Ennis House
Encyclopedia
The Ennis House is a residential dwelling in the Los Feliz
neighborhood of Los Angeles
, California
, USA
, south of Griffith Park
. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923, and built in 1924.
Following La Miniatura
in Pasadena
, and the Storer- and Freeman-houses
in the Hollywood Hills
, the structure is the fourth and largest of Wright's textile block designs, constructed primarily of interlocking pre-cast concrete block, in northern Los Angeles.
The design is based on ancient Mayan
temples and along with other buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, such as the A. D. German Warehouse
in Wisconsin
and Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House
in Hollywood, the Ennis House is sometimes referred to as an example of the Mayan Revival architecture. Its prominent detail is the relief ornamentation on its textile blocks, inspired by the symmetrical reliefs of Mayan buildings
in Uxmal
.
The Ennis House is a designated city, state, and national landmark.
. The owners took over after the superstructure reached the windows and carried out various changes, deviating from Wright's original design.
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
spine on the northern side connecting public and private rooms to the south, and is very large at 10000 sq ft (929 m²). The kitchen, pantry, guestroom, dining room, living room, master bathroom and bedroom, upper terrace, second bathroom and bedroom are at the eastern and lower end of the main building.
In 1940 the house was sold to media personality John Nesbitt
who had it altered by Wright, adding a pool on the north terrace, a billiard room
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. This became its name in 1980 when it was renamed in appreciation of its donation to the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage by Augustus O. Brown, the eighth owner from 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.
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 and the record precipitation during the 2004-2005 rainy season. The Ennis House Foundation had estimated that it could cost US$5 million just for stabilization costs, 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
's list of the "11 Most Endangered Historic Places".
In 2006 a Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) grant was issued, as well as a US$4.5 million construction loan through First Republic Bank
, 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.
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. After being on the market for more than a year the house still had no buyer. The price was then reduced to US$7.495 million. As of April 1, 2011, the price stood at US$5.999 million. On July 15, 2011, The Ennis House Foundation announced the sale to business executive Ron Burkle for just under $4.5 million. A condition of the sale is an easement that allows public viewing 12 days per year, a condition binding on subsequent buyers.
The building's exotic design 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 the House on Haunted Hill
, a 1959 B movie
. The 1975 film The Day of the Locust
made extensive use of the house as a private residence, but it was in 1982's Blade Runner
that the house gained a popularity of its own among moviegoers, even though only the main character's arrival at the motor court was actually shot at the Ennis House. Its exterior also appears as "The Mansion" occupied by Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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
revealing the view of downtown Los Angeles
, Black Rain, The Glimmer Man
, The Replacement Killers
, Rush Hour substituting for a floor of a Hong Kong
skyscraper, and The Thirteenth Floor
.
The house has also been used as a location for commercials, fashion magazine shoots and music videos, including 3T
's "Why
" featuring Michael Jackson
. S Club 7
's video for the single "Have You Ever
" shows the band members living an everyday life in the house.
Impressed by the house, filmmakers either recreated original elements of the Ennis House on sound stage
sets or vaguely imitated these as in Predator 2
. After shooting the exterior scene on location for Blade Runner
the interior of Deckard's apartment was created at Warner Brothers. In the case of The Rocketeer
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
. David Lynch also used Ennis House for a segment of the show Twin Peaks
. There was a show-within-a-show called Invitation to Love and all of those scenes were shot in Ennis House.
A cartoon representation is featured in South Park
as the base of a Chinese gang in the episode "Wing
", 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.
, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation
list of Endangered Historic Places, and is a designated California Historical Landmark
, and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California
Los Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz is an affluent, hilly neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, named after its land grantee José Vicente Feliz....
neighborhood of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, south of Griffith Park
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 covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923, and built in 1924.
Following La Miniatura
Millard House
Millard House, also known as La Miniatura, is a textile block house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1923 in Pasadena, California. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.-Wright's textile block houses:...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, and the Storer- and Freeman-houses
Samuel Freeman House
Samuel Freeman House is a Frank Lloyd Wright house in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles built in 1923. As an example of Wright's pre-Columbian or early Modernist architecture, the structure is noteworthy as one of the four textile block houses built by Wright in the Los Angeles area, the other...
in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
, the structure is the fourth and largest of Wright's textile block designs, constructed primarily of interlocking pre-cast concrete block, in northern Los Angeles.
