Minneapolis’ “butterfly house” on sale for the first time since being built in 1960
By Erin Hassanzadeh
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Just beside the Mississippi River on a winding Minneapolis street sits 4736 Coffey Lane — a hidden house nestled in nature with a story to tell.
What you can’t see through the foliage is revealed in the blueprints: a butterfly-shaped home designed by a man who was trained by one of the greats.
“It was designed by this architect, Herb Fritz Junior. He was a protige, some may even say disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright. His dad was one of Wright’s original draftsman,” Trevor Born, owner of the Longfellow Whatever newsletter, said. “He has this reputation as somebody who could do the Frank Lloyd Wright thing but at more of an affordable price point, basically.”
That drew the attention of a Minneapolis kindergarten teacher and his wife, who loved gardening. The angular home went up in 1960.
Its Usonian mid-century style, with a focus on the nature that surrounds it, still turns heads today.
“This has been essentially untouched,” Katey Bean, a listing agent with Keller Williams, said. “You almost can’t put a value on it.”
The two-bedroom house is complete with a carport and angular, paneled rooms. It sits elegantly on the lot that grew in and flourished around it.
“This is a lot of native grasses that were purposely planted here,” Bean said.
The time-worn treasure, now for sale for the first time, is drawing attention once more.
“People were so curious. We estimate probably upwards of 700 people came through an open house,” Bean said.
Captivating the curious, the design-loving and really anyone willing to be the next caretaker of the time capsule.
“To have this name associated with this house and own a piece of what is really architectural history is special,” Bean said.
The house received more than 10 offers. As of Tuesday, its sale is pending.
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