Los Feliz Tutors

About Los Feliz

California is home to some of the most interesting and unique architecture you’re likely to find anywhere. But in Los Feliz, California, you will find a building unlike any other; a one of a kind structure unlike any other. This place is the Hollyhock House, a home that while it never saw its true potential when it was constructed, became a historical landmark even bigger then it was originally intended to be.

Hollyhock house is the first architectural masterpiece first taken on by Frank Lloyd Wright in the city of Los Feliz between 1919-1921. The goal was to create a style of building fitting to the area, a Mayan-influenced masterpiece. The project was funded by oil heiress and activist Aline Barnsdall. The home would cater to the theatrical community, and would be a draw for actors and actresses everywhere. Wright referred to it as the California Romanza, a theatrical term meaning “freedom to make one’s own form”. A fitting name.

The climate was perfect for their design, which incorporated a large garden courtyard, with each main room of the house connecting to an outdoor space. Rooftop Terraces adorn the structure, giving the residents fantastic views of the gardens and the surrounding city.

Construction for the home began on Olive Hill, a 36-acre property, and boy did Barnsdall have big plans for her new home. Along with the main house, construction would include two secondary residences, a theater, a director’s house, a dormitory for actors, studios for artists, shops and a motion picture theater. While a lofty dream, financial stops and artistic differences meant that only the main house and two secondary residences were ever finished. One of the secondary residences was unfortunately destroyed in 1948 to make room for apartments.

Along with the road blocks of the other buildings, the house itself soon proved unfit for Aline to live in. Repeat flooding of the living room during the rainy season alone with seismic concerns meant by 1927 Aline was giving the house along with eleven acres to the City of Los Angeles for use as a public park. The house was gorgeous, but impractical for the area. Perhaps they should have consulted a Los Feliz tutor in architecture first!

The house still stands today in what is now known as Barnsdall park, and is open to visitors. After your next lesson with your Los Feliz tutor, why not take a stroll over and check out this extraordinary structure!