The design is based on ancient Mayan
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
temples and along with other buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, such as the A. D. German Warehouse
A. D. German Warehouse
The A. D. German Warehouse is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Mayan Revival warehouse that was constructed in Richland Center, Wisconsin in 1921. Wright was born in Richland Center in 1867.-References:...
in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House
Hollyhock House
The Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House is a building in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as a residence for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, built in 1919–1921...
in Hollywood, the Ennis House is sometimes referred to as an example of the Mayan Revival architecture. Its prominent detail is the relief ornamentation on its textile blocks, inspired by the symmetrical reliefs of Mayan buildings
Maya architecture
A unique and spectacular style, Maya architecture spans several thousands of years. Often the most dramatic and easily recognizable as Maya are the stepped pyramids from the Terminal Pre-classic period and beyond. Being based on the general Mesoamerican architectural traditions these pyramids...
in Uxmal
Uxmal
Uxmal was dominant from 875 to 900 CE. The site appears to have been the capital of a regional state in the Puuc region from 850-950 CE. The Maya dynasty expanded their dominion over their neighbors. This prominence didn't last long...
.
The Ennis House is a designated city, state, and national landmark.
Construction
Costs escalated due to difficulties developed during construction, supervised by Frank Lloyd Wright's son, Lloyd WrightLloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. , commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American landscape architect and architect, most active in Los Angeles and Southern California...
. The owners took over after the superstructure reached the windows and carried out various changes, deviating from Wright's original design.
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
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
spine on the northern side connecting public and private rooms to the south, and is very large at 10000 sq ft (929 m²). The kitchen, pantry, guestroom, dining room, living room, master bathroom and bedroom, upper terrace, second bathroom and bedroom are at the eastern and lower end of the main building.
In 1940 the house was sold to media personality John Nesbitt
John Nesbitt (announcer)
John Nesbitt was an actor, narrator, announcer, producer and screenwriter born in Victoria, British Columbia, who died in Carmel, California...
who had it altered by Wright, adding a pool on the north terrace, a billiard room
Billiard room
A billiard room is a recreation room, such as in a house or recreation center, with a billiards, pool or snooker table...
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. This became its name in 1980 when it was renamed in appreciation of its donation to the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage by Augustus O. Brown, the eighth owner from 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.
Restoration
More damage occurred due to the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the record precipitation during the 2004-2005 rainy season. The Ennis House Foundation had estimated that it could cost US$5 million just for stabilization costs, and US$15 million for full restoration. After the rains the building was briefly red-tagged
Red-tagged structure
A color-tagged structure is a structure in the United States which has been classified by a color to represent the severity of damage or the overall condition of the building. The exact definition for each color may be different at local levels....
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
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
's list of the "11 Most Endangered Historic Places".
In 2006 a Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) grant was issued, as well as a US$4.5 million construction loan through First Republic Bank
First Republic Bank
First Republic Bank is a bank and wealth management company offering personal banking, business banking, trust and wealth management services. The bank specializes in delivering personalized relationship-based service through preferred banking or trust offices on the US East and West Coasts,...
, 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.
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. After being on the market for more than a year the house still had no buyer. The price was then reduced to US$7.495 million. As of April 1, 2011, the price stood at US$5.999 million. On July 15, 2011, The Ennis House Foundation announced the sale to business executive Ron Burkle for just under $4.5 million. A condition of the sale is an easement that allows public viewing 12 days per year, a condition binding on subsequent buyers.
Use in film productions
Although used as a shooting location as early as 1933 (Female
Female (film)
Female is a 1933 Warner Bros. pre-code film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Ruth Chatterton and George Brent. It is based on the novel of the same name by Donald Henderson Clarke.-Plot:...
), the house first acquired morbid fame providing the exterior facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
for the House on Haunted Hill
House on Haunted Hill
House on Haunted Hill is a 1959 American B movie horror film from Allied Artists. It was directed by William Castle, written by Robb White, and starring Vincent Price as eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren. He and his fourth wife, Annabelle, have invited five people to the house for a "Haunted...
