- Hollyhock House is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Los Angeles. However, budget cuts could result in its loss of this status.
- As per UNESCO requirements, the home must have at least four full-time staff members—but the proposed cuts would leave Hollyhock House with just one full-time employee.
- Reduced staffing would also force it close to the public.
Hollyhock HouseEast Hollywood is home to one of Los Angeles’s most iconic landmarks, and it is the only place where you can see this unique landmark. UNESCO World Heritage Site in the city—however, this architectural gem may soon lose its UNESCO status and close to the public.
Faced with a major budget shortfallThe City Council of L.A. is considering the Mayor’s proposal to reduce municipal staff and make cuts. Some of these will affect Hollyhock House, which is managed by the Department of Cultural Affairs. Under the proposed plan, Hollyhock House would only have one full-time employee. Two vacant positions will also be cut, making it impossible for the landmark to continue its preservation efforts and support public tours.
In 2019, the house received official UNESCO World Heritage Status. The house is one of only 26 UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the West Coast and one of only 26 in the United States. To maintain the UNESCO designation, however, the house must have four full-time employees. Moreover, the cuts could affect the city’s capacity to preserve and maintain what is arguably one of the most iconic buildings in Los Angeles.
The Hollyhock House is the first Los Angeles project for Frank Lloyd Wright, the legendary architect. Andrew SalimianDirector of advocacy at Los Angeles ConservancyA historic preservation organization. “… Hollyhock House was an early expression of Southern California Architecture.”
Frank Lloyd Wright designed this massive 17-room home for American oil heiress Aline Barnsdall. She intended to use it as part of a 36-acre complex that would include art and theater. Barnsdall, who found the house to be too small for her, never finished the project. The house was given to the City in 1927 and became a public exhibition in 1976. Hollyhock, a heavily inspired work by pre-Columbian Central American Architecture, is one of Wright’s more experimental works. It is most notable for its hollyhock motif (Barnsdall’s favorite flower), which visitors can find all over the property. The site is currently open for visitors from Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Hollyhock House has been renovated extensively in recent years by the city. During the pandemic of 1918, Hollyhock House was closed for 2 years. In that time, the massive fireplace, art-glass balconies, the guesthouse, as well as original Wright-designed furniture were restored. The proposed cuts were a surprise to preservationists as well as architecture enthusiasts.
Salimian says that the city has worked hard for 15 years to achieve UNESCO status at Hollyhock House. Now, these cuts will negatively affect preservation, protection and public access.
