| Bachman-Wilson House | |
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Shown within New Jersey
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| House information | |
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| Location | Millstone, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | |
| Built | 1956 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style | Usonian |
The Bachman-Wilson house, in Millstone, New Jersey was originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1954 for Abraham Wilson and his first wife, Gloria Bachman. Ms. Bachman's brother, Marvin, had studied with Wright at Taliesin West, his home and studio in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The front façade of concrete blocks has an almost fortress-like appearance to ensure privacy from the street. The Wilson House is built with concrete blocks and Philippine mahogany trim. It has a second story, rare in a Usonian house, with cantilevered balconies. The living room has a built-in banquette facing a wooded scene through a wall of 10 foot high glass panes, symbolizing a transcendental pew set before the altar of nature.
The public space is a dramatic focal point, with walls of glass and an open floor plan. Cut-out wooden panels of abstracted forms over 24 clerestory windows provide an unobtrusive yet restrained decorative touch to this lavish space. These recall Native American geometric motifs as well as stylized forms that may be based in nature. Construction was completed in 1956.
In 1988, Sharon and Lawrence Tarantino acquired the neglected Bachman-Wilson House. Tarantino Architects has since guided the home's complete restoration and rebuilt the kitchen according to Wright's original drawings.
The house is located along the Millstone River in Millstone Borough. It exemplifies Wright's "Usonian" philosophy and employs his early green building principles, including minimizing the size of the house and ancillary spaces, pioneering passive solar and radiant heat design, employing natural daylight and recycling construction waste.
The Bachman-Wilson home is now being moved to Sagaponock, NY (as of 3/31/11) and is on the market for $5 million.[1]
