A Rare Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed California Home Sells for $22 Million
The ship-like house is the only one of its kind by the architect on the ocean
3 min
A significant Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., has sold for its asking price of $22 million, an enormous price per square foot for the area.
The single-storey, roughly 1,400-square-foot property, on a rocky promontory overlooking Carmel Bay, is the only home of its kind completed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in a coastal environment, according to paperwork submitted for its designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Sitting on a triangular site, the house appears like a ship’s prow growing out of the landscape.
According to the historic places report, the home’s most prominent feature is a hexagonal living room framed in glass panels with panoramic views over the coastline. The three bedrooms are located in wings to the rear of the property, which is shaped like an arrow. Mr. Wright had the lot lowered 4 feet to enable the house to melt into the landscape, the report shows. The house made the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, records show.
The sellers are a group of descendants of the home’s original owner Della Walker, an artist and the widow of Minneapolis lumber executive Clinton Walker. The couple relocated to California in 1904, living there for four decades before Mr. Walker’s death in 1944, the historic places report says. The descendants couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The buyer is Esperanza Carmel LLC, records show. The company’s website describes it as a real-estate investment and development firm. It is headed by Patrice Pastor, a businessman and property developer based in Monaco, and owns other significant properties in the Carmel area. A spokesperson for Esperanza did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Walker originally wrote to Mr. Wright in 1945, asking him to consider the project, according to the historic places report.
“I am a woman living alone—I wish protection from the wind and privacy from the road and a house as enduring as the rocks but as transparent and charming as the waves and delicate as the seashore,” she wrote. “You are the only man who can do this—will you help me?”
Mr. Wright quickly agreed to work on the project, expressing his pleasure that her letter was “brief and to the point.” In later correspondence between the pair, Ms. Walker wrote to the architect that her daughter had sent her a picture of Fallingwater, the architectural house Mr. Wright had designed in Pennsylvania. “If Mr. Wright did this for a stream, what will he do for an ocean,” she said her daughter wrote.
The original construction of the house, constructed from cedar wood, Carmel stone, steel, copper, concrete and glass, was completed in 1952. In 1956, a studio addition was designed by Mr. Wright for Ms. Walker’s craftwork and weaving at the southeast corner of the building. The plans were eventually used to make way for an expanded primary bedroom in 1960, the report says. The total lot size is around 14,000 square feet and includes a small beach, according to the sellers’ agent.
Canning Properties Group of Sotheby’s International Realty represented the sellers in the deal. Jessica Canning said the home was a rare combination of the ideal setting and architectural pedigree. Though she declined to comment on the buyer, she said the property had sold to the buyer with the very first showing.
“They fell in love with it exactly how it is, right down to the pillows and the books,” she said, noting that all the furniture was included in the sale. “The authenticity and character of it was one of the major draws.”
The property is one of a number of architecturally significant homes that have been marketed for sale in Carmel over the past year. Carmel’s Butterfly House, known for its distinctive Midcentury Modern architectural look, is on the market for $40 million. In July, Brad Pitt bought a roughly century-old home designed by Charles Sumner Greene, a prominent early 20th-century architect known for championing the American Arts and Crafts movement, for $40 million.
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Ophora Tallawong has launched its final release of quality apartments priced under $700,000.
From bushland greens to valley reds, the country’s most awarded designers are proving that the best colour palette was never on a swatch card; it was outside the window all along.
Ophora Tallawong has launched its final release of quality apartments priced under $700,000.
3 min
Ophora Tallawong has launched its final release of apartments, positioning itself as one of the last opportunities for buyers to secure a new Sydney home below $700,000.
The project, located in one of the city’s fastest-growing corridors, is offering rare buyer protections at a time when affordability is tightening and competition for quality stock is intensifying.
According to JLL’s Q2 2025 Apartment Market Overview, Sydney’s median apartment price has already climbed to $795,000, setting a record.
