Hollyhock House is the only building in Los Angeles recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and today it is in danger of closing to the public. Hollyhock House is the first project in the city by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the four great masters of the Modern Movement alongside Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius.
Built between 1919 and 1921 in the heart of East Hollywood within Barnsdall Art Park, the house was designed as the centrepiece of an ambitious artistic project for Aline Barnsdall, an eccentric heiress from one of the largest independent oil producing families in the United States.
Hollyhock House's architecture is unique in Wright's career, combining Mayan influences and Californian modernism — the villa is considered one of the first examples of this style. However, it remains difficult to categorise, perhaps because it symbolises a transitional period in Wright's career, between the 'Prairie Houses' of the early 1910s — such as the famous Robie House, also included on the UNESCO list — and his more monumental buildings of the 1920s.
The name of the house itself refers to the hollyhock, Barnsdall's favourite flower, which Wright incorporated into the house's details, from the roof pinnacles to the artistic glass and wall decorations. With seventeen rooms, seven bathrooms, panoramic terraces and a monumental fireplace, the house has survived rejection by its client — Aline Barnsdall donated it to the city a few years after its completion — as well as an earthquake in 1994 and the fire that struck LA, endangering its architectural heritage.
However, according to the Los Angeles Times, Hollyhock House may close in the near future due to Mayor Karen Bass's new budget plan. If approved, this would result in the layoff of over 1,600 municipal employees in an attempt to balance the city's budget deficit. Currently, only two employees organise guided tours and maintain the villa. The new budget proposes eliminating one of these roles, as well as two vacant positions that were intended to keep the facility open.
The Los Angeles Times also quotes Juan Garcia, spokesman for the department: “A single full-time staffer would not be able to manage both the tour program and preservation, necessitating the suspension of public tours until additional full-time staff could be restored.”
If public activities cease, the house would no longer meet the criteria required by UNESCO to maintain its status as a World Heritage Site, which could lead not only to closure, but also to the revocation of this status.
The City Council has until the end of May to approve or amend the budget. In the meantime, we await news on the future of Hollyhock House.
