The Bogk House

Designed by the American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright

A Timeless Masterpiece of Residential Architecture.

—UNDER CONTRACT—

The Only Single-Family Residence Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Milwaukee, Wis.

The Frederick C. Bogk House has the special distinction as the only single-family residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the city of Milwaukee.  Commissioned by alderman and entrepreneur Frederick C. Bogk in 1916, the house illustrates the visionary genius of Wright as a free-flowing and organically integrated and aesthetic whole.  Selling for only the second time in 107 years, the Bogk house has been exquisitely maintained and cherished by the current owners since 1955. 

The open-plan interior contains numerous, original architectural details, from recessed lighting and custom cabinetry to leaded glass windows and a fountain.  Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972, an easement preserves these elements in perpetuity; however, the interior also contains important original works of free-standing design by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1917.  The functional and considered décor is part of a cohesive whole, a survey of Wright and his circle within a large, functioning home.

The Only Single-Family Residence Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Milwaukee, Wis. The Frederick C. Bogk House has the special distinction as the only single-family residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the city of Milwaukee.  Commissioned by alderman and entrepreneur Frederick C. Bogk in 1916, the house illustrates the visionary genius of Wright as a free-flowing and organically integrated and aesthetic whole.  Selling for only the second time in 107 years, the Bogk house has been exquisitely maintained and cherished by the current owners since 1955.  The open-plan interior contains numerous, original architectural details, from recessed lighting and custom cabinetry to leaded glass windows and a fountain.  Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972, an easement preserves these elements in perpetuity; however, the interior also contains important original works of free-standing design by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1917.  The functional and considered décor is part of a cohesive whole, a survey of Wright and his circle within a large, functioning home.
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5 BED  |  3.5 BATH  |  BUILT IN 1917 

“A Good House of a Good Period for a Good Client” —Frank Lloyd Wright

The Frederick C. Bogk House is offered for $1,500,000, exclusively represented by @properties-elleven Christie’s International Real Estate. The furniture collection is being offered for an additional price in the range of $900,000 through Christie’s auction house. The option to purchase the collection with the house will be available until mid-October, when the pieces will be removed to be sold separately at auction.

The Frederick C. Bogk House is offered for $1,500,000, exclusively represented by @properties-elleven Christie’s International Real Estate. The furniture collection is being offered for an additional price in the range of $900,000 through Christie’s auction house. The option to purchase the collection with the house will be available until mid-October, when the pieces will be removed to be sold separately at auction.
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Setting the Foundation for the Twentieth Century

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bogk House of 1917 synthesizes his early Prairie Period with progressive vision that channels Japanese and Viennese architecture, setting the stage for the next phase in his career in California and the American Southwest.  With horizontal brickwork and textured cast concrete lintels within a formal massing of geometric volumes, The Frederick C. Bogk House is in direct dialog with the Viennese Secessionists. An abstracted sculptural frieze under the eave central façade is pure art.

The Frederick C. Bogk House

In a collaboration between Christie’s and Christie’s International Real Estate, the home is being offered with several furniture pieces also designed by Wright

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Frank Lloyd Wright

“Organic is entity, where the whole is to the part as the part is to the whole, and the nature of the materials is the nature of the purpose.”

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Michael Jefferson

“An exceptionally well-preserved interior with period details and original furnishings from 1917”

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The Influence of Japan

An elegantly detailed residence that accommodates contemporary living in a comfortable and discreet setting. Designed and built concurrent with Wright’s Japanese masterwork, The Imperial Hotel in Toyko, the Bogk House is among Wright’s best. The sophisticated balance of horizontal and vertical lines further reflect the strong Japanese influence, and the first step in Wright’s interest in ancient Mayan architecture.

Michael Jefferson, Senior Vice President at Christie’s, who is handling the sale of the collection. 

“This furniture collection is truly one of a kind. The pieces, including some original to the home, and others designed in the 1950s and 1960s, are effectively a timeline of Wright’s work and his influence on the built environment."

