Historic Mid-Century Home by Frank Lloyd Wright Associate Hits the Market for $850K in Bloomfield Township

A mid-century modern home in Bloomfield Township designed by Harold Turner, an associate of architectural designer Frank Lloyd Wright, has been listed on the real estate market for $850,000. 

With more than 2,000 square feet of living space, Turner's mid-century modern house at 5530 Shadow Lane features three bedrooms and a prominent gabled roof. The home, built in 1955, occupies over an acre of land near Gilbert Lake. Its current owners, Mort and Paula Finkel, affectionately refer to the house as "The Retreat," acknowledging its serene atmosphere and natural surroundings that their kids have enjoyed.

While the Finkels have modernized the home with bathroom and kitchen upgrades, the structure retains several original features, including whitewashed pecky cypress wood in the interior, slate floors, and original wooden doors and cabinets with custom geometric designs. Vaulted ceilings and glass walls open up the interior to natural lighting and the beauty of the outdoors. The couple purchased the home in 2005 for $300,000.

According to the Bloomfield Historical Society, Turner gained many design ideas while working with Wright. Turner worked independently in Bloomfield Township from the late 1940s through the 1950s. Of the 20 properties he surveyed in Michigan, 15 were built in Bloomfield Township.

Speaking with Crain's Detroit Business, real estate agent Ryan Cooley of O'Connor Realty Detroit, LLC explained that the home's unique construction and connection with a prominent architectural designer are more valuable than the land on which it sits. 

According to the property's listing, the house has enough of its original characteristics to retain the Harold Turner designation. As a result, the home is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.