Rayward–Shepherd House
| Rayward–Shepherd House (Tirranna) | |
|---|---|
  | |
| General information | |
| Type | House |
| Architectural style | Modern architecture; Usonian |
| Location | New Canaan, Connecticut |
| Coordinates | 41°08′04″N 73°30′45″W / 41.134525°N 73.512400°W |
| Construction started | 1955 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Frank Lloyd Wright |
The Rayward–Shepherd House, also known as Tirranna and as the John L. Rayward House, is a home in New Canaan, Connecticut originally built in 1955 to an design of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Commissioned by Joyce and John Rayward, the home was expanded to a design of Wright’s successor firm, Taliesin Associates by subsequent owner Herman R. Shepherd after his purchase in 1964.
Description
"Tirranna" is an Australian aboriginal word meaning "running waters," an apt name for a home located on a pond just off the Noroton River featuring elaborate land and water-scaping. The largely semicircular home is built of standard concrete block, timber, and glass, with poured Colorundum flooring and extensive Philippine mahogany trim. Its living/dining wing overlooks a pool which steps down to a pond and extensive landscaped gardens, designed by Frank Okamura, landscape architect for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Charles Middeleer, a notable local landscape architect, also contributed to the landscape design.[1]
The home includes a 1958 extension featuring an observatory above the master bedroom dressing room, as well as a playhouse for the Raywards’ daughters, Victoria and Jennifer (1957), which echoes the semicircular form of the main house.
The property was purchased by Herman R. Shepherd in 1964. According to William Allin Storrer[who?] Shepherd's actions repairing the “poor work” that Storrer attributes to John Rayward's "constant pursuit of the lowest bid" salvaged the house.(Storrer, 411)
Shepherd also engaged Wright's successor firm, Taliesin Associated Architects (TAA), to design a “major extension beyond the work room...." which "leads to a greenhouse with servant and guest quarters, shop and extra carport." Later work by TAA "brought about the enclosure of the space between original bedroom wing and added master bedroom wing, gaining an atrium and informal living room.... Even later, a circular deck was added above the main pool." (Storrer, 411)
The home was purchased in the late 1990s by businessman Ted Stanley and his wife Vada. After Stanley's death, the 15-acre property was put on the market in January 2017 for US$8,000,000 by his heirs.[2] The house sold in March 2018 for a reported US$4.8 million.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "Modern Homes Survey". National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ "Own Frank Lloyd Wright's horseshoe-shaped 'Tirranna' home in New Canaan, CT for $8M". 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Issue 92". 11 April 2018.
- Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN 0-226-77621-2 (S.383)
External links
- Photos of the Rayward–Shepherd House
- Modern Homes Survey - New Canaan Connecticut - Tirranna/Rayward House
 | This article about a building or structure in Connecticut is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |