Architects upside-down wedding cake home hits the market for first time

A strikingly modern Michigan property that was designed by late award-winning architect Ken Neumann, FAIA, as his personal residence has been listed for $3.25 million—marking its first time on the market since its 1987 construction.The five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom masterpiece is located in Franklin, MI, where its sleek design clearly sets it apart from the carefully preserved 19th-century homes that have inspired the Detroit suburb’s nickname, “The Town That Time Forgot.”For nearly four decades, the glass-walled home has intrigued and delighted locals who have only been able to admire the dwelling from a distance—until now, with its listing providing members of the public with their first real opportunity to see inside the spectacular structure.Although Neumann primarily worked on commercial projects, his work skewed residential, as well.Inspired by Bauhaus design principles, his 7,348-square-foot Franklin residence is an excellent marriage of both ends of the architectural spectrum he worked on, touting clean lines and modern materials.Over the years, the home has been featured in countless publications, gracing the pages of Elle Decor and books including “Architects House Themselves” and “Dream Homes Michigan.”Ken and his wife, Beverly Neumann—a prolific artist who now resides in a senior community but still paints daily and created most of the pieces displayed in the home—purchased the lot from another architect who claimed it was “unbuildable.”Because of its sloping landscape and dense trees, many believed that the parcel could not house a residential property, only for Neumann to prove them very wrong.However, Linda Hiller Novak and Frank Novak—the mother-son real estate team who have listed the home—tell Realtor.com that, because of those difficult circumstances, it was quite some time before the architectural masterpiece came to life.“They sort of marinated on it, trying to decide what to do and what to build,”...