Warning: array_reduce() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /var/www/html/app/lib/ca/Attributes/Values/LengthAttributeValue.php on line 189 Knowlton School Digital LibraryWorkEnnis House [1359]
North and Central America->United States->California (CA)->Los Angeles (county)->Los Angeles
Description
The Ennis House is a building located in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, south of Griffith Park. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923, and built in 1924. Following "La Miniatura" aka Millard House (Pasadena) and the Storer and Freeman House (Hollywood), the building is the fourth and most monumental of buildings in northern Los Angeles constructed mostly of interlocking pre-cast concrete blocks (Wright's " textile block" style). Its design was based on ancient Mayan temples and along with other buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright (A.D. German Warehouse, Wisconsin and Hollyhock House, Hollywood), the Ennis House is sometimes referred to as an example of the Mayan Revival style. Its prominent detail is the relief ornament on its textile blocks, inspired by the symmetrical reliefs of Mayan buildings in Uxmal. The Ennis House has been designated as a city, state, and national landmark. It is also on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2005 list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. 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. It has suffered earthquake and water damage.
"The Ennis-Brown House is one of the first residences constructed from concrete block. Wright transforms cold industrial concrete to a warm decorative material used as a frame for interior features like windows and fireplaces as well as columns. His sixteen inch modular blocks with intriguing geometric repeats invite tactile exploration." --Thomas Heinz, Architectural Digest (October, 1979)
Keywords: United States, California, Los Angeles County, residential structures, FLW, views. Submitted by Melissa Jenoff.