Frank Lloyd Wright's last Wisconsin Project - Seth Peterson Cottage, Mirror Lake, Wisconsin

The Seth Peterson Cottage] was the first Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in the world available for rental occupancy. Designed in 1958, it was one of Wright's last commissions.

Seth Peterson was a Wisconsin native with a lifelong interest in Wright and his work. He convinced the 90-year-old Wright to design the cottage. Peterson died before the cottage was finished, so later owners completed it. The Department of Natural Resources acquired the property in 1966 to add to the state park. Due to the remote location and lack of regular use, the cottage fell victim to neglect and the ravages of nature.

This tiny house set on the bucolic Mirror Lake in Wisconsin is balanced on the edge of a steep hill and measures only 880 square feet. The "flying roof" seems to hang in space without support. Wright was already in his 90s when Seth Peterson asked him to design the cottage, and the 1958 building was Wright’s last Wisconsin project. Wright died in April 1959, before construction was completed.

The Seth Peterson Cottage [exit DNR] was the first Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in the world available for rental occupancy. Designed in 1958, it was one of Wright's last commissions.

Seth Peterson was a Wisconsin native with a lifelong interest in Wright and his work. He convinced the 90-year-old Wright to design the cottage. Peterson died before the cottage was finished, so later owners completed it. The Department of Natural Resources acquired the property in 1966 to add to the state park.