With interest rates now on a downward trend and supply still heavily constrained, experts warn that today’s price brackets may not exist next year.
Ronnie Rahme, Development Manager at KDMC, said buyers were responding to the combination of quality and value.
“You simply don’t see this level of finish at these price points anymore,” Rahme said. “That’s why demand has been so strong for this final release.”
Dr Andrew Wilson, Chief Economist at My Housing Market, says the economic drivers are clear. “High rents and higher prices continue to provide clear incentives for first-home buyers and investors chasing solid investment returns,” he told Kanebridge News.
“New government initiatives to support first-home buyers will also act to place upward pressure on prices.”
The bigger picture
JLL’s research reinforces that point. While over 15,700 apartments are expected to be delivered nationally this year, a 40% uplift on 2024, Sydney remains undersupplied, with demand continuing to outpace completions.
The report also notes that reductions in the RBA cash rate are expected to further fuel buyer activity, with constrained supply continuing to push prices higher into 2026.
With construction costs soaring, Government contributions climbing, and interest rates remaining high, projects are harder than ever to bring to market, putting upward pressure on newly completed apartments.
The pipeline of new supply is shrinking as developers delay or abandon projects that no longer stack up financially.
According to JLL’s overview, only 2,554 completions are forecast for Sydney this year – against annual demand exceeding 30,000 dwellings.
At the same time, population growth, rental demand, and first-home buyer incentives are intensifying competition for limited stock. The imbalance between constrained supply and resilient demand is leaving new apartments scarcer and more expensive across Sydney.
Ophora: Last Chance In Sydney’s northwest
Developed by KDMC and designed by Architex, the $50 million project has launched its final release, with limited availability of 81 brand-new residences from just $545,000 for a one-bedroom, or $695,000 for a two-bedroom, which is far below Sydney’s median and significantly cheaper than nearby competition.
The five-storey development at 37 Reis St, Tallawong, combines affordability with premium inclusions more often seen in luxury builds: ducted air-conditioning, timber floors, premium finishes, fridge cavities with water plumbing, video intercom systems, fibre internet, EV charging, landscaped gardens and a rooftop terrace with sweeping views.
It also comes with something almost unheard of at this price point, a 10-year Latent Defects Insurance (LDI) policy. Typically reserved for multimillion-dollar projects, LDI guarantees structural integrity for a decade and is only awarded to developers with a strong building track record.
SHC Insurance Brokers founder Stefan Hicks acknowledged the rarity of obtaining LDI, particularly for entry-level residential apartment complexes like Ophora.
“Gaining LDI is no mean feat. It’s offered selectively to developers and builders with a quality building history, and it requires both parties to employ an independent inspection service throughout construction,” he said.
“While this insurance is well-established around the world in about 40 countries, in Australia, we’re typically seeing high-end buildings covet LDI. The fact that Ophora has joined this exclusive list of quality-assured builds is a coup for entry-level home buyers.”
Raising the standard for affordable luxury
Rahme says the KDMC team wanted to set a new benchmark.
“Our mission with Ophora has always been clear: to raise the standard of what buyers should expect, regardless of budget,” he said.
“We’ve delivered a collection of apartments with finishes and features you’d usually only find in luxury projects, and we’ve backed it with one of the most stringent insurances available in the market. That gives buyers peace of mind that their investment is protected for the long term.
“People are walking through and realising you simply don’t see this level of quality at these price points anymore, as it’s effectively replacement cost in 2025.
“With rates coming down and limited competition, buyers and investors are moving quickly because they know the window won’t stay open. Investors, who have recently purchased at Ophora, have reported a strong rental demand, with minimum rental yields exceeding five per cent.”
Developments like Ophora, move-in ready, competitively priced and backed by rare structural protections (LDI), may represent the last chance for buyers to secure a sub-$700,000 apartment in Sydney.
View Ophora on cpmrealty.com.au
To arrange a private viewing or request more information, contact Sam Elbanna from CPM Realty: 0411 222 260
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