Wright to Auction Louis Kahn Landmark

CHICAGO—Just days after Christie's auctioned Richard Neutra's Kaufmann house for a record-setting $16,841,000, Chicago's Wright auction house will offer a Philadelphia landmark, master architect Louis Kahn's 1959-61 Esherick House. The home, which is expected to fetch $2–3 million, will be the sole lot in Wright's Important Design sale on Sunday, May 18.

Simply constructed of warm beige concrete and Apitong wood, the intimate 2,500-square-foot house shares the openness, clean lines, and attention to detail typical of midcentury modern architecture.

It was commissioned by Margaret Esherick, niece of Philadelphia sculptor Wharton Esherick, who designed its one-of-a-kind kitchen. Wharton Esherick and Kahn were close friends.