Deal of the Midcentury: Wright-Designed Home in Long Beach Gets a Price Cut

The owners of Long Beach, CA, home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s oldest son are on the hunt for a buyer who appreciates the dwelling’s unique architectural lineage.

This recently restored, 1955 house was originally drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., also known as Lloyd Wright.

The home was listed in March for $2,950,000, and the price has since been reduced by $2,595,000. The property has a new listing agent, too.

Known as the Honeycutt House, the home was commissioned by Ralph and Marie Honeycutt. The current owners snapped up this 2,382-square-foot, mid-mod dwelling in 2021 for $950,000. Prior to that, the home was last on the market in 1978.

Despite its rough condition, this three-bedroom, four-bath, octagonal home had potential.

“The concrete was crumbling, and the wood was rotting,” says Nancy Deprez, of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty. “They eventually found somebody who did all the work—new roof, new plumbing, new electrical, and new smart lighting. They rescued it from being torn down. They did this in a little over a year.”

Among the additions are a new roof, kitchen, bathrooms, HVAC, windows, plumbing, electrical, and a tankless water heater.

Even so, many architectural features were retained. Those includes the open floor plan; two-sided fireplace; ribbed-wood paneling; pink, cinder-block structures; hardwood flooring; study built-ins; bamboo landscaping; and a glass slider to the backyard, where a replica of Wright’s original patio awaits.

Also, “it’s architecturally significant because of its very unique shape,” explains Deprez. “It has these ceilings that are geometrically shaped. A normal house is built on a rectangular lot, and the house is a rectangle. This house is a rectangular lot divided into three triangles: the front yard, the house, and the backyard. It’s really clever. You can see it when you take a drone photo of the top.”

Tucked into Park Estates, the home offers proximity to the beach, shopping, restaurants, and Cal State University Long Beach, which attracts many professors.

“It’s a special neighborhood with estate-style lots, mature trees, and curvy streets,” Deprez notes. In the 1940s, the developer “encouraged people who bought these lots to hire an architect, so it’s not a boxy tract home.”

Two of Wright’s eye-catching homes in the Los Angeles area have sold recently: a prestigious property in L.A. that was purchased for slightly under its $3.1 million asking price, and a La Canada Flintridge house that was listed for $2.9 million and sold for $3.8 million

“They got six offers, and it went way over asking price,” Deprez says. “There’s a following for these. They sell for more than just a regular house.”

The buyer of the Long Beach home likely will be an architectural enthusiast who appreciates a thoughtful restoration.

“There are Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. homes throughout the Los Angeles area that have been demolished,” Deprez says. “These were [also] made of wood and close to the ocean. If you don’t maintain them, they fall apart.”

Deprez is marketing to buyers in Northern California and Palm Springs—particularly those who are looking for a stylish second home.

“Imagine somebody who’s moved to Palm Springs and has [a home] like this but in the summer wants to get out of the heat and go to the coast,” she says. “They could purchase this for their summer home.”

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