Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House

Description

Hollyhock House is the first Los Angeles project of America's most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Built between 1919 and 1921, it represents his earliest effort to develop a regionally appropriate style of architecture for Southern California. Taking advantage of the area's mild climate, Hollyhock House is a combination of house and garden. It is a remarkable example of the architect's love of nature and how he incorporated it into his designs. The House takes its name from the favorite flower of Wright's client, oil heiress Aline Barnsdall. At her request, Wright's abstract hollyhock pattern was incorporated into the decoration of the House. In 1927 Aline Barnsdall gave Hollyhock House and eleven surrounding acres to the City of Los Angeles for use as a public art park in memory of her father, Theodore Barnsdall. Today, surrounded by a modern theatre, galleries and studios, Hollyhock House comes closer than ever before to realizing its original purpose as the centerpiece of a functioning arts complex. The House attracts thousands of visitors annually, who come from around the world to acknowledge its place in the cultural and architectural history of Los Angeles.