The Bogk House on Milwaukee's East Side has been sold to "a pair of Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts," according to realtor Melissa LeGrand of @properties elleven Christie’s International Real Estate.
The sale of the beautiful 1917 house that famed Wisconsin architect Wright designed for businessman and politician Frederick C. Bogk, 2420 N. Terrace Ave., closed on Thursday.
The house sold for $1.7 million, including the furniture collection assembled by long-time homeowner Barbara Elsner.
The Bogk House was listed for sale in September with Christie’s International Real Estate by the Elsner family, which owned it since 1955.
By mid-November, the property, which had an asking price of $1.5 million, with the furniture offered for another $900,000, was under contract.
You can see inside the house here.
The furniture collection put together by the Elsners includes, according to the realtor, "original Wright-designed furniture, which was sold with the home in an exclusive collaboration with Christie’s auction house."
It also includes a number of original pieces that Wright designed specifically for the home, objects from Wright’s Heritage Henredon collection and pieces commissioned by the Taliesin Architects.
If it were not sold with the home, the collection was to be auctioned off by Christie's.
“This furniture collection is truly one of a kind, and we’re thrilled that the buyers of the Bogk House are honoring Wright’s vision and choosing to keep the collection with the home," says Christie’s Senior Vice President Michael Jefferson.
"We’re pleased with the outcome of this sale and partnership with Christie’s International Real Estate.”
The new owners, says LeGrand, plan to maintain the home's history.
“We are delighted to have facilitated the sale of the Frederick C. Bogk House, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpieces,” she says.
“The new owners understand that this home is a work of art and a true part of American history, and they are looking forward to stewarding it through its next phase.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
