The Robert Bruno Steel House in Ransom Canyon is For Sale

Robert Bruno’s Steel House is not a mere house. It’s a 110-ton, three-level sculpture constructed of Corten scrap steel curved to fit Bruno’s fanciful imagination. It’s perched above Yellow House Canyon in the Ransom Canyon community east of Lubbock.

And now you can call it home.

The 2,200-square-foot artistic statement has been the backdrop for a Solange Knowles music video, a Vogue photo shoot, and the subject of essays by architecture critics and articles by countless journalists. What began as one man’s singular passion has become a beloved icon of Lubbock and, indeed, of Texas. Early on, it was fittingly dubbed the Steel House.

The History of The Steel House

Bruno came to Lubbock in the early 1970s with his wife, Patricia Mills, to teach art and design at Texas Tech University. Mills worked at the High Plains Underground Water District, whose mission was to protect and conserve groundwater resources over much of Texas and New Mexico. Bruno was not only an artist and sculptor but also an inventor. He saw the issues his wife was dealing with and, in 1982, developed a new irrigation method. Their company, P&R Surge Systems, became wildly successful, and they hired Lubbock native Henry Martinez to oversee it. Bruno could now easily afford to devote himself to The Steel House.

Construction began in 1973, and it never stopped. Dallas architect Lloyd Lumpkins attended Texas Tech in the early 1980s as Bruno was deep into his dream project.

It was a sculpture to live in. He actually never finished it. I don’t know that he ever would have because it was always an exploration of the art. One of the things that amazed me about the house so much, as crazy and wild as it is, is that it fits in the location. It’s a masterpiece of being in the moment of where it is at. All of the architecture students worked on the house. I’d say 50 percent of the student body worked on it. He would say I’ll be at the house working this weekend. Students would show up, and he’d put them to work.

Everyone is talking about the house now. It’s made us remember what fun we had and that there can be beauty in the West Texas desolation. This is a living, breathing piece of art. The house was constantly evolving and changing and becoming what it meant to be. I hope that will continue.

Lloyd Lumpkins-L. Lumpkins Architect Inc.

Bruno died in 2008, shortly after moving into the Steel House. His daughter inherited it, and Martinez was the caretaker for years until it was sold. Courtney and Blake Bartosh have the Bartosh Group at Monument Realty in Lubbock. They purchased the home with plans to finish and lease it on short-term rental platforms.

“We live in Ransom Canyon,” Bartosh said. “The house had been shuttered since Robert died, and no one had done anything to it. Everyone is interested in seeing inside, and people always drive by. We wanted to do something for the community by finishing it and sharing it.”

The couple hired contractors and made it into a home people could finally live in. While it is currently listed on short-term rental platforms, the couple decided it was the right time to find the perfect owner.

Architecture critics may be crestfallen, but the bottom line is you have to eventually awaken from the dream. The Steel House finally needs to be more than an iconic sculpture. It deserves to finally become a real home.

Bartosh has the Steel House at 85 E. Canyonview Dr. listed for $2 million.