For any horror movie fans or aspiring horror filmmakers out there, having an inn of your own would provide the perfect canvas for reenacting your favorite horror moments, such as the shower scene from "Psycho" or “Here’s Johnny!” from "The Shining" (come to think of it, if you ever find yourself in a scenario reminiscent of a horror movie, stay away from the bathroom). But for one particular inn that just hit the market, it isn’t just horror movie buffs that might be interested in making the $665,000 purchase, but fans of architecture, as well.
The Usonian Inn, which was previously known as the Rest Haven Motel (which sounds like a name that could have been taken directly from an old horror movie), is an 11-room motor lodge in Spring Green, Wis., that was constructed in 1952. What makes this particular inn noteworthy is that Jesse C. Caraway, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the structure.
As Curbed.com reports, the Park Inn in Mason City, Iowa, is the only hotel still in existence that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright himself, but The Usonian Inn proudly displays many Wright-inspired characteristics. The most prominent of which is without question the use of cantilevered overhangs.
The V-shaped building was one of the first to use aluminum siding, which was provided by Reynolds Metals for free as a promotional tool, and was also once considered for a feature in Life magazine. Currently, the inn is listed on the State and National Register of Historic places.
And don’t let the old horror trope of haunted or creepy inns scare you away, the Usonian Inn has undergone more than a few facelifts in an effort to keep the structure looking young. In 1992, the inn’s grounds were freshly landscaped and the current owners, Carolina and Theo Dursina, have provided significant upgrades, as well, such as the addition of sustainable fixtures and double-glazed windows and a new roof.
While the $665,000 price tag certainly isn’t cheap, the building’s unique history and quality location near Spring Green, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin home and studio, and the Wisconsin River do make for an intriguing purchase.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
RMJM unveils design details for $1B green development in Turkey
RMJM has unveiled the design for the $1 billion Varyap Meridian development it is master planning in Istanbul, Turkey's Atasehir district, a new residential and business district. Set on a highly visible site that features panoramic views stretching from the Bosporus Strait in the west to the Sea of Marmara to the south, the 372,000-square-meter development includes a 60-story tower, 1,500 resi...
| Aug 11, 2010
San Bernardino health center doubles in size
Temecula, Calif.-based EDGE was awarded the contract for California State University San Bernardino's health center renovation and expansion. The two-phase, $4 million project was designed by RSK Associates, San Francisco, and includes an 11,000-sf, tilt-up concrete expansion—which doubles the size of the facility—and site and infrastructure work.
| Aug 11, 2010
'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.
Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.
| Aug 11, 2010
Five-star resort breaks ground on the Black Sea
Construction work has commenced on a five-star resort and leisure destination along the Black Sea coast in Batumi, Georgia. The RTKL-designed resort consists of two towers rising 86 and 58 meters over a two-story podium. The larger tower contains 250 guestrooms and suites while the smaller tower offers 78 residential apartments.
| Aug 11, 2010
Outdated office tower becomes Nashville's newest boutique hotel
A 1960s office tower in Nashville, Tenn., has been converted into a 248-room, four-star boutique hotel. Designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with PowerStrip Studio as interior designer, the newly converted Hutton Hotel features 54 suites, two penthouse apartments, 13,600 sf of meeting space, and seven "cardio" rooms.
| Aug 11, 2010
New hospital expands Idaho healthcare options
Ascension Group Architects, Arlington, Texas, is designing a $150 million replacement hospital for Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Idaho. An existing facility will be renovated as part of the project. The new six-story, 320-000-sf complex will house 187 beds, along with an intensive care unit, a cardiovascular care unit, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgical suites, rehabilitation clinic, and ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Aloft hotel opens at Washington National Harbor
A partnership of five developers, including the John Hardy Group and Peterson Companies, have completed a 190-room aloft hotel at Washington National Harbor, a mixed-use retail/entertainment development in Oxon Hill, Md., near Washington, D.C. Designed in conjunction with David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, the aloft prototype offers atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from the...
| Aug 11, 2010
D.C. gets sweeter with expanded green eatery
Greens Restaurant Group has expanded its popular salad and yogurt eatery, sweetgreen, to two neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C., area, Dupont Circle and Bethesda, Md. Designed by local architect CORE architecture + design, the experiential dining projects use salvaged hickory for the walls, wood recycled from the old bowling alleys for the tables and chairs, and sustainable paper/dye product...
| Aug 11, 2010
Manhattan's latest boutique hotel will be LEED Silver certified
New York-based developer Tribeca Associates has commissioned Brennan Beer Gorman Architects to design its latest mixed-use office and boutique hotel at 330 Hudson Street. Located in the downtown Hudson Square area of Manhattan, the LEED-Silver development will involve the redevelopment of a historic, eight-story warehouse building into 292,000 sf of office space, 15,000 sf of retail space, and ...
