The House on Haunted Hill sales for a bargain $4.5 million

[Ichingcarpenter]

Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House, the 1924 hilltop mansion that is one of the master's most celebrated residential designs and one of Los Angeles' most revered architectural landmarks, has sold to billionaire Ron Burkle for about $4.5 million, 70% less than its original asking price.

The sale of Ennis House was confirmed Friday evening in a statement by Marla Felber, chairwoman of the Ennis House Foundation, which since 2009 has been trying to find a buyer for L.A.'s most prestigious fixer.

At more than 6,000 square feet, Wright's Mayan-influenced design is the largest of his four "textile-block" houses in Southern California, so named because their concrete blocks were knitted together to serve as structure and decoration, inside and out. Ennis House consists of more than 27,000 of the blocks, which deteriorated over time, sustained serious damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and then partially collapsed during heavy rainfall in 2005.

After the foundation spent about $6.5 million to repair and stabilize the property, Wright's grandson, Eric Lloyd Wright, announced that the landmark was being put up for sale with hopes that a private owner could better preserve it. But with at least $6 million still needed to finish its restoration, Ennis House languished on the market even as the initial $15-million asking price began to tumble. By this January, when The Times published an article on Ennis House as part of a Landmark Houses series, the price had dropped to $7,495,000.

In a region where coastal mansions and hilltop estates exceed $10 million and the compound formerly owned by TV mogul Aaron Spelling recently sold for $85 million, the relatively low price for a piece of Wright history will strike many market watchers as a surprise. Last year, The Times reported that the Ennis House Foundation's construction loan had been guaranteed by Burkle, and that if a buyer didn't materialize, Burkle could end up owning the property himself. Neither Burkle nor Felber could be reached Friday for additional comment, but in her statement, Felber said Burkle would be "an excellent steward" committed to finishing Ennis House's rehabilitation and planned to provide at least 12 days of public access a year.




http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/frank-lloyd-wright/

[gateley]

1. Interesting! Thanks! nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. A lot of photos at the link

I once saw documentary on the building of it
in college years ago. The textile blocks were interesting concept
but labor intensive .

[gateley]

4. That is SO COOL! It really does look Mayan! I sent the

link to my brother who lived in LA for years and is a photographer, always taking shots of places like these. When I asked him if he'd ever seen this he said "not to my knowledge" -- after seeing the photos I'd venture to guess if he'd seen it, he'd have remembered. The article said it hadn't been accessible to the public in years. Hope that changes with the new owner.

So sad that the material has deteriorated.

Thanks again! :hi:

[MineralMan]

3. Not mentioned in the article,

A well-known contractor, whose television ads you may have seen, has been engaged to remodel the exterior with vinyl siding to "modernize" the house. Quality aluminum windows will be installed at the same time. :rofl: