A new construction by Frank Lloyd Wright is threatened. Last week it was the Price Tower that narrowly escaped an accelerated degradation after finding a buyer to finance his catering after a long closure linked to a dispute. It is now the Hollyhock House, located on the heights of Hollywood, which is in difficulty. In the absence of a grant, the site may close to the public.
The house is currently managed by two full -time employees who organize guided tours and maintain the building. Two other positions remained to be filled. However, the house funded by the City Cultural Affairs Department is not spared by the recent budget cuts. On April 21, 2025, Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, presented a rigor budget of $ 13.9 billion (12.4 billion euros) to fill the deficit of $ 1 billion (890 million euros) caused by fires ravaged the city.
This plan provides in particular the abolition of 1,600 municipal posts, affecting one of the posts of the Hollyhock House and the two remaining to be filled, thus leaving only one person to manage the site, rendering “Impossible to manage both the visits and preservation program, which would require the suspension of public visits”said Juan Garcia, spokesperson for the department.
More serious, the reduction to a single employee could compromise the classification of the house, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2019, a status subject to the condition of maintaining four employees on site.
Daniel Tarica, director of the City Cultural Affairs Department, said he asked the municipal council to restore the three positions in the final budget. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the organization responsible for the protection of the architect’s buildings, expressed its “Deep concern” Faced with these potential job cuts.
Commissioned by the heiress of oil Aline Barnsdall, the Hollyhock House, built between 1918 and 1921, was initially planned as a complex of residences, theaters and shops. The project has been gradually reduced due to financial and artistic differences between Barnsdall and Wright. Finally, only the Hollyhock House and two second homes were built.
For the house, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a series of roof terraces inspired by Mayan, Aztec and Egyptian architectural traditions. The name of the house comes from the hopper rose, the favorite flower of Barnsdall, a pattern that Wright has integrated into the structure, from the ornaments of the roof to stained glass. Aline Barnsdall donated the house in 1927 without ever having lived there.
In recent years, the Hollyhock House has been the subject of a major restoration supported by the City of Los Angeles. In 2015, she reopened to the public after four years of work. The latter were followed by a two -year renovation during the confinements, completed at the end of 2022.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House in Los Angeles.
