Overlooking the city from the crest of Olive Hill, Barnsdall Art Park is a multi-structure artistic, recreational, and educational space that includes the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, a young-adult arts center, a rentable 299-seat theatre, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s UNESCO-nominated Hollyhock House, built from 1919 to 1921 for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall. The area that later became the park (house included) was bequeathed to the city in 1927 by Barnsdall herself, who requested that any structure built upon it be devoted solely to art and that the space be open to the public. If you’re visiting from out of town, chances are the Hollyhock House will be the main attraction here. Wright’s first Los Angeles project, designed in a style he called “California Romanza,” the pagoda-inspired house is a marvel in indoor-outdoor juxtaposition: each main living area opens to unique exterior space.
Hollyhock House – Barnsdall Art Park
Images by Joshua White
