The Ernest Vosburgh house is one of three that Wright built in Grand Beach, Michigan. This is the one of the three that really isn’t on the beach. It is a little ways back from the beach and placed right along a small creek that empties into Lake Michigan. Built in 1916, it has a lot of prairie style to it, with a 2-story glass living room that is very at home in a beach community.
Storrer describesit as a pinwheel plan built on a 4′ grid. It is made of stucco with oak and cedar trim with a red brick fireplace. There is a stairway that goes to a small balcony that overlooks the glassed-in living room. Storrer goes on to say that it is the least modified of the three homes in Grand Beach. The cedar shake roof has been replaced with asbestos shingles and the porches and terraces at the rear of the house have been screened in.
This is a neat house. When I visited it, there wasn’t much room to park and photograph it, so I had to shoot from inside the car (as you can see from the mirror appearing in the photo below). It is also located in the woods, so it is fairly well hidden from the street. I can understand that it would be a horrible house to try to heat in the winter time. The glass would definitely make it a bit drafty. That said, this two bedroom, 1-bath house would be perfect for a summer get-away home near lake michigan. I guess that was the whole idea. :D