Any fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines can tell you how much they love to preserve history in their designs.
Now the former HGTV stars are launching a new show that is the ultimate nod to the past.
On her Instagram account, Joanna Gaines announced the Magnolia Network’s newest show, called “The Last Wright: Building the Final Home Design of America’s Greatest Architect.”
The video preview’s caption explains, “‘The Last Wright’ follows Debbie and Sarah Dykstra as they take on a unique challenge: building the final home ever designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.”
The show follows the mother-daughter duo as they build a home based on the last known plans created by the world famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright before his death.
Here’s the catch: Wright’s plans were designed specifically for a lot in Cleveland, Ohio. In fact, they were designed around a poplar tree that still stands.
And the house they’re building is the only “unbuilt” house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that still has the original building site available.
Fans of Mid-Century Modern Will Love This Show
For the uninitiated, Frank Lloyd Wright is considered the “father of modern architecture,” designing such iconic structures as New York City’s Guggenheim Museum.
As for the house in Cleveland, named “RiverRock,” Wright drew up the house’s designs in 1959.
Which means viewers of the Chip and Joanna Gaines produced show can expect a heavy dose of mid-century modern style.
But combining Wright’s 1959 aesthetic with 2025 building codes is where the real drama comes in.
“Our mantra and mission while following FLW’s plan #5909 was to always ask the question, ‘What would Frank do?’ to stay true to his vision and methods,” Sarah Dykstra told Architectural Digest.
And that vision was a big one. “The location of the house takes advantage of Mr. Wright’s insight into passive solar energy. It lets in maximum daylight on the vernal equinox, yet no sunlight indoors on the summer solstice. There is a juxtaposition with the roof angles on the window wall side of the house. The bedroom roof line angle bends downward and feels protective from the elements, whereas the living room roof line extends upwards pushing your view outside into the elements. So many elements of the home are descriptive in this way; almost every quiet time spent inside of RiverRock House leads visitors to a new discovery of its intent and genius.”
How the Dykstras Came to Build RiverRock
Sarah Dykstra purchased the Ohio property where RiverRock now sits in 2018.
That property already had a home designed by Wright on it. And under the built-in bench seating, Sarah found plans for what would become RiverRock.
Those plans had originally been found on Frank Lloyd Wright’s drawing board when he died. They were sent to the original owner of the property in Cleveland. But a house was never built and the plans were lost until Sarah found them.
The mother-daughter duo started building the house featured in those designs in 2023.
You can watch the premiere of “The Last Wright” on Wednesday, September 3 at 8:00p.m. ET and streaming the next day on HBO Max.
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Chip & Joanna Gaines Announce New Binge-Worthy Show