Wright Designs In Southern California - HELP!

[EJ Goin' West]

I am planning a trip in early march to southern California and I would like to check out some of the famous FLW houses there. But, when I go the Ennis Brown House web site they say that tours have been suspended and future tour dates will be announced...



Does anyone know the story here? Also the story for the Freeman house? Hollyhock?



Anyone with some firsthand info would be most helpful....

[Guest]

Ennis-Brown is the only one normally open. The closure may have been related to the recent record rain levels in Los Angeles. They can only have so many people on each tour due to the limited parking in the area so you

[EJ Goin' West]

Thanks so much! This is the exact info I wanted!

[Guest]

Thanks so much! This is the exact info I wanted!

Glad to help. I've spent many a day exploring LA to find our architectural gems.



If you're interested in more than the Frank Lloyd Wrights, I'd be happy to post some info on some of our other "shouldn't miss" landmarks.

[Reidy]

To this I would add the Schindler house (www.makcenter.org) in West Hollywood. If you go from the Hollywood-area houses to Anderton Court and Sturges, it's on the way.



Peter

[richard]

the ennis brown is closed due to structural issues relating to the last earthquake. it is uncertain when it will reopen. same with hollyhock.



the millard house is in pasadena but hard to see, undergoing rennovation, and is a private residence.



freeman is hard to appreciate from the street. incredible space from the inside.



the storer house is my favorite, but then i am biased.

[EJ]

I knew the Ennis Brown had some serious issues to deal with, but I didn't know that earthquake damage was one of them...did something happen there in the last 2 months or so?



I know the Freeman house is closed for repairs, but has anyone looked around the property? No one lives there, so is there anything to see while walking around the house?



What is the condition of Hollyhock?

[Guest]

I knew the Ennis Brown had some serious issues to deal with, but I didn't know that earthquake damage was one of them

The closure of Ennis-Brown is much more recent that Los Angeles' last major earthquake (Northridge '94). Freeman was the house closed following the Northridge quake. I lived a block away from Freeman at the time.



I was last in Ennis-Brown about 3 years ago. At that time, part of the terrace was cordoned off as unsafe. I thought we were told the problem was related to erosion of the hillside, not earthquake damage. I do know that the Ennis-Brown trust is studying the work in progress at Freeman to see if the same type of engineering could be utilized at Ennis-Brown. (Both houses sit on steep hillsides). Try these two numbers to get more information - (323) 668-0234 or (323) 660-0607.

I know the Freeman house is closed for repairs, but has anyone looked around the property? No one lives there, so is there anything to see while walking around the house?

It isn't possible to walk around the exterior of the house due to the narrowness/steepness of the lot. By the way, USC School of Architecture students live in the house. It used to be empty but they were having problems with vandalism and theft so now students stay there as caretakers.

What is the condition of Hollyhock?

The exterior restoration looks great. The only drawback is the chainlink fencing to keep people from getting too close to the house. Makes it difficult to get nice pictures but I guess it's necessary since it is in a public park. You can walk up to the front door and peer in the windows there. The interior is still in pretty bad shape so they have not resumed tours.

[apboy2]

Can any of our California friends provide an update on how the FLW houses in L.A. are withstanding the torrential rains? Freeman and Ennis-Brown for years have looked like they were about to slide down their hills and seeing the same thing happening to other houses is appalling.

[Guest]

Freeman should be fine. I was lucky enough to get inside it last year and the work was far enough along that it may have had a few leaks but shouldn't have had any problems with the hill.



I haven't been over by Ennis-Brown recently. Their website hasn't been updated since the original poster mentioned the closure. I'll try to get by this weekend since we're having a break in the weather and see how it looks.

[Guest]

the ennis brown is closed due to structural issues relating to the last earthquake.

Yeah, you're right, but you can only do that for so long.. d'you know what i mean?

You're replying to a year old post, I don't know if you have followed the events of the past year. The house has a combination of damage from the 1994 earthquake and the massive rains from Winter 2004. A new foundation has been formed to try and save the house and the house has been listed on the National Trust For Historic Preservation's most endangered list.



The house was open to attendees of the FLWBC conference this past October.