Frank Lloyd Wright at the Currier Museum of Art
About the homes
The Currier Museum is the only art museum in the world with two Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Accessible by guided tour, they are the only Wright buildings open to the public in New England. Both were built in the 1950s when Wright’s domestic architecture reshaped American home design. The Usonian Automatic and the Zimmerman House express two equally beautiful visions through their closely related designs and contrasting materials.
The 2024 Frank Lloyd Wright tour season opens on April 24, and ends December 31, 2024. Tickets through October are on sale now. November and December tickets will be available in July.
All photographs by Sean Dungan except where noted.
The Kalil House: A Usonian Automatic
Designed in 1955, the Kalil House is one of only seven Usonian Automatics ever constructed. Wright termed the style “automatic” because they were intended to be easily and quickly built. Toufic and Mildred Kalil were inspired to commission the house by their close friends and neighbors Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman, who had commissioned a Wright house a few years earlier on the same street.
Experience the magic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture through a short interactive tour with Currier staff and a special program of Charlie Chronopoulos’s original music.
The Kalils wrote to Wright and said: “Our home will constitute our relaxation. We expect to do a moderate amount of entertaining.” The high-ceilinged great room provides a dramatic, open space which could be easily reconfigured for entertaining or relaxation. The one story, two-bedroom house is 1,400 square feet and has no basement or attic.
The lattice-like walls flood the interior with natural light and frame views of the surrounding woodland. A large fireplace with a sunken hearth is a focal point of the house.
The house has all its original Wright-designed furniture, including built-in benches and shelving, and free-standing chairs. The furniture and large wall panels are made of Philippine mahogany. Chairs and benches retain their original upholstery, some with fabrics Wright designed.
Wright’s Usonian Automatic houses were constructed by stacking interlocking concrete blocks. Ten different block designs with over 200 windows create a dramatic play of light and shadow. To economize, Wright suggested these homes could even be built by their owners. The Kalils told Wright we are “delighted with our Usonian Automatic and only wish we had the time to build it with our own hands!”
Photograph: Gerda Peterich
The kitchen is illuminated by a clearstory that tops a fifteen-foot-tall tower. As requested by the clients, Wright included an indoor charcoal burner for grilling and state of the art, built-in stainless steel appliances as they didn’t want “glaring white.”
Wright’s dynamic contrast of large open spaces with compressed transitions can be seen in the narrow hallway that leads from the great room to an office and the two bedrooms. It is lined with bookshelves and storage cabinets.
Wright lined the master bedroom with built-in closets, dressers, and shelves. The master bath on the left has twin sinks and a sunken shower tub lined with matte tiles.
Wright sought to “break the box” or to disrupt the idea of a house as a series of small boxes. In many of his homes he eliminated vertical corner posts and instead used windows with mitered glass panes to visually unite the interior and exterior.
Photograph: Currier Museum of Art
Ceiling light fixtures are recessed into the coffered blocks. The hidden fixtures create square halos across the ceiling – a nighttime counterpoint to the lattice of the window walls.
Zimmerman House
In 1949 Dr. Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a modern home. They stated, “We wish to avoid adding a new antique to the city’s architecture.” Indeed, they intended their house to be a contemporary statement: “I expect our proposed house will have a positive educational role to play in our community.” The Zimmerman House was one of Manchester’s first modern buildings.
The Zimmerman House was commissioned by Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman in 1949. The two-bedroom home embodies Wright’s Usonian architectural concepts. The compact design contrasts narrow passages with dramatic, open spaces that blend different functions, in a manner which predicts today’s open-plan homes. The house is constructed of brick and Georgia cypress, and retains its original furniture and garden, both designed by Wright.
In 1949 Dr. Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a modern home. They stated, “We wish to avoid adding a new antique to the city’s architecture.” Indeed, they intended their house to be a contemporary statement: “I expect our proposed house will have a positive educational role to play in our community.” The Zimmerman House was one of Manchester’s first modern buildings.
The Zimmerman House is sited diagonally to the street. This was a dramatic departure from standard Manchester building practice in the 1950s. This layout provided more space for the gardens Wright designed in the front and back. ©Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
The one-story, two-bedroom house is 1,700 square feet and has no basement or attic. The building is set into a low rise on the property which emphasizes the horizontal lines of the design and its integration with the landscape.
Wright’s dynamic contrast of compressed and open spaces can be seen in the narrow hallway that leads to the high-ceilinged garden room. Built-in cabinets and bookshelves provide storage space and display areas for the Zimmerman’s library and art collection, which includes modern sculpture, Japanese screens, and New Hampshire ceramics.
In the garden room, natural light from the south floods the interior. In an unusual feature, garden planters on both sides of the windows create a seamless landscape that merges the interior with the exterior. The Wright-designed furniture includes a quartet music stand. The room was designed to accommodate a baby grand piano as the Zimmermans regularly held concerts with friends.
Photograph by Ezra Stoller © Esto
The house is anchored by a central hearth. Wright’s expansive, multi-use spaces foreshadowed today’s open-plan homes.
The dining loggia, with an expandable modular table, flows between the garden room and the kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling doors provide daylight and access to the patio.
