Given that you can count on one hand the number of houses is Los Angeles designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, it's extraordinary that currently, in Los Feliz, one of his creations is on the market as well as one nearby designed by his son, Lloyd Wright.
Let's start with the Lloyd Wright:
Lloyd Wright's creation, sited directly on Franklin Avenue, is built around a center court swimming pool. It's brilliant-the living room at one end and the master bedroom at the other, facing the pool, as do the rooms and hallways along the sides, which are glassed and open to that courtyard. There are 4 bedrooms, 5 baths and a heavy Mayan temple influence, very much like the house his Dad designed.
Okay, he copied his Dad, but at least he had a good example, and isn't that the sincerest form of flattery? The house has been restored and renovated by a local designer, who shall remain nameless for the moment; I'm not sure his bathrooms truly reflect the originals and I have to say it is the most over-linened house I've ever been in, but the work is generally respectful and top-of-the-line. It is truly an architectural statement and a very liveable house at the same time. Asking price is $4,200,000.
Also on the market is Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis-Brown house, in the hills of Los Feliz, and it is staggering. It was designed for Charles and Mabel Ennis and built in 1924. In 1940 Wright returned to oversee the addition of a pool, a north terrace, a billiard room and a heating system (good move). It is one of Wright's designs of interlocked, pre-cast concrete blocks, made from the earth excavated from the building site-does that make it one of the earliest 'green' construction projects? Probably not, as there really is nothing practical about this house. But as you stand in the very center of it, surrounded by Wright designed stained glass and rich wood, looking out at the mountains on one side and the whole city on the other, with downtown L.A. glimmering off in the distance like Oz, you can't help but get the chills. It is nothing short of brilliant. There certainly is a huge amount of work to do here, which won't be either easy or cheap (it is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a California Historical Landmark as well). But when you finish, you will have one of the worlds' great residences, one in which you cannot help but feel the history of Los Angeles all around you.
The practical information is that the house is about 6,000 square feet, and there are chauffeur's quarters also across the driveway, above the garage; currently 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. But that may all seem secondary, as 'practical' would never be a word to describe this house. Full Disclosure: I visited the Ennis-Brown house 13 years ago with my son's second grade class; they were studying architecture that year when they weren't learning to read and count. At that point, Mr. Brown was still living there; he bought the house years earlier and then 'gave' it to USC I believe for tax purposes and most likely because he couldn't afford the upkeep. While I was in total awe of the house, most of the 8 year olds were terribly unimpressed. They only asked two questions of the lovely docent who showed us around: 1) Why does Mr. Brown have TWO answering machines? and 2) Does Mr. Brown own a gun? We left shortly after that second question.
The current asking price for this house if $5,999,000 which certainly seems more reasonable than the $15,000,000 price tag it had when it came on the market a year ago.
If you'd like further information or full pictures of either of these incredible homes, just email me at: james4man@gmail.com.
Jamie Foreman
