The only Frank Lloyd Wright home in Tennessee lists for $1.6M
The only Frank Lloyd Wright residence in Tennessee, the landmarked Shavin House in Chattanooga, has listed for $1.6 million. Commissioned in 1949 and completed in 1952, the Usonian home on Missionary Ridge is the state's sole Wright-designed house among roughly 400 still standing nationwide, and it is being offered by the Shavin family.
Key Takeaways
- The Shavin House is the only Frank Lloyd Wright residence in Tennessee and is asking $1.6 million.
- Seamour and Gerte Shavin commissioned the Usonian home in 1949; it was completed in 1952.
- The three-bedroom retreat sits atop Chattanooga's Missionary Ridge and uses Tennessee Crab Orchard stone and Louisiana cypress.
- It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 and became Chattanooga's first—and still only—individually designated local landmark in 1995.
- Alliance Sotheby's International Realty's Sandy Poe holds the listing for the family sellers.
What makes the only Frank Lloyd Wright home in Tennessee news?
Rarity is the headline. Of about 400 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes still standing across the United States, just one stands in Tennessee. That house—the Shavin House—has now come to market at $1.6 million, offering a landmarked Wright residence that is unique within the state.
For collectors tracking luxury real estate and dream homes, the listing stands out as Tennessee's sole Wright-designed residence.
Where is the Shavin House, and who built it?
The home sits on Chattanooga's historic Missionary Ridge. Building materials salesman Seamour Shavin and his wife, Gerte, commissioned Wright in 1949. The finished house, completed in 1952, is a Usonian-style, three-bedroom retreat that exemplifies Wright's approach of integrating architecture with its surroundings.
Natural materials define the look, including native Tennessee Crab Orchard stone and Louisiana cypress. The couple paid about $33,000 for the house and its custom Wright-designed furniture, according to Robb Report.
How was the house preserved, and who is selling it?
The Shavin family kept Wright's original concept intact for more than seven decades. Seamour lived in the house until his death in 2005, and Gerte lived there part-time until 2020. The family is now offering the property after preserving both the house and Wright's design intent across generations.
The Shavin House landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 and became Chattanooga's first official local landmark in 1995. It remains the city's only individually designated local landmark.
Sandy Poe of Alliance Sotheby's International Realty holds the listing. The asking price is $1.6 million for the only Frank Lloyd Wright residence in Tennessee.