Wright Chat

As in Lloyd, not Frank:



In a rare real estate harmonic convergence, two Lloyd Wright (son of you-know-who, architecture mavens) properties in Los Feliz hit the market this week. One is the 1928 Samuels-Navarro House in the Los Feliz Oaks...."



And the 1926 Sowden House.



So if you're in LA, make an appointment, I guess. Only $3.1 million for the Navarro house.

These are real jewels. I'm always amazed how little credit Lloyd is given. Maybe it's expected because of the gene's, but to have FLLW's respect, even if your his son, is not trivial. Lloyd did an incredible job of assimilating good design from his father, but had his own identity. There is little that is derivative or cheap, as is so common. His large inventory is not, as a whole, unique in the way that defines the genius of FLLW. What all of his work has is the unmistakeable stamp of a creative mind. That alone puts him above so many.



Diane Keaton did a renovation of Samuels-Navarro, somewhat sympathetic but definitey not done as a historic house. She was aware of the houses importance and certainly her resources and efforts probably stabilized the house for its future.



Snowden is (was?) one of the coolest houses on the planet, although a fragment of its original extravagance. Not in gold faucetts, but in its flight of imagination. I saw a recent show about it. A "Hollywood" type renovated it, but it was hard to really see what damage was done, or what shape it was in before he started. The guy seemed like an a**hole. The most disturbing thing was that not once in the segment was Lloyd Wright's name mentioned!



I don't look at those houses without thinking about what it was like, soaking up the twenties and thirties with all those Bohemians, huddled in their Wright caves warmed by Wright fireplaces doing whatever it is they were doing.....talk about synergy...if those walls could talk....

Ugh. I just had a good look at those Sowden (I know I mispelled it above) pictures. How depressing. Imagine what that misguidely spent money could have done for that beautiful masterpiece.



Please, one of you rich guys: buy it now that it's avaialble and tear all that crap out. Please.

For you architecture fans who are also movie fans: The Sowden house was featured in Scorcese's "The Aviator". It was Ava Gardner's house and was were she smacked Howard Hughes (Leo DiCapio) and threw him out.

JimM



What did you find objectionable about the interior?

I assume that a lot of money was probably spent on unseen improvements such as stabilization, heating'electrical systems, etc., which is obviously a good thing.



I was only saying that with the budget employed, the house really deserved an appropriate restoration. The furnishings alone indicate money was not an issue; their cost could easily have paid to restore the incredibly interesting sculptural features in the interior courtyard, rather than the Palm Springs hotel pool area it has become. The houses character has been replaced by a stylized veneer that could grace any contemporary "chic" magazine. The house was so progessive that it easily accomodates contemporary design elements, and luckily it does not look like any major damage has been done.



But as usual, ego and high style has been put front and center rather than letting the importance of the architecture predominate. Even in the kitchen, where compromise is understandable, there didn't seem to be any emphasis on respecting this important work. It could be any of a million trophy homes. Just my opinion.



Like I said, what concern was there for the architecture when Lloyd Wright's name was not even important enough to mention?



Look at historic photos to really see how much has been lost.