Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beloved Hollyhock House Reopens After Two Years

The official celebration is Saturday, but the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in L.A. is welcoming visitors again.

Aug 18, 2022 - 17:17
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beloved Hollyhock House Reopens After Two Years

The official celebration is Saturday, but the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in L.A. is welcoming visitors again.

As Wright’s first L.A. project, the iconic Hollyhock House was built between 1919 and 1921 and was filled with challenges from beginning to end. Enter Aline Barnsdall, the wealthy oil heiress and arts patron who held the dream of having a live-in venue to produce her own avant-garde plays. Wright wanted to create a design that would be defined by the region and that took advantage of Southern California's temperate climate. To do this, each interior space is echoed with an exterior space in the form of pergolas, porches, outdoor sleeping quarters, glass doors, and rooftop terraces that look out to the Hollywood Hills and the Los Angeles Basin.

After a two-year closure brought on by the pandemic, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House is open to visitors. One of eight designs by Wright in Los Angeles, it’s his first for the city, built between 1919 and 1921 for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall. It’s also L.A.’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site, a title the home earned in 2019.

Hollyhock House (1918, Los Angeles, California). This residence, the architect's first commission in Southern California, revolves around a central patio and contains multiple rooftop terraces.

Returning guests to East Hollywood’s Barnsdall Art Park, where the landmark home is located, will notice some improvements. During its closure, the home underwent a number of conservation projects, including the restoration of its art-glass balcony doors and bas-relief fireplace, which brings together classical elements of earth, air, fire and water.

The home’s guest house, known as Residence A, also saw a significant restoration, from its exterior stone to its cantilevered balcony.

The home’s previous restoration in 2014 focused on repairing structural elements like a leaky roof, and addressing deferred maintenance of its fenestration and wood detailing.

In an attempt to create a strong connection to nature, Wright incorporated outdoor sleeping porches on all five of the bays.

In an attempt to create a strong connection to nature, Wright incorporated outdoor sleeping porches on all five of the home’s bays.

Photo: Emma Geiszler

Created as the centerpiece of LA’s Barnsdall Art Park, the Hollyhock House (constructed 1918-1921) served as the personal residence for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, who wanted her favorite flower, the hollyhock, incorporated into the home’s design. Although the Hollyhock House was completed just eleven years after the Robie House, the building is strikingly different from his Prairie School Style from the previous decade.

The home gets its name from Aline Barnsdall’s favorite flower, the hollyhock, which was incorporated into the detailing of the home.

Joshua White

See the full story on Dwell.com: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beloved Hollyhock House Reopens After Two Years

Read More at Dwell