The Walter Guesthouse designed by architect Paul Rudolph has hit the market for a price of $2 million.
The modernist architecture was designed by Paul Rudolph in 1952 on Sanibel Island, Florida. The 24-foot cubical house spans only across one bedroom and one bathroom. However, what makes it iconic is the system of seven red counterweights and various pulleys which are rigged to shutter the whole house and give it the façade of a mobile cubicle.
The house was commissioned by Walter W. Walker, grandson of businessman T.B. Walker. The Minnesota-based baron founded the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, originally to house his art collection, but it eventually grew to support art and culture across dimensions. The house remained in the possession of the Walker family until 2019, when it was sold to an undisclosed buyer for $920,000.
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The listing of the house has described it as “a monumental work of radical design and masterful skill […] one of the most important architectural designs of the twentieth century (by one of its most influential architects) […] [and a] ground-breaking work of art.” The listing mentions that while the current location of the house is in a village near New York, the buyer would be free to move it anywhere in the world. The price for the house has been set at $2 million; notably, it does not include the cost of moving the house. However, it includes everything housed within the property, including furniture like desks, coffee tables, and a bookshelf – most of which are designed by Paul Rudolph himself. Original architectural plans of the house are also included in the sale price.
