetheless, the couple lived happily at Taliesin, joined by Mamah Borthwick’s two children and a number of household workers and employees.
Among those employees were Julian Carlton, a handyman and servant, and his wife Gertrude.
In 1914, the 31-year-old worker started acting strangely, becoming more and more paranoid and staring out the windows holding an axe. Given his strange behavior, Wright and Borthwick decided to let the couple go, and they gave Carlton and his wife notice in mid-August.
The events that followed the next day, on August 15, 1914, were so shocking that Taliesin will unfortunately forever be associated with them.
That August day, while Wright was away on business, Julian Carlton attacked Mamah Borthwick and her two children, ending their lives.
He then turned against the other members of the household, after which he set the house on fire.
His killing spree ended the lives of Borthwick, her two children, as well as two other workers and their young boy.
Following the attack, Carlton hid in the basement’s fireproof furnace and swallowed hydrochloric acid in an attempt to end his own life. Somehow, he survived, and he was arrested and taken into custody.
While awaiting his trial and sentencing, he died of starvation, as the acid he swallowed had burned his esophagus to the extent that he could no longer eat.
Carlton’s wife was luckily not in the house at the time, as she was waiting for her husband to join her on a train to Chicago.
Taliesin II – Frank Lloyd Wright rebuilds his Wisconsin house
Taliesin I was, in large part, destroyed, and Frank Lloyd Wright was left heartbroken, losing the love of his life and the beloved home that they shared.
He was so devastated that he couldn’t even bring himself to hold a vigil or a formal funeral for Borthwick, instead burying her in an unmarked grave in a nearby graveyard.
However, Wright soon got back on his feet and decided to rebuild Taliesin.
By the end of 1914, he had built Taliesin II, and had found companionship in Miriam Noel, who sent him a condolence letter after that summer’s massacre.
Wright, however, only settled in at Taliesin II in 1922, after he finished work on the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
RELATED: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House also known as The Blade Runner House
He was finally granted a divorce by Catherine Tobin, and married Miriam Noel in 1923. The marriage, however, was doomed to not last, as Noel’s erratic behavior, later diagnosed as schizophrenia, led to a tense relationship between her and Wright.
Noel eventually left Wright and moved out of Taliesin II in 1924. One year later, in an eerie turn of events, Taliesin II burned to the ground due to faulty wiring, and Wright was back to square one.
However, like a phoenix, Taliesin would rise from the ashes once again.
Taliesin III – Wright rebuilds it once more, but the costs drive it into foreclosure
Even after two fires tried to destroy his work, Frank Lloyd Wright was not ready to give up on Taliesin, and he rebuilt it once again, as Taliesin III.
Each time the architect had to revamp Taliesin, the house grew bigger.
In its third and final form, Taliesin featured 37,000 square feet, and all the buildings on the estate combined totaled no less than 75,000 square feet on 600 acres of land.
The third reconstruction of Taliesin did, however, create a pretty big dent in Wright’s pockets, and he was severely in debt at the time work on Taliesin III was finished.
In 1927, the Bank of Wisconsin foreclosed on the property, and the architect moved to La Jolla, California, forced to leave his beloved hilltop home behind.
His fans and students, however, devised a plan to have the revered architect reunited with Taliesin.
Darwin Martin, a former client of Wright’s, formed a company dubbed Frank Lloyd Wright Inc., to issue stock on the architect’s future earnings. Various other clients and students purchased stock and ended up successfully bidding on Taliesin for $40,000, giving it back to Wright.
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Thankfully, the innovative design and historic importance of Taliesin were recognized by Wright’s clients and admirers, and the efforts to preserve and keep the estate alive paid off.
In January 1976, Taliesin was named a National Historic Landmark District by the National Park Service. More than three decades later, Taliesin was one of the buildings included in The 20th Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring a selection of eight buildings designed by the architect across the U.S.
Today, Taliesin is a historical and architectural gem, and Frank Lloyd Wright fans can visit the estate on professional, guided tours.
If you’re an architecture fan, a student, or design aficionado and you’re ever traveling near Spring Green, Wisconsin, you don’t want to miss out on the chance to visit Taliesin.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Taliesin?
Frank Lloyd Wright’s house in Wisconsin, Taliesin, is located at 5481 County Road C, Spring Green, WI 53588, USA, about 2.5 miles south of the village of Spring Green in the Driftless Region of southwestern Wisconsin.
What does the word Taliesin mean?
Taliesin is a gender-neutral name of Welsh origin, meaning “radiant brow” made famous by a 6th Century Welsh bard who is said to have performed at the courts of three different kings. Lloyd Wright reportedly named his house in Wisconsin Taliesin to signal that was “of the hill,” not on it, building it below the hillcrest, on its brow rather than its crown.
Did Frank Lloyd Wright rebuild Taliesin?
The legendary architect had to rebuild his Taliesin house in Wisconsin twice. The first time was in 2014 after a gruesome attack by employee Julian Carlton who ended the lives of Wright’s then-girlfriend, Mamah Borthwick and her two children, and then set the house on fire. The second time was in 1925 when Taliesin burned to the ground due to faulty wiring.
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