Best birthday gift ever! The Palmer house surpassed all expectations. As a lifelong admirer of FLW a stay enables one to step back in time and experience a simpler lifestyle. Surrounded by original furnishings, no distractions and united with nature as it was meant to be.
Our graduation celebration weekend in Ann Arbor was made even better by our stay at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Palmer House. The historic house, so unique and meticulously maintained, was comfortable even though it felt like we were in an architectural museum. The grounds with the tea house and many hidden paths were beautiful. Our only complaint and it is a small one, is that the interior lighting could be better â it is very dark at night so more lamps in all the rooms, especially the living area, would make reading or playing any games doable.
The property is gorgeous! The hosts were responsive, helpful and welcoming. Everything was perfect. It was an incredible opportunity and privilege to stay at the historic place.
Also, Ann Arbor is very close with places to eat and shop.
Having the opportunity to stay at this Frank Lloyd Wright property was so amazing! The house highlights so many Usonian elements, and we felt transported. The grounds are also beautiful. We enjoyed the tour when we arrived, and we had warm communication with the host the entire time. We will back to enjoy the home in another season!
A bucket list kind of experience. Sue and Gary provided a lovely tour and history of the home on our arrival, pointing out itâs uniqueness. Then left us to relax and immerse ourselves in our surroundings.
My husband, and three children (two in college, one in high school) enjoyed a weekend in this amazing Frank Lloyd Wright house to celebrate my 50th birthday. We were impressed how well preserved the house, fixtures, and furniture were. We also enjoyed reading the books and magazines in the house that feature and discuss FLW works, and the Palmer House specifically. Thanks for a great experience!
We have visited many FLW properties, but this was our first stay in one. It was a unique chance to live the beauty and challenges of his design. The Great Room and the vistas were breathtaking; the kitchen surprisingly pleasant and functional. We will not be purchasing any parallelogram shaped beds any time soon, but appreciated how they fit into the bedrooms. The hosts provided a terrific tour upon arrival. A great experience!
We are Frank Lloyd Wright fans, and this house did not disappoint! It is such a unique experience to be able to stay in one of his homes and really take in all the features and details. Sue and Gary gave a lovely tour of the property when we checked in. This house is not kid friendly, it is a museum, but it was more than we couldâve imagined. It was only 2 of us staying here but there is plenty of space for more people, and the odd shaped beds really add to the homes charm! 10/10 would recommend!
My husband and I spent a winter weekend in the Palmer House and it exceeded our expectations. As the other guests have said, it was a truly immersive experience and the perfect way to fully understand FLW and his vision. Sue and Gary gave us a thorough tour but otherwise stayed out of our way so we could enjoy the property in solitude. Ann Arbor is the bomb and we got to see tons of other unique mid-century homes on the A2 Modern driving tour. Super cool!
My wife and I stayed the weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The house and property and location are all wonderful. We loved our time in the house and have nothing but great things to say about the space and appointments. It's all special and memorable. Unfortunately, we can't give a more enthusiastic review because of two significant issues that both took place when we arrived.
Unbeknownst to us before our arrival, the tea house on the property was undergoing a roof repair/replacement. When we arrived, a roofing truck filled with trash was parked at the end of the driveway and another was parked in the driveway. Roofing shingles and building materials were stacked up under the carport, workers were around, and their equipment was all over the place. Considering this visit and house were both a surprise for my wife, and one I'd been planning for a few weeks, this was not the magical scene I was hoping for when we pulled up. To make matters worse, Sue and Gary, who are caretakers of the property and parents of the owners, did not offer much of an apology or even an explanation until I asked what was going on. The workers soon cleared out and made most of their tools and materials scarce, but only after I made it clear I was put off and didn't want to look at their tarps and tools and equipment all weekend. The truck filled with trash spent the weekend at the foot of the driveway, and our view of the woods and teahouse included the blue tarps covering it and the roofing materials around it.
At the very least, I think I should have been notified ahead of time that work was being done on the property. Gary and Sue told me the workers were meant to be gone by the time we arrived, but it was clear they hadn't made any attempt to get to the property early to make sure all was in order for our arrival.
The second issue had to do with pandemic safety. When we came to the door, Gary was inside and took a moment to locate and put on his mask. Sue emerged a few minutes later from one of the back bedrooms with her mask around her neck. She put it on as she gave us a tour of the house, during which she touched half the light switches and faucet handles and cabinets in order to demonstrate how they work. She did not wear gloves for any of this. To my wife and I, all of this was a little shocking. We expected that the space would have been professionally cleaned, and that no one would be in it immediately prior to our stay. That was not the case.
We are so grateful that Sue & Gary Cox (and their son) are able to make this masterpiece available to experience! It must be a very difficult task to keep it in almost original condition. The Tea House and the paths around the property (itâs on 3 lots) were an added bonus.
As a place to stay, you have to be able to make some minor compromises. Finding light switches and how to open some drawers and cabinets can be a challenge. The corridor, bedroom and bathroom entries are narrow. The beds are oddly shaped (truncated parallelograms?). There is internet, but no TVâs.
Highly recommended for anyone that wants to experience Frank Lloyd Wrightâs genius (and quirks).
For a Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast, living in one of his works of art is an opportunity that doesnât come along very often. Seize this opportunity! A masterfully built, beautifully kept home that is so quiet that it feels like a sanctuary! My soul was deeply touched and soothed. I canât say enoughâŠ
Loved the Frank Llyod Wright house. What a wonderful experience it was to live for 2 1/2 days in this 1952 house. Despite the age, it was well maintained. The kitchen had every gadget available, from dishes to pots and pans, coffee maker, microwave, etc. Beautiful experience. Thank you.
Staying at The Palmer House was a once in a lifetime experience. Gary and Sue are amazing and knowledgeable hosts who give a wonderful tour at check in (watch for the trick with the utensil drawer). The home and tea house are exquisite with original furnishings and being able to stay in the home is magical. The views are even better than pictured on the secluded, wooded lot. After visiting many of Frank Lloyd Wrightâs homes and buildings it was incredible to have time to appreciate the harmony of this home at our own pace.
The home and the property were pretty much what we were expecting. Learned a lot about F.L.W. and got to see many of those things first hand. Nice to get away from T.V. for a bit. The furnishings were not very comfortable, but the whole experience was very relaxing.
What a great experience. The palmer house allowed us to step away into a beautifully secluded area while being close enough to home to meet any emergency. We were able to relax and take a look at things from a different angle. The managers were very pleasant, informative and easy to communicate with while also giving us our privacy and freedom to move about.
Unique, genius design, serene setting. This was a quiet, relaxing getaway, close to home. It was dreamy to be able to live in the home even if it was for just a couple nights. The FLLW library and tea were an extra treat.
We currently live in San Francisco and purchased the house in March 2009. Jeffrey Schox, who is a San Francisco patent attorney, spends several weeks a year in Ann Arbor. When he is not in Ann Arbor, the Palmer House will be available for rent as a guest house and as a meeting location. Kathryn is a yoga teacher and plans to offer both public and private classes in the house a few times a year. Jeff's parents, Sue and Gary Cox are the caretakers of the house.
We both graduated from the University of Michigan and while attending school, frequently went on long walks or runs with the Palmer House as our destination. Jeffrey has been a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright since an early age growing up outside of Detroit and Kathryn became a fan while attending the Art Institute of Chicago and exploring the suburbs of Chicago.