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Michael Jefferson, Senior Vice President at Christie’s, who is handling the sale of the collection

"Our hope is that whoever purchases the Bogk House will choose to keep the pieces with the home, to honor Wright’s vision."

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Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

The Greatest American Architect of all Time

Recognized by the American Institute of Architects as the greatest American architect of all time, Frank Lloyd Wright created some of the world’s most innovative spaces. He designed more than 1,100 architectural works, 532 of which were realized, and 380 of which remain standing today. Eight of his buildings have been designated UNESCO World Heritage sites, including New York’s Guggenheim Museum and his showcase house, Fallingwater, in western Pennsylvania.

An Elegant City Home

The home is located in the North Point neighborhood, one of Milwaukee’s finest and architecturally interesting neighborhoods. Sited on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, the neighborhood was always considered to be an exclusive residential enclave and remains so today, undisturbed by the commercialization and industrialization that have plagued other neighborhoods of similar vintage.

A History In Photos

Margaret Elsner, Isamu Masui, Barbara Elsner, Rak Endo and Norico Chuzenji gather outside The Bogk House, a stop on the Wright Friendship Association tour, summer 1991.
Photo—Barbara Elsner

Mrs Bogk with some family members
Photo—Barbara Elsner (Photo was sent to her by the Bogk’s daughter in the 1970s)

This photo is one several drawings/ renderings left in the home by the previous owners. Wright gave the Bogks the drawings, which was an unusual practice at the time. 
Photo—Barbara Elsner

Our Experienced Team

Michael Jefferson

Michael Jefferson

International Senior Specialist,
Senior Vice President, Christie’s

Chris Lim

Chris Lim

Senior Advisor & Global Brand Ambassador

Melissa LeGrand

Melissa LeGrand

Broker of Record, Luxury Relocation Specialist

In The News

Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal

A Frank Lloyd Wright Home in Milwaukee Lists for the First Time in Almost 70 Years. Designed by the famed architect, the house is hitting the market for $1.5 million

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Architectural Digest

Architectural Digest

On The Market
A $1.5 Million Frank Lloyd Wright Home Lists for the First Time in 70 Years

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OnMilwaukee

OnMilwaukee

Frank Lloyd Wright's Bogk House is for sale on Milwaukee's East Side

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Mansion Global

Mansion Global

Designed by the famed architect, the house is hitting the market for $1.5 million.

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Photos By Alex Vertikoff

Christie's Real Estate

The Frederick C. Bogk House, the Only Single-Family Residence Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Milwaukee, Wis. is on the Market For Only the Second Time in 107 Years

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Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy

Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy

Wright On The Market
BOGK HOUSE
Location: Milwaukee, WI

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A 107-year-old Frank Lloyd Wright house is for sale on Milwaukee's east side.

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TMJ4

TMJ4

Frank Lloyd Wright's Bogk House in Milwaukee is for sale for a cool $1.5 million.

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A Special Note Announcing The Upcoming Book About The Bogk House

A new monograph on the Bogk House situates this beautiful house in the turbulent teens and gives fresh insight into the evolution of Wright’s design process in the least understood decade of his career.  No house by Wright embodies the mysterious anomalies of the Bogk House.  It reflects a fundamental shift in Wright’s design process that radically broke with the Prairie Period and foreshadowed developments in the following three decades of this work.

The definitive history of the Bogk House is currently being written by Wright experts, Anthony Alofsin and Richard Cleary.
Anthony Alofsin, Frank Lloyd Wright—The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence, 1994, Chicago, pp. 221, 249-253, 286, 290.

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The Bogk House

The Frederick C. Bogk House is exclusively represented by @properties-elleven | Christie’s International Real Estate. The furniture collection is being offered for an additional price through Christie’s auction house.

Melissa LeGrand

EM

Melissa LeGrand

Owner-Broker, Luxury Relocation Specialist