The Gocke House, circa 1910 and located at #2615 Poe Avenue in Overland, was designed by St. Louis architect Lawrence Ewald, from plans published by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The structure, compromised almost entirely of steel, concrete, and tile was designed to be "fire proof" and was published in the Ladies' Home Journal- April 1907 by Wright in his article "A Fireproof House for $5000". It is said that the only wood (combustible) materials used in the building of the structure are in the doors and window sills.
Personally, as a FLW design fan and a true lover of historic houses, I never miss a tour of one of his well-preserved properties. Mr. Wright's infamous motto, "I believe a house is more a home by being a work of art", resulted in mind-blowing design like this...
this...
and this...
The above photos were all taken from the GORGEOUS Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, Illinois, which I have visited no less than a dozen times over the years. Stunning.
Many of Mr. Wright's designs remained untouched and intact longer than MOST architects of his time as he would routinely drop by his "masterpieces" and scold the homeowners for making ANY changes to the décor- tablescapes included! Simply, the story of FLW is fascinating, as was the method to his madness. SIDENOTE: Consider picking up a copy of "Loving Frank" for a personal look at the eccentric character behind these homes. My copy is well-worn.
While the Gocke House was obviously NOT built by Frank Lloyd Wright and totally lacks the detail that a FLW house boasts, it is an important property nonetheless. The fact is, as far as early 20th century architecture and design goes, this property (along with all FLW design plans) is unique and boasts extremely design-forward contemporary lines for its time...
DETAILS: The property sits on 1.72 acres and boasts 3700 square feet and 4 bedrooms/ 4 baths in the main house, 2 one-bedroom guests houses, a 700+ square foot barn, an in-ground pool, and a private tennis court.
The last sale was for, wait for it, only $375,000 in May of 2013. The agent disclosed that the rental income alone in the 2 smaller guests houses is over 1000K a month. Deal of the century.
Here are a few more peeks of the property, taken from the last MLS listing, if curious...
