Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Hollyhock House In Hollywood Named UNESCO World Heritage Site
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Several Frank Lloyd Wright works, including the Hollyhock House in Hollywood's Barnsdall Art Park, have been named UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Hollyhock House, which was designed and built in 1921 by the famed architect for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, is now owned by the city of Los Angeles and operated by the Department of Cultural Affairs as part of the art park, which includes a gallery, theater, and year-round art classes.
"Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House is a beloved masterpiece locally, and now a treasure world-wide," City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell said on Twitter.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House is a beloved masterpiece locally, and now a treasure world-wide. The inscription of this nomination marks the first modern architectural cultural property designation not only in California, but the United States.
— Mitch O'Farrell (@MitchOFarrell) July 7, 2019
Already a National Historic Landmark, Hollyhock House reopened in 2015 after a three-year renovation project that cost $4 million. Barnsdall had asked Wright to design the home with inspiration from her favorite flower, the hollyhock. A Mayan-style representation of the hollyhock is repeated throughout the home's exterior and interior.
Hollyhock House is among eight works by Wright that were named UNESCO World Heritage sites. The others include Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Ariz; Fallingwater in Pennsylvania; the Guggenheim Museum in New York; the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Ill.; the Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago, and Taliesin in Wisconsin.
The World Heritage Committee announced the new additions to the list at its meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan. The honor does not include any funding for preservation efforts, but generally results in a higher profile and greater tourist traffic. There are more than 1,000 World Heritage sites around the world, but only 24 in the United States.