CONCORD TWP., Ohio — An iconic Lake County home known for its whimsy and sloping, stonelike facade is on the market for the first time in two decades.
The basic description of the house fits in with its neighbors on picturesque Cascade Road in Concord Township; it has 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, nearly 3,600 square feet and a 2-car garage on a 1-acre wooded lot. But the home’s distinct architecture, featured in international publications and MTV’s “Cribs,” sets it apart from other nearby houses.
“We definitely get people slowing down and parking in front of our house, getting out, taking pictures,” said neighbor Abbey Marut.
Howard Hanna Realtor Jacqueline Ward added, “I think it’s one of those places that as soon as you’re here, everyone loves it. I’ve been here 50-60 times. I love it.”
Some have called it the “Flintstone House” for its resemblance to the prehistoric Bedrock home of Fred and Wilma.
A small, green brontosaurus greets visitors on the front lawn, and Ward dressed for the theme in a dinosaur print dress Monday, but she told News 5 the current owner would prefer the home be associated with its unique connection to the art world.
“The current owner hates that name; the designer that passed away in ‘16 hated that name. And there is actually a ‘Flintstone House’ in California, so we don’t want to step on any toes,” she laughed.
The home’s official name is “Le Chant du Cygne,” which is French for “Swan Song.”
“This was the largest sculpture that Wayne Trapp created. This was his swan song,” Ward said.
She explained the 145-foot-long wire, expandable foam and concrete live-in sculpture was commissioned in the 70s by a family in Mentor who was looking for a playful, organic space for their eight children.
Construction started on the first observed Earth Day on April 20, 1970, and it was intentionally designed to look like an unusual rock formation jutting from the earth itself. A group of art students practiced their technique on a guest house before assisting Ward with the main house.
“There was no set plan, there were just a couple of drawings to start it off, and from there, all of this was created,” explained Ward. “It was said that every morning, Wayne Trapp would sit down with the mother, they would figure out a room, he would start bending the wire and then his students, the art students who were working on it, would go ahead and do it afterwards.”
There are no true corners on the property. It features sculpted nooks, embedded sleeping spaces and a child-sized tower hiding place with a porthole window, as well as an in-ground grotto tub in the primary bedroom and ball pit in the children’s play space.
A sunken living room area around a wood-burning fireplace and a custom wet bar in the kitchen are reminders of the 70s era in which the home was built. Ward said the house will need moderate updates, minor repairs and fresh paint to modernize it.
The current owner used the home as his main residence for more than 20 years until health challenges made it difficult to care for the sprawling property. Ward said the family is open to selling the house to become a primary home, a short-term rental or a commercial or gallery space.
“My clients are most concerned with having someone who’s going to invest the money to restore it to make it pristine again,” she said.
Neighbors agreed they want the home and its character preserved.
“I think it would be definitely cool to keep it around and not tear it down and turn it into something else,” said Marut.
“Le Chant du Cygne” is currently listed for $400,000 and entertaining serious offers only.