, a 1959 B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film 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 (film)
The Day of the Locust is a 1975 American drama film directed by John Schlesinger. The screenplay by Waldo Salt is based on the 1939 novel of the same title by Nathanael West...
made extensive use of the house as a private residence, but it was in 1982's Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
that the house gained a popularity of its own among moviegoers, even though only the main character's arrival at the motor court was actually shot at the Ennis House. Its exterior also appears as "The Mansion" occupied by Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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
The Karate Kid, Part III is a 1989 martial arts film, and the second sequel to the hit motion picture The Karate Kid . The film stars Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, Thomas Ian Griffith, Robyn Lively, and Martin Kove. Like the first two films, it was directed by John G. Avildsen and written...
revealing the view of downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
, Black Rain, The Glimmer Man
The Glimmer Man
The Glimmer Man is a 1996 American action film directed by John Gray and starring Steven Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bob Gunton and Brian Cox.-Plot:...
, The Replacement Killers
The Replacement Killers
The Replacement Killers is a 1998 American action film, directed by Antoine Fuqua in his directorial debut. It stars Chow Yun-fat and Mira Sorvino...
, Rush Hour substituting for a floor of a Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
skyscraper, and The Thirteenth Floor
The Thirteenth Floor
The Thirteenth Floor is a 1999 science fiction film directed by Josef Rusnak and loosely based upon Simulacron-3 , a novel by Daniel F. Galouye...
.
The house has also been used as a location for commercials, fashion magazine shoots and music videos, including 3T
3T
3T is an American R&B / Pop music group featuring the three sons of Tito Jackson and Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson. The band members include, from eldest, Tariano Adaryll Jackson II , Taryll Adren Jackson and Tito Joseph Jackson .-Career:3T released their debut album Brotherhood in 1995...
's "Why
Why (3T song)
"Why" is a song by 3T. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and produced by Michael Jackson. This single belongs to the album Brotherhood and it was released in 1996. The song was selected to be part of HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, but it was taken out and Michael Jackson...
" featuring Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. S Club 7
S Club 7
S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, were a pop group created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, consisting of members Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, de facto lead singer Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens. The group rose to fame by starring in their...
's video for the single "Have You Ever
Have You Ever (S Club 7 song)
"Have You Ever" was a single released by UK pop group, S Club 7 on 19 November 2001. Following the success of the 2000 Children in Need track, "Never Had a Dream Come True", the BBC asked S Club 7 to perform the 2001 track for the charity too. "Have You Ever" was co-written by Cathy Dennis, A....
" shows the band members living an everyday life in the house.
Impressed by the house, filmmakers either recreated original elements of the Ennis House on sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
sets or vaguely imitated these as in Predator 2
Predator 2
Predator 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, María Conchita Alonso, Rubén Blades, and Bill Paxton. Written by Jim and John Thomas and directed by Stephen Hopkins, the film is a sequel to 1987's Predator, with Kevin Peter Hall again playing the role of the...
. After shooting the exterior scene on location for Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
the interior of Deckard's apartment was created at Warner Brothers. In the case of The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer is a superhero created by writer/illustrator Dave Stevens. The character first appeared in 1982 and is a homage to the Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930s and 1940s....
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 (film)
Mulholland Drive is a 2001 American neo-noir psychological thriller written and directed by David Lynch, starring Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts, and Laura Harring. The surrealist film was highly acclaimed by many critics and earned Lynch the Prix de la mise en scène at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival...
. David Lynch also used Ennis House for a segment of the show Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
. There was a show-within-a-show called Invitation to Love and all of those scenes were shot in Ennis House.
A cartoon representation is featured in South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
as the base of a Chinese gang in the episode "Wing
Wing (South Park)
"Wing" is the third episode of the ninth season animated series South Park. It was written by series co-creator Trey Parker and first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 23, 2005 and was named after New Zealand singer Wing, who also stars in the episode...
", 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.
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, National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
list of Endangered Historic Places, and is a designated California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
, and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
See also
- Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
External links
- Official Website
- The Ennis House at (HABS), 1969 Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
- LA.Curbed.Com restoration coverage