Q&A: Much ado about Ennis House
Why all the fuss about the Ennis House? The design helped launch several trends in American architecture. The use of the concrete bricks, which were made from decomposed granite extracted from the site, helped spur a move to naturalism. And there are about only 400 buildings designed by Mr Wright still standing.
Does Frank Lloyd Wright really deserve all the attention? Mr Wright helped changed American architecture in fundamental ways. He helped give architects the freedom to approach buildings from completely different perspectives. And he made it important to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces.
If the house is so famous, why was it so hard to sell? The house is a protected landmark, which means there are limitations on what any owner can do with the property. They can never tear it down and build condos. They can't paint the walls or build a deck.
A house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the style of a Mayan temple has sold for US$4.5 million (Dh16.5m) after two years on the market.
The Ennis House, located in a Los Angeles suburb, is one of the most famous homes designed by the famed architect. Built in 1924 for businessman Charles Ennis, the hillside estate is constructed from 27,000 handmade concrete blocks with distinctive geometric patterns.
The buyer was Ron Burkle, a supermarket magnate and investor who is known for preserving historic properties.
The house was one of the first homes in the US built from concrete blocks and is considered one of the best examples of "textile block" architecture. It is one of four concrete block houses Wright built in Los Angeles.
But the home, which has been controlled by a private non-profit foundation, has been in need of repair for many years. An earthquake in 1994 and erosion caused by heavy rains in 2005 seriously damaged the property.
Preservation efforts would require more than $10m, the Ennis House Foundation estimated.
The foundation, unable to raise the funds, put the house on the market in 2009 with an original asking price of $15m that was quickly reduced.
The damage and restrictions placed on use of the house limited the market.
Los Angeles was also hard hit by the property downturn, with prices dropping in some neighbourhoods by 30 to 40 per cent.
Mr Burkle has agreed to continue the preservation effort and the house will be open to the public for at least 12 days a year.
The Ennis house is the latest in a series of high-profile sales in California. In March Yuri Milner, a Russian tech investor, reportedly paid $100m for a chateau-styled estate in northern California, a record price for a single family home in the US.
And last month Petra Eccelstone, daughter of Formula One leader Bernie Ecclestone, bought the Candy Spelling mansion in Holmby Hills, a Los Angeles suburb. The 123-room estate was listed for $150m, but reportedly sold for $85m.
5: famous Frank Lloyd Wright buildings
1 Fallingwater - Pennsylvania
1 Guggenheim Museum - New York City
1 Coonley House - Illinois
1 Taliesin home and studio - Wisconsin
1 Johnson Wax Administration Building - Wisconsin
Source: 2010 figures from International Data, a market research company.
The Quote: Architecture in general is frozen music. Friedrich von Schelling, a German philosopher
