Have you ever heard of the Goetsch-Winckler house in Okemos, Michigan? Goetsch and Winkler were art professors at MSU, and the original plan was to have a whole co-op of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonians built for them and some other university faculty. He couldn't get the funding for the project, though, so Goetsch and Winkler saved up their own money to get at least get theirs built. Last I heard it's an Air BnB and the owners offer free tours once in a while.
thank you for sending me down this very fun research rabbit hole! it looks like alma goetsch and katherine winckler commissioned not one but TWO weird houses, actually! three if you count the second one that wright designed for them but they never built. their second house (known as goetsch-winckler III) was built 1965-1967 in fayetteville, arkansas by E. Fay Jones. they moved there after retiring. i found a really good article about them and both of their houses and everything about them was so interesting! they were both artists and very politically active. they entertained a lot and encouraged conversation and debate.
their second home was radically different from the first, which was a typically horizontal wright house on a very flat lot. the jones house was built on a very steep lot—so steep that the only thing visible from the road is the roof. they both requested studio space for their art practice in the second house, although sadly they only lived there briefly before goetsch died. winckler couldn’t make any art for a long time afterwards, but eventually got involved in local nature conservation and contributed illustrations to publications.
both houses had beautiful views of the woods.
goetsch-winckler house I
goetsch-winckler house III
both still standing! and you can rent the wright house, as well as go on tours there! very cool.
again—thank you!!!