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Historic-Cultural Monument #12
by Virginia Ernst Kazor

In 1927, oil heiress Aline Barnsdall gave Hollyhock House, the first Los Angeles commission of Frank Lloyd Wright, and eleven surrounding acres to the City of Los Angeles to be used for arts and recreational purposes. Hollyhock House is operated by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.

Located between Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards just west of Vermont, the house sits at the crown of a hill planted in the 1890's as a producing olive grove. Named Barnsdall Park in honor of her father, this site has become home to the City's varied arts programs and is a destination for visitors from around the world.

The house was named for Barnsdall's favorite flower, the hollyhock, and abstract versions of it appear throughout the house in concrete, in furniture and in carpets.

Wright took full advantage of the dry, temperate climate of Los Angeles. His design is an extraordinary combination of indoor and outdoor living spaces incorporating courtyards and even roof-top terraces.

Aline Barnsdall envisioned a major arts center for her original 36 acre site which would incorporate a theatre, a motion picture theatre and studios for artists, as well as two guest residences, the only structures besides Hollyhock House which were built.

Although this plan was never completed, her gift included one of the guest residences that has been home to the Barnsdall Arts Center since 1927. Hollyhock House was first used by the California Art Club to showcase their members' work. In 1948 it was leased to a private foundation. In the early 1970s it was restored and it opened as a house museum in 1976.

The American Institute of Architects has nominated seventeen Frank Lloyd Wright buildings for preservation as outstanding contributions to American culture. Hollyhock House is one of them.

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Copyright © 2003		Eaglefeather font:  Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock House photo:  Mark Willis Stele photo:  Mark Willis