hollyhock house.

as mentioned in yesterday's post, my family was in town for the past week. the weekend before last my bro-in-law wanted to go see the hollyhock house in la. (he's an architect so he appreciates these stories and places as much or even more than me sometimes.) i was beyond thrilled to take a jaunt to my favorite city of angels and take a peak at some architectural history. they wouldn't let us take photos of the interior, so i snagged these from the never-let-me-down internet. the exterior ones are in abundance, so here are some of my favorites.

the story goes...(from the hollyhock website)
"Aline Barnsdall was a native of Bradford, Pennsylvania. Her Grandfather, William Barnsdall, drilled the second producing oil well in the United States, establishing the fortune that would finance Aline’s philanthropy and her extensive travels.

Barnsdall was an unconventional, independent woman with a passion for the arts. Her interest in the future of the American stage led her to Chicago in the 1910s, where she served as co-director of an experimental theater company. While in Chicago, she met the equally unconventional Frank Lloyd Wright, whose recently completed Midway Gardens she admired.

When a trip to California in 1915 turned Barnsdall’s attention to Los Angeles, she hired Wright to help her develop an innovative theatrical community on the nation’s cultural frontier."

bottom line. go see this home. take the tour. enjoy your time learning more about the famous architect that was frank lloyd wright. after touring this home myself, it really got me inspired and i realized that i love what i do and that my profession fits me perfectly. word on the street is that they are farming out a movie about wright. cannot. wait. i'm going to attempt to remember some of the details of the tour under the images below. if you go on a tour or are a docent and the stories aren't correct, then leave a comment. or, just leave a comment because you should :) jolene.

this stone planter is wright's graphic representation of the hollyhock flower. though very abstract, the more i saw these stone pieces the more i understood his intent. maybe it's the creative side of me, or maybe i'm just in awe of his genius, either way i think it is a great detail to the home and it's story.

this is the front of the house as standing outside of the living room. the home was built on top of a large hill smack dab in the center (something flw was not known for--he's more of an asymmetrical type). but once you see the view, you quickly understand why he would place the domicile on that portion of the land. the home has a 360 degree view showcasing the mountains and the ocean (one of the views is now obstructed by kaiser hospital--cie la vie).

here are more hollyhock stone pieces and a staircase that would lead you to a rooftop terrace. though, we were not allowed up there...

this is the center courtyard that was typically filled will water. the water would also run into the home and in the moat that was built around the fireplace. the homeowner would complain about the musty water smell, which makes sense back then, so she let the water dry out.

here are the massive concrete doors celebrating the entry into the home. that's right. they are concrete. they come at the end of a very long tunnel that was referred to as the womb.

here is a photo of the inside of the home with all of the flw built in furniture. he was so controlling that he always had everything custom made right down to the ottomans and stain glass. controlling or genius?

check out the intricate detailing of the carpet. in person, these colors are so vibrate and just perfect it makes you smile during the entire tour. i'm glad i was able to find these graphics on the website because i thought i would instantly forget the pattern. score!

finally...the dining room. these chairs were pretty much the only original pieces left in the house. everything else was replicated right down to the rugs and pillows. sitting straight up and down in these for dinner would make me eat really fast or not at all.