Barnsdall house
N 34° 06.013 W 118° 17.664
11S E 380601 N 3774024
"Hollyhock house"
Waymark Code: WMBXX
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/03/2006
Views: 149
For Wright, this ambitious project must have seemed like the perfect opportunity to marry form and function in a theatrical setting with his evolving pursuit of a uniquely American architecture. The Hollyhock house was designed for oil heiress and patron of the theater, Aline Barnsdall and her young daughter as part of a planned art community. Her interest in the American stage led her to Chicago where she served as a co-director of an experimental theater company and met an equally unconventional FLlW. When a trip to California in 1915 turned Barnsdall’s attention to Los Angeles, she hired Wright to help her develop an innovative theatrical community on the nation’s cultural frontier.
Hollyhock house is Wright’s first Los Angeles project. The house takes its name from Barnsdall’s favorite flower and stylized representations are found on the roofline, walls, columns, planters and furniture. Originally, the project was to entail the Hollyhock house, two secondary residences, a theater, a director’s house, a dormitory for actors, studios for artists, shops and a motion picture cinema. Because of lengthy delays and artistic differences between Wright, Barnsdall and her theatrical confident/designer Norman Bel Geddes, the project was never fully realized.
Construction supervision was delegated to Lloyd and associate Rudolf Schindler, and FLlW blamed them for everything that went wrong or displeased him, listing their deficiencies with cruel precision .
In 1927, Barnsdall gave the house and 11 surrounding acres to the City of Los Angeles for use as a public art park in memory of her father. The house has undergone three major renovations; in 1946 under the supervision of Lloyd Wright, a second in 1974, and in 2005 a seismic retrofit was recently completed to preserve the historic fabric of the house. The Barnsdall house is one of 17 FLlW structures designated by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to be retained as an example of his architectural contribution to American culture.
Since 1978, the non-profit organization Friends of Hollyhock House (FOHH) has worked to increase the public's awareness of the history of the Hollyhock house and Aline Barnsdall's contribution to the City of Los Angeles. The organization has raised funds for restoration projects, established a library of Wright monographs, and organized lectures and public events promoting the house.
Year Completed: 1920
Commissioned By: Aline Barnsdall
Nearest City or Town: Los Angeles
Public/Private: Public
Tours Available?: yes
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
There are no specific visit requirements, however telling about your visit is strongly encouraged. Additional photos of the building or house to add to the gallery are also nice, but not required. Pictures with a GPS or you in them is highly discouraged.