Reuters reports that Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House is to be sold. The Ennis House Foundation will be selling the 6,000-square-foot Los Angeles estate. The asking price is said to be $15 million.
The 6,000-square-foot Los Angeles estate is being sold by the Ennis House Foundation, which recently completed the initial phase of a stabilization and restoration project following years of decay and damage from earthquakes and torrential rains. In March 2005, it was placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's most-endangered list.
"Our goal has always been to be a good steward of the house," said the foundation's president, James DeMeo.
"We've made a lot of progress, but at this point a private owner with the right vision and sufficient resources can better preserve the house than we can as a small nonprofit," he said, explaining the decision to place the historic home on the market.
Perched atop a hill in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles just south of Griffith Park, the Mayan-inspired estate built in 1924 from some 27,000 16-inch concrete blocks is one of only four of the legendary American architect's "textile block" homes.
The Ennis House has been used in films and tv shows including Blade Runner, Rush Hour, Twin Peaks and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Ennis House Foundation has posted a statement on its website.
An L.A. Timesarticle says Eric Lloyd Wright, the architect's grandson, believes private ownership is the best way to save the house and honor his grandfather's intentions in today's tough economy.
