Own a Robie House Brick; Sleep in a Wright Prefab

Robie House during exterior restoration. Collection of Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust

In an article about the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater that I wrote for the Wall Street Journal four years ago, I mentioned that its gift shop was selling pricey jewelry "containing authentic construction debris" from the iconic Mill Run, PA, house.

Now Wright's celebrated Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago is undergoing major restoration, providing similar souvenir opportunities. According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust:

You can purchase an authentic Robie House brick from a limited number of the home's original bricks that could not be incorporated into our restoration work. Complete with commemorative plaque, certificate of authenticity and history, each rust-colored, iron-spotted, kiln-fired brick is a distinctive piece of this architectural icon.

The price for a 6- by 4-inch piece of the Wright stuff: $250.

The exterior restoration (above) was completed in 2003, but interior restoration continues. The house remains open to visitors during the overhaul.

Do you think New York's fixer-upper Guggenheim Museum will be selling chips off the old façade?

Meanwhile, in other Wright news: Another of his houses has been added to the list of those you where you can sleep over---Duncan House in Johnstown, PA, not far from Fallingwater. Recently moved to its current location from Lisle, IL., 25 miles west of Chicago, it is "one of only 11 remaining prefabricated Wright-designed structures in the nation," as reported by Rachel Adams in the online magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Here's the website for Duncan House, and here are some photos of its exterior and interior, including (on Page 3) two rather spartan-looking bedrooms. (What, no pillows?)

Now's your chance to own a brick, sleep on a brick...or both!