The hills are alive… with amazing architecture.

July 24, 2009 by Bosnakroy | 1 Comment

Cheesey but true. Those of you finely attuned to the presence of notable architecture in our region already know this and the rest of you can’t help but notice there are a lot of houses that look suspiciously… significant.

Now that every book club in America has read Loving Frank (the novel about Frank Lloyd Wright’s mistress) most of you know that Wright is the mastermind behind many of the prized architectural homes in the area. But he isn’t the only one who catches your eye. We’ve previously blogged about some others but today we’re talking about Lautner and Wright.

John Lautner – born in Michigan, moved to the Los Angeles area to join Wright’s company as an apprentice. He worked under Wright for six years before starting his own firm. “Shelter,” he said, “is the most basic human need.” His solo projects became architectural masterpieces and have been featured in countless exhibits, publications and movies. You might remember one of his more recognizable works as the house in the Charlie’s Angels film.

Lautner

You can have your own Lautner for just $1.6. The 2 bedroom main house and 1 bedroom + office guesthouse have been beautifully preserved by Sellers who have owned it for the last decade. This newly listed property is wonderfully private with a beautiful pool and view. The location is about 12 miles from Los Feliz and 12 minutes from Burbank airport. The floor plan is incredibly livable and the details are amazing.

Ennis Front of House If you are shopping among the currently available Frank Lloyd Wright properties you might end up spending a little more. One of Wright’s most famously unique works, The Ennis house in Los Feliz, just came on the market at $15mil. The Ennis house is arguably the penultimate example of Wright’s “textile block” style, influenced by the Mayan temples. The Ennis house is a landmark in Los Angeles and has been featured in many publications and films. Greatly damaged by the Northridge earthquake and the rainy season of 2004-2005, the Ennis house on the list of the “11 Most Endangered Historic Places” by the Nation Trust for Historic Preservation in 2005. The house is currently owned by the Ennis House Foundation which has done a large part of the stabilizing and

restoration. The new owner will be able to enjoy the gorgeous rooms with their famous Wright indoor-outdoor feel while the balance of the work is completed.

If you don’t want to own a textile block style estate by Wright… you could buy a view of one. A Highland duplex nestled between the Freeman House owned by USC and a duplex designed by Rudolph Schindler, went on the market for $795,000 two weeks ago. Duplex Next to Tile House

The duplex has beautiful views and wonderful outdoor spaces – including an outdoor shower. The property’s lower level addition was built by Schindler for the brother of the owner of the neighboring duplex after Schindler worked on the Freeman house making this hillside between Highland and Glencoe an architecturally rich enclave.