Architecture Wednesday: Frank Lloyd Wright's Son, Lloyd' Wright's Bollman Residence In LA

After collaborating on Frank Lloyd Wright's seminal Hollyhock House, Wright's son, Lloyd Wright struck out on his, and designed and built the Henry O. Bollman Residence.

This was just Lloyd Wright’s second independent commission, but it translated the lessons he had learned working alongside his father, RM Schindler, Olmsted & Olmsted, Irving Gill and Norman Bel Geddes  into a harmonious and distinctive whole. Today, Wright's vision remains entirely intact, with only the most sensitive updates for 21st-century living.

Patterned concrete blocks and Mesoamerican massing evoke a sense of Hollywood drama; exquisite interior-exterior flow presages midcentury trends by several decades. There are four light-filled bedrooms, two vintage-inspired bathrooms, an airy, contemporary kitchen, formal; dining room, and large living room amid 2,518 square feet of living space.

Well situated on a more than 8,100 square foot flat lot in the Sunset Square HPOZ [Historic Preservation Overlay Zone], distinguished by elements of Wright's own original landscape design of lush gardens, palms and tropical foliage.

It  isn't just an architectural masterpiece, it’s also a fully functional, move-in-ready home, and recently sold for $3.2M. 

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Architecture Wednesday: The Derby House

Y’all know how much I love a Frank Lloyd Wright house, but this one is not a favorite. Thankfully, though, it’s not an FLW home, but was designed and built by FLW's eldest son Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr., better known as Lloyd Wright.

The Derby House, built in 1926, showcase Lloyd Wright’s ability to integrate nature and building: the garage gates, fireplace grates, French door grills, and closets are abstract renderings of the yucca plants that grow on the hills surrounding the home, and the pre-cast concrete ornamentation is of Mayan inspiration.

The 3,281-square-foot, five-bedroom, three-bath home, which sits on 1.53 acres and includes multiple terraces and outdoor spaces surrounded by mature oak and eucalyptus trees, was commissioned by businessman James Derby for his family, but he and his wife separated before the home was completed, so only she and their children ever lived there.

What do I love? The ornamentation, of course; the Mayan influences. But the interiors are somewhat bland, with the exception of some windows and the fireplaces; and the bathrooms … oy, the Pink Palace? Gurl, no. And while that kitchen isn’t bad, again, it’s just bland. It’s a shame Lloyd Wright couldn’t have brought some of those outside influences into the entire home.

The Derby House is on the National Register of Historic Places, meaning the exterior can never be altered and it cannot be torn down, and is for sale for $3.195 million.

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