Hollyhock House

Hollyhock House, at 4800 Hollywood Boulevard in Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall and built between 1919 and 1921. It was Wright's first commission in Los Angeles and part of a planned arts complex on Olive Hill that was never fully realised. The house is named for Barnsdall's favourite flower, the hollyhock, which Wright stylised into a repeating motif in the concrete and art-glass elements. The design is often described as California Romanza, and it combines a Mayan Revival influence with Wright's own ideas about indoor-outdoor living. The structure is built of concrete block and stucco, arranged around a central courtyard with a pool, and it features a living room with a sculptural fireplace and reflecting pool, terraces and a roof garden. Wright supervised the early work and then handed the supervision to his son Lloyd Wright and to architect Rudolph Schindler as he left for Japan. Barnsdall gave the house and surrounding park to the City of Los Angeles in 1927. The house has been through repairs after earthquakes and leaking, and a multi-year restoration completed in 2015 repaired the roof, walls and interiors, restoring the courtyard and furnishings. In 2019 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it is a National Historic Landmark. The house is managed by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Visitors see the house through docent-led or audio-guided tours, with a thematic interpretation of Wright's design philosophy, Barnsdall's life and the building's restoration. The art park also includes the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre and the Junior Arts Center, and the hilltop provides views toward the Hollywood sign and downtown.