Located in the town of New Canaan, Conn., overlooking the Noroton River is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces. The 6,917-square-foot house with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms was built in 1955 and is currently listed for sale by local real estate company Houlihan Lawrence for $8 million.
The hemicycle house, named after the Australian aboriginal word Tirranna, meaning “running waters,” sits on 15 acres of land and curves around a pond and waterfall created by the river. The original gardens, designed by landscape architects Frank Okamura and Charles Middeleer, remain intact and add to the natural beauty of the property. Wright also embedded the house with a rooftop observatory, a courtyard, a guest studio, a pool and a tennis court.
The late architect designed the home for Joyce and John Rayward in his late 80s, according to the Stamford Advocate. “It is one of only two Wright houses in Connecticut, the other in Stamford, and it’s fitting that it is on the market this year, the 150th anniversary of Wright’s birth,” the local newspaper said.
The property was then purchased by philanthropist Ted Stanley and his wife Vada as their primary home. The Wall Street Journal reports that they purchased the home about 20 years ago, updated some of the outdated systems, and restored other original designs by Wright. After Vada died in 2013 and Ted in 2016, their son Jonathan tells the WSJ, “all the proceeds from the home sale will also be donated to charity.”
