205 W 6th Avenue, Cresco, IA

About 205 W 6th Avenue

Well preserved example of early architecture in the manner of Frank Lloyd Wright. Family home of renowned Iowa architect George R. Laub, designed in 1952 and constructed in 1953. The exterior is a marvelous mélange of materials: Mankato marble, Norman brick and 12” cedar. The roof is an imaginative interplay of 5 gently sloping elevations supported by 2” X 12” rafters with wide upswept eves and 60-mil rubberized membrane installed in 2009. The interior is even more fanciful, with marble and brick walls and columns, paneled and parqueted walls, with accents of quarry tile, wrought iron and decorative glass. 3,122 sq. ft. of living space with three bedrooms and two and a half baths plus a potential fourth bedroom or recreational room above the carport. Incorporated into the design, in every room, built-ins are the rule: bookshelves, radio, phonograph and record storage in the living room; buffet and wall-mounted display case in the dining room; bookshelves, desk, filing cabinet and safe in the den; dressers, vanities, even a display case in one bedroom, and a headboard in another; telephone desk in the kitchen; and a bench and storage cabinet in the foyer. Heat is provided through the concealed in-ceiling hot water radiant loops and a high-efficiency four zone gas-fired boiler. The innovative architecture of the home is complimented by imaginative landscaping of a 150’ X 150’ corner lot. Some 4,000 tons of glacial rock, from multi-ton boulders to baseball sized agates, are artistically arranged to form a sprawling rock sculpture, with undulating elevations replete with serpentine walkways and staircases. The plantation of pyramidal arborvitaes, now 18’ to 20’ tall, add an accent of greenery and provide unparalleled privacy and seclusion. The result is a spectacular natural wonderland surrounding the property known locally as “The House in the Rocks” Laub’s pen and ink frontispiece renderings of the north, south and east elevations, along with the original building plans, including electrical and plumbing schematics, will convey to the buyer, an unexpected and invaluable bonus.

Listing Map