Lowell Walter Residence

The Lowell Walter Residence in Cedar Rapids (1945) is one of Wright's finest Usonian houses and the only Wright building in Iowa owned by the State. Walter was a successful businessman who gave Wright unusual latitude, and the result is a long, low Usonian of exceptional quality — sited dramatically on a bluff above the Cedar River, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls opening to the landscape, natural cypress woodwork, radiant floor heating, and a boathouse Wright designed as an integral part of the composition. The house and its companion boathouse are among the most complete surviving Usonian ensembles anywhere. The State of Iowa acquired the property and it is now operated as a historic site open for guided tours.