The Butterfly House has just been sold for $29 million, according to a press release from Coldwell Banker Real Estate, which represents buyers for possibly the most popular beachfront home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Perched on a rocky shore, with angular wings sticking up to the sky, the 1951 house was designed by Frank Winkoop., the original owner of the house, and remains a pure example of mid-century modernism. “The Butterfly House is one of the best homes on California’s Central Coast,” says Tim Allen of Coldwell Banker Realty. According to the property listing page, it was listed for sale for $40 million (furnished) in August 2022.
view more
When it was first put up for sale, it was expected to be bought immediately, but instead it did not receive offers for more than 100 days, according to SFGATE, which explained that the refusal to buy was due to several factors, including market volatility. , a high asking price and a unique style that requires special taste. However, the house has an excellent pedigree, which, of course, contributed to its sale: not only is it an architectural masterpiece (it is on the pages US AD in 2018 and appears in the book Architectural Digest at 100: a century of stylebut is one of five houses on the shores of Carmel Bay, including one of Frank Lloyd Wright. Carmel-by-the-Sea remains a very popular area in part because throughout the 1900s it was a favorite haunt of celebrities (high-profile residents such as Brad Pitt in recent years have restored the prestige of the seaside community).
A room in a house photographed in 2018 for TO.
“It’s like living in a magnificent aquarium, in harmony with the ever-changing landscape and the extraordinary diversity of marine life and flora close to home,” he said. TO in 2018, Hannah Comolli already owned the house with her husband Kevin Comolli. Prior to the sale, the home was renovated by Los Angeles-based designer Jamie Bush: “We are fortunate to be able to help our clients acquire this iconic waterfront property that they, like many others, have wanted for years,” Allen added. . However, if folklore is to be believed, perhaps the most famous fan is Frank Lloyd Wright himself. As Jay Wincoop, son of Frank Wincoop, said,Republic of Arizona in 2012, remembering the time he worked on the house with his father, a special memory comes to mind. Jay noticed a man in a coat and hat looking at the house from the street, and when he went out to talk to a stranger, he asked with a curse: “Who is the genius who built this house?” Elder Winkup came out a few seconds later, greeted the visitor, and said, “Son, I want you to meet Frank Lloyd Wright.”
The original article was published on US ADadapted by Paola Corazza.