Nonprofit takes control of decaying Frank Lloyd Wright house in Chicago's Austin neighborhood

There is new hope for an aging and endangered house on Chicago's West Side, which just so happens to have been designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright.

A nonprofit has taken ownership of the Joseph Jacob Walser Jr. House, at 42 N. Central Ave. in the South Austin neighborhood.

"It's definitely something that folks usually miss when they drive by," said Darnell Shields, executive director of the nonprofit Austin Coming Together. "For a long time, a lot of people would question like if there's even, this house exists over here."

Sometimes, history seems to go into hiding. The house is dwarfed by everything around it, and has been deteriorating for years.

"The property really fell into disrepair because there wasn't a formal owner," Shields said.

But the house on Central Avenue was never forgotten.

"It definitely holds a lot of value for the city of Chicago as well as the Austin Community," said Shields.

The J.J Walser House is one of only five standing Prairie School structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright within the city — a list that also includes the Frederick C. Robie House in Hyde Park and the Emil Bach House in Rogers Park. The Walser House is also the only single-family Frank Lloyd Wright house on the West Side.

J.J. Walser and his wife, Grace, bought the property in 1903 and commissioned Wright for the house, according to Preservation Chicago. The Walser house is not as well-known as some Wright structures such as the Robie or the Wright home and studio not far away in Oak Park, but Preservation Chicago noted that it still incorporates the aesthetic beauty of the Prairie Style.

The Walsers sold the house in 1910, and it was sold 11 different times over the next 60 years, Preservation Chicago said. Hurley and Anne Teague bought it in 1970, and their stewardship ensured it remained standing, according to Landmarks Illinois.

Hurley Teague kept the house in good repair until he died in 1997, Landmarks Illinois said. After that, Anne Teague obtained a reverse mortgage for the house to cover maintenance.

Anne Teague died in 2019, and the interest on the reverse mortgage became unaffordable for her heirs, Landmarks Illinois said. Afterward, the house was left vacant and facing foreclosure, and photos shared by Landmarks Illinois shared last year showed the interior in horrible shape.

Now, Austin Coming Together, which has a mission to improve the West Side, has taken ownership and responsibility for the 123-year-old endangered Chicago landmark.

"This is one of the main areas that we really want to be able to urgently stabilize," said

But it is a landmark on life support, and restoration won't come cheap.

"Well, some of the early projections that we have, full restoration could be anywhere from $2.5 million to $3.5 million," said Shields.

Stabilizing the house is the first step, but Shields can picture a community gathering place of the future in the Walser House.

 "I also see, you know, people coming from far and wide just to tour the place," Shields said.

Indeed, when history no longer hides, it can become community pride.