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The Ennis House is a residential dwelling in the
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neighborhood of
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,
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, United States, south of
Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Ameri ...
. The home was designed by
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923 and was built in 1924. Following '' La Miniatura'' in
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, and the
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and
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Houses in the
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of Los Angeles, the structure is the fourth and largest of Wright's
textile block The textile block system is a unique structural building method created by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1920s. While the details changed over time, the basic concept involves patterned concrete blocks reinforced by steel rods, created by pourin ...
designs, constructed primarily of interlocking pre-cast concrete blocks, in the northern Los Angeles area. The design is based on ancient
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temples, and along with other buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, such as the A. D. German Warehouse in
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and Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
, the Ennis House is sometimes referred to as an example of the
Mayan Revival architecture Mayan Revival is a modern architectural style popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. History Origins Though the name of the s ...
. Its prominent detail is the relief ornamentation on its 27,000 perforated and patterned decomposed granite blocks,James McClain (October 16, 2019)
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House Sells for $18 Million, Setting New Record
''
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''.
inspired by the symmetrical reliefs of Puuc architecture in
Uxmal Uxmal (Yucatec Maya: ''Óoxmáal'' ) is an ancient Maya city of the classical period located in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with Palenque, Chichen Itza and Calakmul i ...
. The Ennis House is a designated city, state, and national landmark. From 2011 until 2019, it was owned by billionaire
Ronald Burkle Ronald Wayne Burkle (born November 12, 1952) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and managing partner of The Yucaipa Companies, LLC, a private investment firm that specializes in U.S. companies in the distribution, logistics, food, ...
, during which time significant repairs and renovations were made. The house sold for US$18 million in 2019 to couple Robert Rosenheck and Cindy Capobianco, cannabis industry professionals and philanthropists.


History

The house consists of two buildings, the main house and a smaller chauffeur's apartment/garage, separated by a paved courtyard. Unlike the vertical orientation of the other three block houses, the Ennis House has a long horizontal
loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
spine on the northern side, connecting public and private rooms to the south, and is very large at . The kitchen, pantry, guest room, dining room, living room, master bathroom and bedroom, upper terrace, and second bathroom and bedroom are at the eastern and lower end of the main building. Construction difficulties brought up costs. Initially supervised by Frank Lloyd Wright's son
Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. (March 31, 1890 – May 31, 1978), commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American architect, active primarily in Los Angeles and Southern California. He was a landscape architect for various Los Angeles projects (192 ...
, the owners took over construction supervision after the superstructure reached the windows. They carried out various changes, deviating from Wright's original design. In 1940, the house was sold to media personality John Nesbitt, who had Wright add a pool on the north terrace, a
billiard room A billiard room (also billiards room, or more specifically pool room, snooker room) is a recreation room, such as in a house or recreation center, with a billiards, pool or snooker table. (The term "billiard room" or "pool room" may also be us ...
on the ground floor, and a heating system. Although originally and currently known as the Ennis House, the building was long known as the Ennis-Brown House, which became its name in 1980 — in appreciation of its donation to the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage by Augustus O. Brown, the eighth owner of the house (1968–1980). In August 2005, the house was returned to its original name, and the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage was renamed the Ennis House Foundation. It was during the long ownership by the Foundation from 1980 to 2011 that the house was used as a filming location, establishing it as one of the most famous houses in Los Angeles. On June 19, 2009, the Ennis House Foundation announced that the house was being offered for sale with an asking price of US$15 million. Finding no buyers in a down economy, the price was steadily reduced, until it was sold to business executive Ron Burkle for just under $4.5 million on July 14, 2011. A condition of the sale is an easement that allows public viewing 12 days per year, a condition binding on subsequent buyers. By December 2018, it was listed for sale at $23 million. In 2019, Burkle sold the house for $18 million.


Restoration

Even before its completion the Ennis House was marked by structural instability. Concrete blocks had cracked and lower sections of the walls buckled under tension. The use of decomposed granite from the site to color the textile blocks introduced natural impurities to the concrete mix, and combined with air pollution caused premature decay. Attempts to apply a protective coating caused additional problems. More damage occurred due to the
1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximately ...
and the record precipitation during the 2004–2005 rainy season. The Ennis House Foundation had estimated that it could cost US$5 million just to stabilize the building, and US$15 million for full restoration. After the rains the building was briefly red-tagged as "no entry" but was down graded to yellow- for limited entry by late 2005. At that point significant damage to the retaining wall at the southern rear of the building remained. In 2005 the house was added to the
National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
's list of the "11 Most Endangered Historic Places". In 2006 a
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
(FEMA) grant was issued, as well as a US$4.5 million construction loan through
First Republic Bank First Republic Bank is an American full-service bank and wealth management company offering personal banking, business banking, trust, and wealth management services, catering to low-risk, high net-worth clientele, and focusing on providing pe ...
, which restarted restoration efforts. The project included a new structural support system, restoration or replacement of damaged blocks, restoration of windows, and a new roof. Restoration work was completed in 2007 at a cost of nearly US$6.4 million. No announcement was made regarding access by the public and the Ennis House remains closed to public visitors.


