Midcentury Illinois ‘compound’ on 55 acres with view of St. Louis arch listed for $2.5M
A luxury home initially started by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed by architect Charles King recently hit the market in Belleville, and it could be yours for $2.5 million.
The property is located at 904 Briar Hill Road and boasts views of the St. Louis City skyline, as well as a floating gazebo and an in-ground bluff-side pool.
The home’s Zillow listing has more than 240 “saves” as of Monday; it was listed in early August. The estimated monthly payment with a $500,000 down payment is $17,615, according to Zillow.
“A full set of Frank Lloyd Wright’s blueprints for the property are at the Belleville Historical Society and the owners of 904 Briar Hill Road also have a copy of these blueprints. Frank Lloyd Wright’s personal stamp are on the blueprints. He was commissioned to do the build by a Dr. Charles Bell,” listing agent Jon Shirrell said in an Aug. 20 email to the BND.
“While Frank Lloyd Wright did a design for the property and began construction, what ultimately was built is more Charles E King’s design on top of the foundation done by Frank Lloyd Wright,” Shirrell added.
King used the home as his primary residence in Belleville, Shirrell said. The property is referred to as “The King House” and further described as a “mid-century modern masterpiece.”
“Belleville/East St. Louis Dr. Charles Bell commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a Usonian-style house on this site for him and his young family in 1947. Early in construction Dr. Bell died. His wife decided not to move ahead with the building of the house and purchased another home, abandoning the foundation of the FLW house.
“Several years later Belleville architect Charles E. King purchased the property and designed and built a house for he and his family next to the abandoned foundation. When King and his wife divorced and sold the house, the new owners needed more space so they hired King to design an addition on the FLW foundation and attached it to the built house, which he did. So the entire house that is now seen at the site was designed by Charles E. King, but the addition follows the footprint of the FLW design,” Belleville Historical Society president Larry Betz said in an email to the BND.
Another notable past resident of The King House is PGA golfer Bob Goalby, who won the Masters Tournament in 1968 and has been inducted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. Goalby converted some of the land into fairways and greens for a small private golf course, Shirrell said.
The King House has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, along with a spacious walk-in closet, airy skylight, modern kitchen and more. The property also includes a pole barn, pastures and woods.
Explore photos of the $2.5 million home below. Photos are published with permission of the property’s listing agent.
Features:
Listing price: $2.5 million
Four bedrooms, five bathrooms
7,232 square feet
Built in 1956
More than 55 acres of land are included in the lot.
Listing agent: Jon Shirrell with Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Editor’s note: Since initial publication, this story and its headline have been updated to better clarify the roles of architects Charles King and Frank Lloyd Wright regarding the property.
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This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 10:21 AM.
