Austin Coming Together led a coalition of nonprofits to purchase the dilapidated J. Walser House, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home at 42 N. Central Ave., hoping to revitalize the structure after years of severe deterioration and legal uncertainty.
ACT announced the purchase on June 24. In a statement to the media, it didn’t elaborate on its plans for the property beyond saying it wants to restore the building and turn it into a community asset. Over the last few years, ACT has been working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy to clear the legal hurdles to the acquisition and raise money to restore it.
Wright designed the house in 1903 for printing company executive Jospeh Jacob Walser and his wife, Grace Walser.
John Waters, the conservancy’s preservation programs director, previously told Austin Weekly News that the house was notable in the context of Wright’s other designs because it’s a smaller version of a more typical Wright Prairie school design. The co-axial design allowed for flow of light and air.
The house went through several owners. In 1970, it was purchased by Anne and Hurly Teague, who worked to shore up the building and did their best to restore its historical features. With their support, the Walser House was named a Chicago Landmark in 1984. In 2013, the home was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
But after by then widowed Anne Teague died in 2019, the house became vacant, and Fannie Mae ended up taking possession of the property.
ACT has been pushing to revitalize the Central Avenue corridor, describing it as a connector to various parts of the Austin community. The November 2024 ACT Central Avenue Action Plan named the Walser House as one of corridor’s “major cultural and natural assets.”
ACT indicated that the acquisition was made possible with help from the conservancy, Landmarks Illinois, Preservation Chicago, the City of Chicago, local elected officials, community residents, and the Teague family.
In a statement to the media, Conservancy Executive Director Barbara Gordon described ACT as a good steward for the property.
“ACT understands the potential waiting to be unlocked by revitalizing this landmark Frank Lloyd Wright design, celebrating Austin as a destination for notable architecture,” she said. “The organization’s deep roots in the community mean they know the rich stories the house can tell about how it has changed over time, and what Austin residents envision for its future.”
Darnell Shields, ACT’s executive director, said the Austin community will get a chance to weigh in on what happens next.
“The J.J. Walser House is part of Austin’s story, and we believe its next chapter should be shaped by the people who call this community home,” he said. “ACT stepped in because this house is critically important, not only as a Frank Lloyd Wright design, but as a piece of Austin’s history. Our first responsibility is to stabilize this treasured landmark and protect it from further deterioration. From there, we will work with residents and partners to envision a future that honors both the house and the community.”
To find out more, and sign up for updates, visit https://austincomingtogether.org/walser/
