Overview
- The Shavin House was listed for sale publicly for the first time Wednesday, with Alliance Sotheby’s International Realty asking $1.6 million and the family’s daughter, Karen Shavin, as the seller.
- Completed in 1952, the single-story Usonian home is Wright’s only finished Tennessee commission and preserves signature elements such as a cantilevered roof, clerestory windows, mitered glass corners, a hidden entrance, and extensive built-in furniture.
- The Shavins commissioned the house in the late 1940s, paid about $33,000 for the home and furnishings when it was built, and the property has remained in continuous family ownership until this listing.
- The property sits on nearly one acre on Missionary Ridge with panoramic views of the Tennessee River and Lookout Mountain, measures roughly 1,800 square feet with three bedrooms and reported four bathrooms, and retains original materials including crab orchard stone and cypress.
- Listed as a National Register property in 1993 and as Chattanooga’s local historic landmark soon after, the sale raises questions about future stewardship, public access, and preservation that buyers and local officials are likely to address.