A $4.9 million home in Stonington built by a Maine architect deeply influenced by the style of Frank Lloyd Wright is on the market now . The nearly 5,000-square-foot home is an example of the famed architect’s philosophy, which sought to blend the build with the natural environment.
Its designer, James Schildroth , was an apprentice at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation as a teenager in the late 1950s. There, he took Wright’s concept of “organic architecture” to heart. The Stonington home brings the outside in with Schildroth’s prominent use of iroko wood in its walls and ceilings.
It also uses Deer Isle granite. The exterior, though angular and contemporary, still complements the surrounding forest on a waterfront lot. It is one of many houses Schildroth has designed along the coast of Maine, he said.
The architect has been practicing here since 1971 and still has a studio in Wiscasset, where he lives full-time with his partner. “I’m 84 years old now and pretty much not doing work for money anymore,” Schildroth said in an interview, adding that he no longer gets involved with the construction of his designs anymore. “I’m still designing things for free.
” There are as many people who “don’t get” mid-century modern architecture as those who do, Schildroth said, but the home has attracted a lot of attention since it was listed last month, according to listing agent Joseph Sortwell. “It’s one of the most well-built houses along the coast, every lit.