Bicoastal in Flyover Country

We are about to button up the walls of the house, and our contractor said this would be a good time to put in a time capsule, so the folks who open it up for the next renovation know what we were thinking.

So we put together this:

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One of us has always been a huge Frank Lloyd Wright fan, but has looked on them as interesting works of art, to be appreciated when and where you come across them.

Then, in June of 2020, the Charles L. Manson house came up for sale in Wausau , WI for a reasonable price. That started a quest.

The Manson house was not the right one for us, but it triggered something in one of our minds. Which meant that we would be looking at Wright houses for sale over the next three years.

The Keland House in Mount Pleasant, WI was then on the market in 2022. Due to certain bidding restrictions, and the out of the way location, this was not our house.

But then in the fall of 2023, the Bogk House came on the market in Milwaukee.

As the other one of us has some many family members in Wisconsin, there was a general hue and cry insisting that we come and see (and buy) the house.

It was a nice September in Wisconsin, and Houston was still very hot, so we thought a trip might be nice.

One of us did a LOT of research on the house, the restrictions, the neighborhood restrictions and more. Before we even saw what needed to be done to the house, we knew what we COULD do to the house.

The realtor was very nice, the neighborhood was fantastic, the owners were amenable, and we came to terms in under a week.

As Brother Matthew said, “Two weeks ago you didn’t even know this house existed. Now you own it”

The Story of Our Time in the Bogk House

Purchase and Legacy

Doreen and I purchased this house in December 2023 from the Elsner family, who had lived here for an impressive 69 years. During their time, they raised five children, updated the kitchen and several bathrooms, rewove the living room rug, and, as far as we can tell, truly cherished this home.

Our Vision

We felt the same affection for the house from the moment we saw it. However, we envisioned enhancements that would make it more than just another Frank Lloyd Wright house. The Elsners had already made their mark, and we intended to do the same.

Taking Our Time

Rather than rushing into renovations, we spent our first two summers settling in and carefully considering what changes were necessary. Ultimately, we decided to focus on improvements that would make daily living easier: the kitchen, the upstairs bathrooms, and the powder room. We also added full-house air conditioning.

Renovations Underway (2025–2026)

Here is a summary of the updates we are undergoing in 2025 and 2026:

Kitchen:

Installed new appliances (except for the garbage disposer).
Modified the layout by adding an island and removing the table, making cooking much easier.
Went back to a cabinet style more in keeping with the original design rather than the 1970s update – but saved an original 1917 piece of Tennessee marble countertop that had survived the update as well as original subway tiles

Bathrooms:

Replaced tile floors and fixtures in the primary and main guest bathrooms upstairs, except for the vintage “Ejecto” toilet in the en-suite guest bathroom.
Retained the original tub, lavatory, and “Expulso” toilet in the smaller shared upstairs bath, but updated wall tiles.
Raised the ceiling in the primary bath so Dan could stand up in the shower. Mrs. Elsner had dropped it when she added a bathtub in the 1970s.