Hollyhock House is the only structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Southern California that is currently open for tours. But Wright designed and built six other houses in the city of Los Angeles, most of which still stand:
Residences A and B. These small residences were built near Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park, and were designed to house artists who visited Aline Barnsdall's budding arts compound in the 1920s. Residence B – in which Wright lived for a time – was torn down to make way for apartments in 1948. Residence A still stands but is badly in need of restoration, and is closed to the public. The city's Cultural Affairs Department hopes to undertake restoration work in the future.
Ennis-Brown House. Located on a hillside not far from the Hollyhock House, the Ennis-Brown house is a monumental building made of cement block in Wright's striking "Mayan" style. Severely damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the torrential rains of the past year, it was recently declared one of the nation's 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The house is closed while the nonprofit group that owns it attempts to raise matching funds to obtain a $2.5 million federal grant for structural repairs.
Freeman House. Another one of Wright's Mayan-style block houses, the Freeman House in Hollywood is owned by the University of Southern California, which has overseen nearly $1.5 million in earthquake repairs to the house and surrounding site in recent years. Restoration continues; the house is currently closed to the public but will be open for tours in October during a Los Angeles conference of the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.
Storer House. Another Hollywood house made of concrete block, the Storer House has been worked on by three generations of the Wright family. It is privately owned and used as a residence.
Sturges House. Built years after the concrete houses that Wright favored for Los Angeles in the 1920s, the Sturges House, in Brentwood, is relatively small – 1,200 square feet – but features a 21-foot panoramic deck. It is privately owned and used as a residence.
- GORDON SMITH
