Step Into This 1958 Time Capsule in Wisconsin as It Hits the Market for the First Time Since Its Construction

If you’ve been looking for the type of home in which you can easily time-travel back to the middle of the last century, that property exists in a Milwaukee suburb.

With an asking price of $374,900, the listing for the three-bedroom home invites viewers to “step back in time with this truly one-of-a-kind 1958 home.”

Located in Franklin, a community of about 37,000 people, the home will, of course, require a bit of touching up. It has an avocado-green exterior, the original kitchen—right on down to the linoleum flooring and wooden cabinetry—and pale-pink tile and fixtures in one of the bathrooms.

In a fun twist, listing agent Daniel Frawley, with Rise Realty Group, is related to the seller: His father-in-law, selling on behalf of his parents, who had the home built in 1958.

This is the first time the 2,139-square-foot home has been on the market. When an initial offer fell through earlier this month, the house went back on the market—at a lower price—and attracted a buyer who plans to invest in restoration.

This represents a $75,000 price cut, from the initial asking price of $449,900, and better reflects the restoration work needed. At a minimum, this includes a new roof, restructured foundation, some chimney work, and refurbished floors.

“The house needs a lot of work. It needs the right person,” says Frawley. “There’s been so much attention from people who want to restore it to its original condition, who are specifically seeking that midcentury-modern type of property. The next set of buyers will be willing to put in the work now that the price is a lot lower.”

Not just the family who put in an offer but nearly everyone who inquired about the home.

“The interest of people who have reached out to me have all said that,” says Frawley. “They don’t necessarily want to start ripping walls down and turn it into a modern home. They want to restore it to its original character.”

Original hardwood flooring buried beneath the existing carpet (as well as radiant-floor heating) and a Lannon-stone exterior are definite design perks.

“If you were to build the house with that material nowadays, that would be very expensive,” says Frawley, referring to the Lannon stone.

Another draw is the spacious layout, including the living room with its stone fireplace stretching to the ceiling, flanked by two large windows on each side. Also, “the bedrooms are very large compared to other ranches you’ll see,” says Frawley.

Tucked into a subdivision established in the 1950s, the neighborhood is enticing because it’s rural—with wooded, private lots—but also close to modern conveniences.

“You’re still so close to the freeway and the new Costco … but you still feel like you’re Up North,” says Frawley.

This particular home is on a 1.5-acre lot and boasts plenty of wildlife sightings.

“Each lot is an acre and a half, which is pretty hard to find in Franklin,” says Frawley. “A few of the houses have been selling, over the last couple of years, and it’s attracting people who are looking to restore the properties. Not necessarily to gut them or flip them.”

Once this ranch is fixed up, it could command a higher price for the next buyer, with homes in the neighborhood selling for $600,000 to $700,000, says Frawley.

This house also includes an attached two-car garage, a boon during frigid Wisconsin winters.