Frank Lloyd Wright influenced this ‘special oasis’ on Maine’s coast

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 little detail was really taken into consideration when they were building it,” Sortwell, broker and principal at LandVest Inc.’s midcoast office, said. “It’s such a special little oasis.”

The current owners bought this property in 1996 on Buckmaster Neck in Stonington and completed the home in 2001, Sortwell said. The couple are big fans of mid-century modern architecture and architects including Wright and Schildroth, he said. Like those designers, they wanted a home that existed in harmony with nature.

“They fell in love with Stonington, with how beautiful it is,” Sortwell said. “You have such a mix of the town with nature and wildness, they wanted to build something that was a sanctuary and the nature piece means a lot for them.”

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The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on a 13-acre lot with more than 800 feet of shorefront access to a private, sandy beach; the owners have since placed a conservation easement with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust on most of the property so it “stays wild,” Sortwell noted.

Aside from its location and Schildroth’s meticulous craftsmanship, other stand-out features of the home include its floor-to-ceiling windows and a custom-built studio for listening to high-fidelity music, Sortwell said.

The property has been shown to many people since it was first listed, he said, a combination of more local people looking for a full-time residence and those from out of state looking for somewhere to live seasonally.

“We’ve had inquiries from people all over the country,” Sortwell said. “It’s a hidden gem.”