On the Market

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Tennessee House Hits the Market—for the First Time Ever—at $1.6 Million

The Usonian three-bedroom was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993

By Katie SchultzJune 30, 2026

blackandwhite photo of Frank Lloyd Wright seated in chair

In 1952, Frank Lloyd Wright completed his only work in the state of Tennessee: the Seamour and Gerte Shavin House. The Usonian home was crafted from local sandstone and cypress and is still owned by the Shavin family—but not for long. With a price tag of $1.6 million, the Chattanooga residence has hit the market for the first time in its 74-year history. The family reportedly paid $33,000 for the dwelling and its furnishings when they commissioned it in 1949.

Image may contain: Furniture, Table, Indoors, Interior Design, Wood, Architecture, and Building

A Once Lost Frank Lloyd Wright Design Is Brought Back to LifeVisitors can now step into the architect’s former field office just as it would have been in the 1950s

The Shavin House, which offers three bedrooms and four bathrooms across approximately 1,800 square feet, employs the typical trappings of Wright’s Usonian period: a cantilevered roof, clerestory windows, mitered glass corners, and a hidden entrance. Situated on a mountainside, the single-story house overlooks the Tennessee River. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Two years later, it became the city’s first—and only—official landmark.

A dramatic stone hearth warms the combined living and dining space, which is lined with built-in seating. Windows throughout provide panoramic views of the surrounding valley. A wood-paneled office hosts a built-in corner desk and a sliding glass door that leads to a paved terrace. Outside, a carport and a stone pond jutting from one side of the dwelling round out the plot, which measures in at just under an acre.

Seamour Shavin, who also stepped in as general contractor during the home’s construction, lived there until his 2005 death. “He used to tell me that the house was like a child to him, and I often would joke and say, ‘Which did you love better, me or the house?’” Seamour’s daughter, Karen Shavin, said of her father. “He never answered.” Gerte Shavin still lived at the home part-time until she passed away in 2020. “My mother used to always say that you really can’t appreciate this house unless you spent time there,” Karen said. “Every time I’m there, I find something new that is beautiful.”