Place

Ennis House

The last and largest of Frank Lloyd Wright’s four “textile block” houses was designed by the father and built by the famed architect's son Lloyd.

Saved

After the Ennis House was partially restored by the nonprofit Ennis House Foundation, the iconic residence was purchased and fully restored in 2011.

Address

2607 Glendower Avenue,
Los Angeles, California 90027
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Architects

Year

1940

Style

Decade

Designation

Property Type

Government Officials

L.A. City Council District 4, Councilmember Nithya Raman

Attributes

Community

Los Angeles

Ennis House, 2014 | Adrian Scott Fine/L.A. Conservancy

Overview

The Ennis House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built by his son, Lloyd, is the last and largest of the elder Wright’s four “textile block” houses in the Los Angeles area. These homes are noted for their patterned and perforated concrete blocks, which give a unique textural appearance to both the exterior and interior.

Built for retailer Charles Ennis and his wife Mabel, the home and chauffeur’s quarters span over 6,000 square feet. They are constructed of more than 27,000 concrete blocks, all made by hand using decomposed granite extracted from the site. The home’s unique appearance has made it a popular filming location for TV and movies, including The House on Haunted Hill (1959), Blade Runner (1982), and the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Charles Ennis passed away in 1928, only a few years after the house was completed, and Mabel Ennis sold the property in 1936. The house passed through several owners, including radio personality John Nesbitt, who hired Wright to renovate the property in 1940. Lloyd Wright converted a basement storage area into a billiard room and designed a swimming pool for the north terrace.

By 2005, deferred maintenance, earthquakes, and heavy rains had taken a toll on the Ennis House. Foundations and walls had begun to fail, and the situation grew so dire that the National Trust for Historic Preservation included the home on its 2005 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Places. Work to stabilize and restore the house began in 2006, earning a Conservancy Preservation Award in 2008. It is currently a private residence.

For inquiries about visiting the Ennis House head to ennishouse.com or email info@ennishouse.com.

Looking to contact the Ennis House?

The Conservancy does not own or operate the Ennis House. For any requests, please contact the Ennis House directly at (323) 660-0607.

About This Place

Despite its significance, the Ennis House suffered from deferred maintenance, deterioration of its concrete blocks, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and the record rains of winter 2005.

The situation grew so dire that the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the house on its 2005 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

It became clear that the Ennis House needed more stewardship than a small nonprofit could provide. Given the lack of philanthropy available to support ongoing work on the house, the Ennis House Foundation placed the house on the market in 2009.

Business executive Ron Burkle purchased the house in July 2011, to the delight of the Conservancy. Mr. Burkle, with a successful record of stewarding important historic homes that includes the Greenacres estate purchased in 1993.

During Burkle’s ownership, the Ennis House underwent much-needed repairs that included replacement of 4,000 textile blocks and sealing of the blocks, new roofing, flooring, and general maintenance. Because the Conservancy holds a conservation easement on the Ennis House that includes interior and exterior spaces, all work had to be reviewed by the Conservancy staff to ensure no integrity would be lost.

Our Position

In October 2019, the Ennis House was sold again to new owners, as reported in Variety.

The Conservancy holds a detailed conservation easement that protects the Ennis House in perpetuity. The easement also provided for some form of public access at least 12 times a year. We will work with the new owner to determine exactly what type of public access for the house.

Timeline

November 2005

A conservation easement is placed on the Ennis House, protecting the house in perpetuity whereby the Conservancy will ensure the house is maintained and preserved in the future, despite any subsequent ownership changes.

2005

In nonprofit ownership and operation for many years, the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage was renamed as the Ennis House Foundation. Deferred maintenance, earthquakes, and heavy rains had taken a toll, with foundations and walls beginning to fail, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation included the Ennis House on its 2005 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Places.

1940-41

Media personality John Nesbitt purchased the Ennis House, an engaged Frank Lloyd Wright to return to the property to add a pool on the north terrace, a billiard room on the ground floor, and a modern heating system.