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Frank Lloyd Wright inspired fierce devotion in many of his clients, who fell hard for the legendary architect’s graceful proportions, utilitarian layouts, built-in furnishings, and material palette rooted in the local landscape. That was certainly the case for the couple who commissioned Wright to design his only residence in Tennessee. Known as the Seamour and Gerte Shavin House, the three-bedroom Usonian home has remained in the same family since it was completed in 1952.
Now, for the first time in its history, the beautifully preserved landmark home is looking for a new owner. The price? $1.6 million.
Bruce McCamish Photography
The Seamour and Gerte Shavin House is Frank Lloyd Wright’s only design in Tennessee.
Crafted out of Tennessee-quarried Crab Orchard stone (a type of sandstone) and Louisiana cypress, the 1,800-square-foot residence is perched on a mountainside in Chattanooga, the state’s fourth-largest city. Set on a little under an acre, the property has sweeping views of the Tennessee River and surrounding valley. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, and acquired local landmark status two years later.
Bruce McCamish Photography
Wright built the home with local materials like Tennessee-quarried crab orchard stone and Louisiana cypress.
Wright designed the single-story home during his Usonian period, which emphasized architectural simplicity and harmony with nature—all without sacrificing style. The Shavin House features the architect’s signature overhanging eaves, clerestory windows, and mitered glass corners. But this particular residence has a dramatic angled roofline less common among Usonian houses. There’s also a striking stone fireplace in the living room, which also features red concrete floors and built-in seating.
Bruce McCamish Photography
One of the three bedrooms has stone walls, built-in storage, and mitered glass window.
The grounds are equipped with a man-made lily pond, a paved terrace large enough for an eight-seat dining table, and a cantilevered carport.
The original owners lived in the estate their entire lives, with the husband, Seamour (who served as general contractor on the house), passing away in 2005. The wife, Gerte, was there part-time until her death in 2020.
Bruce McCamish Photography
Wright designed the home with a lily pond water feature.
Their daughter told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that despite her desire to keep the landmark, she was not in a financial position to acquire her brothers’ stake. “My mother used to always say that you really can’t appreciate this house unless you spent time there,” she told the outlet. “Every time I’m there, I find something new that is beautiful.”
334 North Crest Road, Chattanooga, TN is listed for $1.6 million with Sandy Poe of Alliance Sotheby’s International Realty.
Geoffrey Montes is an associate editor at ELLE Decor with a serious love for all things real estate and design. Before that, he worked at Architectural Digest, Galerie, and Preservation magazines, covering everything from jaw-dropping listings to world-famous architects and design events like Salone del Mobile and Homo Faber.