The last house architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed before he died in 1959 is for sale at $3.6 million, according to Top Ten Real Estate Deals.

The Norman Lykes House in Phoenix was completed by Wright's apprentice, John Rattenbury. Wright had chosen the building site on top of Palm Canyon with views of the valley and had created architectural sketches inspired by the setting.

Unlike Oregon's only Wright building, the 1957 Gordon House, this residence isn't in the style of the functional Usonian for the masses.

Instead, the Arizona desert house echos the circles and curves of the mountains and the round spaces he employed in the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the house he built for his son, the David and Gladys Wright home in Phoenix.

As with many of his structures, Wright also designed the furniture and built-ins for the Lykes House. The curved kitchen has under-cabinet lights like at the Gordon House, and timeless stainless-steel counters. The kitchen and alarge round office have half-moon windows.

Most rooms have views of the valley and mountains, and a crescent-shaped pool is visible through glass walls.

The house at 6836 N 36th St. was completed by Rattenbury in 1967, and almost 30 years later, new owners hired him back to expand the master bedroom, convert a lower level workshop into a media room and combine two other bedrooms into a guest room. He made the changes without disrupting the overall original design.

The famous dwelling on 1 1/2 acres is registered with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, which maintains a list of Wright buildings on the market and recent sales.

Tour a Frank Lloyd Wright house

Guided tours of the

at 869 W. Main Street in Silverton are at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. daily with reservations. Tickets are $15, which support the nonprofit conservancy that is restoring the house. Tour group size is limited so call 503-874-6006 at least 48 hours in advance.

The Gordon House near the Oregon Garden in Silverton is not for sale, but you can rent it, starting at $200 for a wedding or event. Or just tour it for $15. In fact, it's the only residence open to the public in the Pacific Northwest.

Or attend a special event at the house: Starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, celebrated pianist Thomas Otten will perform classical jazz and pop etudes composed by H. Leslie Adams in the Gordon House's glass-walled living room with custom fretwork casting shadows on a grand piano.

"Evelyn Gordon and Frank Lloyd Wright were accomplished pianists," says executive director Molly Murphy. "Wright advised his homeowners to include a baby grand piano in his living rooms routinely. The Gordon House was full of music and art when Evelyn Gordon lived there. Thomas Otten will fill the living room with music once again."

Tickets are $30 for Patron seating and $20 for general seating in advance, or $25 at the door, and can be purchase at TheGordonHouse.org or by calling 503-874-6006. Light refreshments and wines from Hanson Vineyards will be served. Ticket holders must be 21 or older to attend, according to organizers.

Here's the history of the Gordon House: Wright designed the cedar-and-concrete block house in 1957 near the Willamette River for Conrad and Evelyn Gordon as part of his Usonian vision for affordable suburban housing.

Construction of the 2,133-square-foot dwelling was completed in 1964 on the Gordons' Wilsonville farm.

When the property was sold in 1997, preservationists and architecture fans - some of whom would become members of the Gordon House Conservancy - had the home dismantled and moved 24 miles next to the Oregon Garden in Silverton to save it from being demolished.

The two-story house was reconstructed and opened to the public in March 2002.

Concert to be held in the Gordon House living room

Since then, more than 100,000 visitors have walked through the three-bedroom, three-bath house and explored Wright's concepts of great rooms, indoor-outdoor living and passive energy.

The kitchen was innovative for its time by having paneled refrigerator doors, under-cabinet lighting and the idea that the cook doesn't want to be stuck in a claustrophobic room away from family and friends (watch a video).

The Gordon House, with great examples of Wright's wood fretwork, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"The house is a demonstration of significant innovations by Wright and his organic architectural concepts," says Murphy. "His modern style was considered fresh and original. Frank Lloyd Wright also utilized every space in his buildings and designed them with great minimalism and functionality in mind. This house is iconic and a treasure for all Oregonians."

-- Janet Eastman

jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman

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