R5Realty News and Notes

Market Snapshots and Commentary on Value and Quality of life along the former Main Line of the Pennsylvania Rail Road, up until recently called the R5 Line, and now officially known as the Paoli /Thorndale line. R5Realty runs from Center City Philadelphia through the walkable, Westward outlying Towns & Townships.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Frank Lloyd Wright for Sale in Lower Merion

In 1939, Frank Lloyd Wright designed/built the "SunTop" homes near Wynnewood Road. in Ardmore. Four relatively small single family homes share a common axis on a lot at the corner of Sutton and Spring Avenue. I'm no student of architechture but the homes are immediately recognizable to the untrained eye as quintissential Wright.

Called the SunTop homes as each dwelling has its own privated roof deck, the concept was to provide the mid-20th century working man with a modest but elegant suburban home. Currently two of the homes are unoccupied, which makes for easy viewing of the exterior or for peering at the sculpted interiors.

One of the SunTop homes is now listed for sale at approx $465,000. These homes have aged with mixed consequences and some restoration is in order, but for an afficianado looking for a small Frank Lloyd Wright home not too far from the Rusty Nail Tavern and the Head Nut, its a gem in our backyard.

One thing that has aged well is the landscaping around the homes, which offers a sense of seclusion and privacy in an otherwise pleasant and ordinary Ardmore residential area. You might pass these homes by, which is, I think, a testament to the inherent beauty of the project.