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PETRA ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Walter Cronkite stepped into Joseph Massaros Petra Island home in Lake Mahopac, he said, I can feel Frank in this house. Cronkite was referring to Frank Lloyd Wright, whom he knew personally. Nothing could have made Joe Massaro happier.
The story begins in the 1950s, when A. K. Chahroudi purchased the vacant island and hired Wright to design a residential compound. The complex got under way with a small three-bedroom concrete and redwood house, now a guest cottage. The design was thoroughly Wrights and construction was completed before Chahroudi ran out of funds and put the island on the market.
Four decades later, after Joe Massaro sold his sheet-metal business and was looking for a retirement project, he bought the island and discovered a task that would keep him constantly occupied for the next six years.
Because he had some, but not all, of Wrights original plans for the main house, he launched a campaign to find a contemporary architect to complete the building as Wright would have wanted it. The search was not without its indignities and setbacks, but Massaro eventually found Wright scholar/architect Thomas A. Heinz. Heinz carried through Wrights design documents, built a scale model and helped the concept come to fruition in the Wrightian spirit.
Finding appropriate materials was yet another challenge. Many details had to be hand-crafted. The very structure of the long, low, dynamic building was an engineers nightmare. But it is holding up extremely well. Theres only one leak, said Massaro, as he personally conducted a tour of the interior. Its an official Wright leak by the kitchen skylight.
The building now serves as a summer residence for the Massaro family and is open to visitors only a few times a year.
Describing the construction aspect, Massaro said, We had to bring everything here by boat. Thousands of bags of concrete. In winter, we dragged it across on the ice. The biggest surprise I got was the amount of wood I needed. Aside from the concrete structure and the native rocks, which were incorporated into the design, the main house is primarily made of mahogany.
Im Type A, Massaro explained as he stood on one of the thrilling cantilevered decks overlooking the lake. Even though everything here is finished, there are still a few things I want to do.
I had a friend who lived on this lake when I was a boy, he added. I learned to water-ski here. I rode around on the lake and looked around and thought, Thats where all the rich people live.
Frank Lloyd Wrights 1950 budget estimate for the house was $50,000. No one dared ask Massaro about his own bottom line.
The August 20 tour of Mr. Massaros house was sponsored by the Putnam Arts Council. The price was $65 per person. No further tours are scheduled at this time.
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