In 1915, Aline Barnsdall, an oil heiress, first approached Frank Lloyd Wright not to build a house but a theater. A passionate supporter of the arts, she was a stage producer—earning critical acclaim for her avante-garde productions for children and adults alike in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles (while awaiting a Wright-designed theater that never came). In 1919, she purchased Olive Hill, a 36-acre mount on Hollywood’s eastern edge and far north of downtown Los Angeles. With the site secured, the commission grew to include plans for the theater, a cinema, artist residences, commercial shops, two guest houses, and a residence for Barnsdall. For Hollyhock House, Barnsdall asked Wright to incorporate her favorite flower, the hollyhock, into the home’s design. The motif can be seen in cast stonework, art glass, furniture and textiles. 

California captivated both Barnsdall and Wright, and here the architect had the opportunity to develop a new regional expression, which broke from the acclaimed Prairie style he had developed in the Midwest. He took inspiration from building precedents native to the Southwest—the Pre-Hispanic and the Pueblo. He also imbued his design with spectacle, fitting for an arts and theater complex and a client he described as being “as domestic as a shooting star.” With dramatic vistas, water features, and sweeping indoor/outdoor entertaining spaces, Hollyhock House was a theatrical statement and celebration of the region. Wright called it California Romanza. 

However, by 1921 Wright had built only the main house and two guest houses. With project delays and cost overruns, he then left the project only partially realized. Within a few years, Barnsdall began to consider gifting the house and surrounding parklands to the City of Los Angeles. She never questioned the beauty or significance of Wright’s work on Olive Hill, but with early leaks and no theater to speak of, the house had lost its luster for Barnsdall. She did, however, reengage with Wright on numerous occasions after 1921, enlisting him to design a school house for the property as well as preliminary plans for another residence in Beverly Hills; neither were realized. 

In 1927, Barnsdall gave Hollyhock House, 12 acres, and the Residence A guest house to the City of Los Angeles. Now with two Wright-designed houses, the Municipal Art Gallery, a theater, and art centers (all operated by the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs), Barnsdall Park has become the dynamic arts park that Aline Barnsdall had envisioned for Los Angeles.