Massaro House Lake Mahopac villa, Frank Lloyd Wright New York real estate, Mid-Century luxury NY island home photos
Massaro House on Lake Mahopac, NY
post updated February 8, 2026
Design: Lazor Office
Location: Lake Mahopac, New York State, USA
Photos by Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
August 5, 2021
Massaro House, Lake Mahopac, New York State, USA
Right Or Wrong – Two Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Homes!
The most famous architect in American history, Frank Lloyd Wright designed over 1,000 structures, including Fallingwater, Johnson Wax Headquarters and the Guggenheim Museum.
Roughly 50 miles north of New York City in the middle of Lake Mahopac on its own island, there is a stunning house cantilevered over the water that has had its share of controversy over whether or not it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Originally listed in 2012 at $20 million, it is back on the market priced at $9.95 million.
Known as the Massaro House, the original owner of the island, Ahmed Chahroudi, engaged Wright in 1950 to draw the plans of the main house and guest house. When they were completed, Chahroudi realized the cost to build was far over his $50,000 budget, so he had only the 1,200-square-foot guest house built.
The plans were passed on to the next owner, Joseph Massaro, who purchased the island in 1996 for $700,000. Massaro wanted to build the main house but didn’t care for some elements in the plans. The Frank Lloyd Wright foundation required $450,000 to rework the plans and supervise the construction in order to certify the house under the Wright name.
This was untenable to Massaro, so he hired Thomas A. Heinz, an architect-contractor and Wright historian to do the house instead. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation took Massaro to court obtaining a judgement that he was only allowed to describe the main house design as “Wright inspired,” though the guest house was an original Wright.
Built in 2007 on the 10.37-acre Petra Island, the 8,415-square-foot house has four bedrooms and two baths, between it and the guest houses there are six bedrooms and four baths. Also on the property is the original 1950 Wright-certified guest house, a second guest house, tea house, beach, dock and helipad.
Many Frank Lloyd Wright features are immediately recognized such as the large fireplace in the room jutting out over the water (there are six fireplaces in all), grouped skylights, built-in furniture, close to nature with the house built around and including boulders, and the use of wood throughout the home.
Changes that Massaro made were adding air conditioning and radiant heat and the safety feature of chimney caps, which Wright detested.
Massaro also removed a stairwell that ran from the deck to the shore. Wright’s designs would not pass today’s building codes as initially drawn.
Used as a private getaway or for holding events, the island is only 50 miles from Manhattan and can be accessed by car, boat and helicopter.
Lake Mahopac is a 587-acre lake to enjoy fishing, boating, jet skis and wave runners with skating and ice boating in the winter. A number of the island’s residents commute to Manhattan.
Margaret Harrington and Monica Webster of Douglas Elliman are the island’s listing agents.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture
Aug 9, 2017
Petra Island Homes by Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Lake Mahopac, New York, USA
photo Courtesy Chilton & Chadwick
Petra Island Houses by Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Source: www.elliman.com
Massaro House, Lake Mahopac New York State images / information received 050821
Source: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
Location: Lake Mahopac, NY, New York State, USA
New York State Architecture Designs – NY State
Frank Lloyd Wright Homes
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picture : Simon Garcia | arqfoto.com
Fallingwater House by Frank Lloyd Wright
Norman Lykes Home, Phoenix House, Arizona, USA
photograph : Wikimedia Commons
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Zimmerman House, Manchester, USA
photo © Adrian Welch
Frank Lloyd Wright house : photos exclusive to e-architect
Houses of Sagaponac, Long Island, NY, USA – including Bachman Wilson House, NJ
Houses of Sagaponac
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FLW Buildings in the United States
Price Tower, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, USA
photo © Jessica Lamirand, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Price Tower Bartlesville
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
photo : David M. Heald, © SRGF, New York
Guggenheim Museum New York
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New York City Architecture – Manhattan
A famous Modern American house : Farnsworth House, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Illinois.
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Contemporary New York State Homes
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Interior Architects: OAD Interiors
photo : Ellen McDermott
Shift House in East Hampton, NY, Suffolk County, New York, USA – on Long Island
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photo : Jody Kivort
Comments / photos for the Massaro House, Lake Mahopac New York State – possible design by Frank Lloyd Wright Architect, USA, page welcome.
