Like so many gems of Los Angeles architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House is set on a hill just above a generic shopping center. Approaching the entry to the Barnsdall Art Park, its 36-acre site, from the street, it’s hard to imagine that such an immersive, dramatic experience of modernism is in a park just above such an unwelcoming parking lot. However, once inside, Wright’s influential first residence in Los Angeles is all encompassing.
The Barnsdall Art Park Foundation celebrated the reopening of the Hollyhock House with a ribbon cutting celebration last Friday, February 13, followed by a 24-hour stint of free self-guided tours. Lines already snaked around the courtyard by 4pm with hundreds of visitors eagerly waiting to see the interior, which had been closed for the past three years.
Exterior view of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. Photo by Joshua White
Hollyhock House in 1921. Photo by Julius Shulman via WikiMedia Commons
View of the interior courtyard. Photo by Joshua White
Making the evening even more special for social media and smartphone users was the rare encouragement to take pictures. Officials only requested that any photos be published and tagged #WrightAtNight. Nearly a thousand selfies and snapshots popped up overnight, showcasing the building’s sloping concrete exteriors, tunneling hallways, beautiful glass works, and intricate adornments that allude to the hollyhock flower, for which the house was named. Between the friendly,knowledgeable guides and a photo booth with old-timey clothes,the evening feel more like a well-organized party than a stuffy building tour.
Of course, the historical significance of the Hollyhock House is precisely why it is a destination: Aline Barnsdall originally commissioned Wright in 1919 to construct a theatre for Avant-Garde plays, but the project soon grew into an entire performing-arts complex that included a special residence for Barndsall herself, the Hollyhock House. However, when the cost ballooned beyond her expectations, she called off the project prematurely, in 1921, with only the residences complete. Six years later, Barnsdall gave the house and surrounding acreage to the city with the stipulation that it remain dedicated to art and architecture for perpetuity.
This extensive renovation has brought back every detail of the interior to original standards including floors, windows, moldings, and even faded paint colors. Curator Jeffrey Herr spearheaded a multi-organization effort, including Project Restore, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and other city organizations. The team was also successful in modernizing the building, meeting ADA standards and implementing better seismic protection — problems that had previously plagued the house and excluded some visitors.
View of the “Mayan Temple” entryway. Photo via WikiMedia Commons
View of the library. Photo by Joshua White
View of the fireplace in the living room. Photo via WikiMedia Commons
Speaking at the event, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti thanked Project Restore for faithfully bringing the house back to its original grandeur. Garcetti also named the Hollyhock as, “The crown jewel of Los Angeles architecture… which planted the seeds of architectural modernism that would later flourish in the works of Neutra, Lautner, and many others.”
A perfect example of California Romanza, the Hollyhock House exemplifies that movement’s central ideal of “freedom to make one’s own form.” The imposing entryway resembles a Mayan temple but then leads to an airy foyer, which opens completely onto a beautiful central garden. Inside, there are multiple split-levels, long-colonnaded corridors that flank the courtyard, and furnishings with clever allusions to nature. The abstract fireplace in the living room is particularly stunning, even though the moat-like pool in which it is set no longer functions. All of these elements collectively make the Hollyhock unlike any other building even as they have inspired or been interpolated into later works by other modern architects.
It should come as no surprise, then, that, Hollyhock was included in the shortlist of ten Frank Lloyd Wright buildings submitted to UNESCO for consideration as World Heritage Sites. It’s the first time that the United States has proposed works of modern architecture for the list, and may mean that the Hollyhock will help cement Los Angeles architecture’s place in global history.
Views of the living room. Photos by Joshua White
Caleb Allen, a local architecture enthusiast who attended the opening, remarked that, “It’s a magnificent structure that manages to take full advantage of its hilltop perch. Witnessing the sunset through the leaded glass in the living room is dazzling.” An example of how the Hollyhock feels not only incredible on its own, but also uniquely LA — a city with an abundance of progressive and unusual structures that take full advantage of stunning natural beauty afforded by site-specificity.
No matter what decision UNESCO makes when they announce the selection in 2016, visitors to the newly pristine Hollyhock will be inclined to agree with DCA Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s assessment at the ribbon cutting: “There’s nothing like public space, and there’s nothing like Los Angeles space.”
For more information on visiting the Hollyhock House, check out the Barnsdall website.