The compact kitchen, which Wright called the “workspace,” combines multiple domestic functions. In addition to the expected stove and refrigerator, the space also contained a large freezer, a clothes washer and dryer, and an immense top-loading dishwasher, a new feature in many affluent homes in the early 1950s. The clearstory overhead was designed during construction to let in light and improve ventilation.
The board and batten ceilings of the interior rooms pass through the exterior window walls. In the master bedroom the rhythm of the gabled ceiling projects to the exterior providing a deep eave for shading the sun.
The rear patio functions as a secluded outdoor room. The Zimmermans requested a house “which would allow for privacy and outdoor living.”
book a tour
The 2024 Frank Lloyd Wright tour season opens on April 24, and ends December 31, 2024. Tickets through October are on sale now. November and December tickets will be available in July.
Never before available for public viewing, the Kalil House, a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian Automatic acquired by the Currier in late 2019, joins the Zimmerman House, a Usonian home from the 1950s, on a newly created two-house immersive tour. With their different sites and materials, the houses provide intriguing contrasts in experience. These are the only Wright homes in New England open for public tours.
Visits begin at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash Street, Manchester, New Hampshire), with access to the houses by Currier van only. Due to their setting in a residential neighborhood, the houses and grounds are only accessible by guided tour. Masks on the van and inside the FLW Houses are welcome but not required. Groups are limited to 10 guests.
Visits begin with a brief introduction and close looking together outdoors, followed by self-guided exploration inside the houses with docents present to answer your questions. A handout has been created to enhance your discoveries. The tour of each house concludes with interactive outdoor viewing and time for questions with Currier staff and docents.
Both the Kalil House and the Zimmerman House are historic structures with original floorplans. Although there are accessible spaces in both houses, there are also narrow hallways, staircases, and uneven terrain. The maximum width for mobility devices is 29 inches (73 centimeters). For more information about accessibility on our house tours, please see our accessibility page or contact guest services at 603.518.4908.
The Frank Lloyd Wright houses are open these holiday Mondays: Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veterans Day.
The homes are closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
For more information and regarding public tours, please contact visitor@currier.org or call 603.518.4908.
Frank Lloyd Wright Tours
Public tours of the Wright houses last two hours and are offered Wednesday through Sundays at 9:30 am, 12 pm, and 2:30 pm.
Reservations are required.
Public tour prices
$45 for regular admission / seniors
$25 for members
$20 for children ages 7 to 17
$20 for active military and Veterans
$20 for students
Become a Currier Museum member here!
For safety, children under age 7 are not permitted.
Payment is non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Frank Lloyd Wright tour tickets include same-day general admission to the Currier Museum of Art. We invite you to stop by the Currier’s Winter Garden Café for lunch, a light snack, or a glass of wine before or after your tour. Guests touring the houses in the mid-to-late afternoon are encouraged to visit the museum earlier in the day.
Frank Lloyd Wright reciprocal members should call 603.518.4908 during museum hours for tour reservations.
Frank Lloyd Wright private group tours Frank Lloyd Wright private group tours follow the same format as a public tour. Please submit your tour requests early for a higher chance of finding the date and time you are looking for. Private Frank Lloyd Wright group tours are $400 for up to 10 guests. Academic tour groups (high schools and higher education) pay $200 for up to 10 students and 1 faculty member. Please fill in the request below, or for more information call 603.518.4956.
- Important information and what to know before you visit
- Reservations are required for all tours. To avoid disappointment, we recommend purchasing tickets well in advance. Frank Lloyd Wright Tour tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
- For safety reasons, children younger than 7 years old, including infants and toddlers, unfortunately are not permitted on tours.
- Comfortable shoes are recommended.
- For the protection of the Zimmerman and Kalil Houses, food and water bottles, handbags larger than 10x10x3 inches (25x25x8 cm), backpacks, camera bags, and tripods are not permitted.
- Photography is allowed during the tour.
- Restrooms are available at the museum.
- Limited access to restrooms is possible at the Zimmerman and the Kalil Houses during the tour. Please note that wheelchairs will not fit in Wright’s small bathrooms.
- Please visit the accessibility page for information about the Frank Lloyd Wright Tour.
- Frank Lloyd Wright Tour tickets include general admission to the Currier Museum of Art.
- Interested in discounted tickets? Become a member
Discover the drama and serenity of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Zimmerman and Kalil Houses by watching the video below and then experience the spaces in person when you reserve your tour.
Architecture Travel Package: From Victorian to Usonian
Book your stay with the Ash Street Inn, located a 3-minute walk from the Currier Museum of Art, and discover two houses designed by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright on a special public tour. Find out more about the Frank Lloyd Wright Travel Package here.
To check availability or to reserve, please contact the Ash Street Inn innkeeper@ashstreetinn.com or phone 603.668.9908.
Frank Lloyd Wright Homes Fund
The Currier Museum is the only art museum in the world with two Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Accessible by guided tour, they are the only Wright buildings open to the public in New England. Both were built in the 1950s when Wright’s domestic architecture reshaped American home design. The Usonian Automatic and the Zimmerman House express two equally beautiful visions through their closely related designs and contrasting materials.
The Currier is committed to preserving these mid-century architectural gems and making them accessible for visitors of all ages for years to come. Please consider making a donation to the Currier’s Frank Lloyd Wright Homes Fund today.