Use in film productions

The building's exotic design has made it an appealing location for Hollywood filmmakers. Although used as a shooting location as early as 1933 ( ''Female''), the house first acquired morbid fame providing the exterior facade for ''
House on Haunted Hill ''House on Haunted Hill'' is a 1959 American horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig and Elisha Cook Jr. Price plays an ...
'', a 1959
B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
. The 1975 film ''
The Day of the Locust ''The Day of the Locust'' is a 1939 novel by American author Nathanael West set in Hollywood, California. The novel follows a young artist from the Yale School of Fine Arts named Tod Hackett, who has been hired by a Hollywood studio to do scene ...
'' made extensive use of the house as a private residence, but it was in 1982's ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
'' that the house gained a popularity of its own among moviegoers; only the main character's arrival at the motor court was actually shot at the Ennis House, but casts were taken of the textile blocks and these were used to construct interior sets on soundstages. Its exterior also appears as "The Mansion" occupied by
Angelus The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name ''Angelus'' is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: ("The Angel of the Lord ...
,
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, and
Drusilla Drusilla is a female given name deriving from the Roman cognomen Drusilla. History The name has its origin from the Latin cognomen (and later praenomen) ''Drusus'' which itself derived from the Greek ''drosos'' (dew). The diminutive "illa" t ...
in the television series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
''. Sections of the cathedral reminiscent interior, especially the elevated dining room and fireplace, have appeared in over a dozen films including ''
The Karate Kid Part III ''The Karate Kid Part III'' is a 1989 American martial arts drama film, the third entry in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and a sequel to ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986). It stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith ...
'' revealing the view of
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, '' Black Rain'', ''
The Glimmer Man ''The Glimmer Man'' is a 1996 American buddy-cop action comedy film directed by John Gray and produced by Steven Seagal. The film stars Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bob Gunton, and Brian Cox. The film was released in the United States on Octob ...
'', ''
The Replacement Killers ''The Replacement Killers'' is a 1998 American action film directed by Antoine Fuqua in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Chow Yun-fat (his international film debut), Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker and Kenneth Tsang. The film was re ...
'', ''
Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...
'' substituting for a floor of a
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skyscraper, and '' The Thirteenth Floor''. The house has also been used as a location for
commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
,
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shoots and
music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
, including 3T's "
Why Why may refer to: * Causality, a consequential relationship between two events * Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose * Grounding (metaphysics), a topic in metaphysics regarding how things exist in v ...
" featuring
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
.
S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The group ...
's video for the single "
Have You Ever "Have You Ever" is a song by British pop group S Club 7, released as a single on 19 November 2001. Following the success of the group's 2000 '' Children in Need'' track, " Never Had a Dream Come True", the BBC asked S Club 7 to perform the 200 ...
" shows the band members living an everyday life in the house and
Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
music video song "Vuelve". Impressed by the house, filmmakers either recreated original elements of the Ennis House on
sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
sets or vaguely imitated these as in ''
Predator 2 ''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, María Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Peter Hall ...
'' and several episodes of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. After shooting the exterior scene on location for ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
'', the interior of Deckard's apartment was created at Warner Brothers. In the case of ''
The Rocketeer The Rocketeer is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Pacific Comics. Created by writer/artist Dave Stevens, the character first appeared in 1982 and is an homage to the Saturday matinee serial heroes ...
'', sections of the Ennis House were recreated in detail, including the patterned art glass, on a studio set. ''The Rocketeer'' went as far as adding an upper floor. On a smaller scale, tile casts of the block relief ornamentation were used for the Club Silencio doorframe in ''
Mulholland Drive Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after pioneering Los Angeles civil engineer William Mulholland. The western rural portion in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties is nam ...
''. David Lynch used the interiors of Ennis House for a few segments of the show ''
Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...
'' in which the soap opera show-within-a-show called ''Invitation to Love''. The house has also appeared in episodes of
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's television update of ''
Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...
'' and the 2019 mini-series '' I Am the Night''. A cartoon representation is featured in ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'' as the base of a Chinese gang in the episode "
Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
", satirizing the popular association of the Ennis House with criminal and/or Asian characters in films. Because the house is situated in a densely populated neighborhood, tensions have arisen over the years in regard to film production crews, as well as the streams of tourists and restoration construction workers. A film documenting the house, called ''The Ennis House'', was shot in hi definition digital 3D by film maker Tom Koester. It covers the construction (briefly), a grand tour of the house (closed to the public), and the damage stemming from the 1994 earthquake and the subsequent restoration and repair prior to the sale of the house to its current private owner. An early cut of the film premiered at the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Conference in Chicago, October 2007, but has had few public showings. It is available on DVD in both 2D and 3D versions. The Ennis House was also featured in the Thirty Seconds to Mars documentary ‘’ARTIFACT’’, where part of their album "THIS IS WAR" was recorded.


Landmark status

The house was included as one of the top ten houses of all time in Los Angeles Times, in a survey of experts in December 2008, and is listed on the
Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
,
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, and the
National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
list of Endangered Historic Places, and is a designated
California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
, and a
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria. History The Historic-Cult ...
. California Historical Landmark Marker NO. 1011 at the site reads: *"NO. 1011 FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT TEXTILE BLOCK HOUSES (THEMATIC), ENNIS HOUSE - This house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1924 for Charles and Mabel Ennis. It is one of four textile block houses registered as Landmark No. 1011."


See also

* Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood *
List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles This is a List of the National Register of Historic Places in the city of Los Angeles. (For those in the rest of Los Angeles County, go here.) Current listings :' ...
*Storrer, William Allin. ''The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion''. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, (S.217)


References


External links

* URL archived at
The Ennis House - Frank Lloyd Wright, Los Angeles 1924The Ennis House at (HABS), 1969
Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

LA.Curbed.Com restoration coverage
* (in Italian) {{Authority control Frank Lloyd Wright buildings Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments California Historical Landmarks Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles Houses completed in 1924 Modernist architecture in California Mayan Revival architecture Los Feliz, Los Angeles