A 1950s house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in New Jersey, United States is to open to the public on Nov 11 in its new home 1,931km away, at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas.

Built in 1954 for Gloria Bachman and Abraham Wilson, the structure is said to be an example of the architect’s Usonian architecture — a term derived from an abbreviation of “United States of North America” and used to describe a style of residential architecture he developed during the Great Depression. In contrast to his high-end, customised homes, the Usonian houses — of which about 120 were built — were simple and low-cost, affordable for a middle-class family, without sacrificing quality.

Crystal Bridges announced the acquisition of what is known as the Bachman-Wilson House in 2014, after it was determined by then-owners Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino, an architect/design team who restored the house after buying it in 1988, that it was endangered by repeated flooding in its original location along New Jersey’s Millstone River.

The home has since been assembled, transported and reconstructed on the museum’s grounds, along trails overlooking woodlands and a spring. Construction is now in its final stages, said the museum in announcing the public opening date.

Reservations to visit the house will be accepted starting on Nov 2; visits are free, but advance tickets are required. In addition to the tours, the museum says it is considering a variety of possible uses for the house and plans to gauge interest in the months following its opening. For more information, visit crystalbridges.org/architecture/frank-lloyd-wright — AFP/Relaxnews

This article first appeared in digitaledge Daily, on September 1, 2015.