Frieda and Henry J. Neils House
Frieda and Henry J. Neils House | |
 The Neils House viewed from the south | |
 Interactive map of Frieda and Henry J. Neils House | |
| Location | 2801 Burnham Boulevard, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Built | 1951[1] |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright, Lyle Halverson |
| Architectural style | Usonian |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000531[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 26, 2004 |
| Designated MPLSL | 1986[3] |
The Frieda and Henry J. Neils House is a house in Minneapolis designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The home was designed for Henry J. Neils, a stone and architectural materials distributor, and his wife Frieda. It is unusual for a Wright-designed home both in the type of stone used as well as in its aluminum window framing.[4]
The Neils approached Wright in 1949 to help build a new home on property adjacent to their existing home, overlooking Cedar Lake.[1] The home was designed through close collaboration between the architect and the Neils who were knowledgeable about architecture.[1] It was Wright's only home to use marble walls: the small marble blocks were left over from other marble projects, and Henry Neil, who was a trustee of a marble company, was able to acquire them at a good price and convince Wright to use the material; however, the color of the completed walls did not satisfy either Wright or the Neils, and some of the blocks were later stained.[1] Unlike Wright's normal use of wooden window frames, the home used aluminum frames made by Neils' company.[1]
The house was designed in Wright's post-World War II Usonian architecture, with the goal of "affordable, beautiful housing for a democratic America." The L-shaped, one-story home's floor plan features a dominant living room and social and spatial separation into "active" and "quiet" areas.[5] The short side of the L consists of the "active" portion, centering on a living room with 17-foot (5.2 m)-high vaulted ceiling and views of Cedar Lake; the "quiet" portion is the long side ending in a three-car carport and has bedrooms as well as a gallery leading to a hidden main entrance.[1]
Located on 2801 Burnham Boulevard, the home is visible from public streets but remains privately owned by members of the Neils family.[1] In 2026, it was placed for sale for $2.5 million.[6][7]
Gallery
[edit]
Full length of house from east.
Northwest facing deck. Note use of marble.
Living room detail with aluminum window frames.
Classic massive Wrightian fireplace.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota Historical Society Press. pp. 283–84. ISBN 0-87351-540-4.
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
- ↑ "Minneapolis landmarks and districts map". City of Minneapolis. February 13, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Wright in Minnesota". Retrieved March 28, 2007.
- ↑ "Minnesota Preservation Planner" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. January–February 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
- ↑ Nace, Aki (October 2, 2026). "Minneapolis home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright up for sale for $2.5M". CBS Minnesota. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Frank Lloyd Wright home overlooking Cedar Lake lists for nearly $2.5M (gallery)". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. October 1, 2026. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
- Storrer, William Allin (1993). The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-77624-8. (S.314)
