Add The New York Post on Google A Frank Lloyd Wright home in Michigan is back on the market for $2.1 million after failing to find a buyer as part of a bundled deal, The Post has learned.
The Samuel and Dorothy Eppstein House in Galesburg, Mich., is listed with Sotheby’s International Realty.
The 1953 Usonian residence is built from roughly 3,000 hand-cast concrete blocks and sits on 2 acres inside The Acres — a 70-acre enclave of Wright-designed homes near Kalamazoo that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In fall 2023, the property was offered alongside its neighbor, the Eric and Pat Pratt House, as a $4.5 million package billed as the first time two adjoining Wright homes were sold together.
No buyer came forward for the pair. The Pratt House later sold on its own in June 2024 for $1.8 million, leaving the Eppstein House to be marketed alone.
Co-owner Marika Broere said in an interview with The Post that the bundled approach hurt the sale.
“That format limited the buyer pool,” Broere said.
Broere and her partner, Tony Hillebrandt, bought the deteriorating house in 2016 and completed a major restoration the following year. Broere said that work should ease a common concern among Wright buyers, who often worry about costly upkeep.
“The roof, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, drainage, glazing and woodwork have all been addressed,” Broere said. “There is no restoration project awaiting the next owner.”
Even so, the home’s location and its price tag present hurdles. Galesburg is a small Michigan city about a two-hour drive from Detroit, far from the coastal markets that typically drive top-dollar sales of architectural landmarks.
Broere said the unusual nature of the property makes it hard to price against other sales.
“Its $2.1 million asking price must also be considered in light of the scarcity of comparable sales for properties of this kind,” Broere said.
She said she expects the eventual buyer to be a specific type of collector.
“Its eventual owner will likely be someone seeking an important piece of American architectural history rather than simply a three-bedroom house near Kalamazoo,” Broere said.
Made up of three bedrooms and two full bathrooms, the home occupies 2,500 square feet and can be used a business opportunity as well.
“This property is used part time as a profitable short-term rental. The home generates significant income through Airbnb to enthusiasts around the world,” the listing notes.
Wright properties can outperform expectations. The Shavin House in Chattanooga, Tenn., listed for $1.6 million in June and sold for $4 million in August after competing bids came in. That sale, however, was driven by a family lawsuit and a court-supervised process, making it an imperfect comparison.
Still, Broere pointed to the Shavin sale as evidence that demand exists.
“These results demonstrate that there is a market for exceptional Wright houses when they reach the right buyer,” Broere said.
She said the couple is hoping the new Sotheby’s listing will widen the pool of prospective buyers.
“For Tony and me, selling the house is bittersweet,” Broere said. “We have always regarded ourselves as its custodians.”
