A historic Los Angeles home designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright is slowly crumbling — after allegedly being left to rot into a haven for wild animals.
The 1939 Sturges Home, located at 449 North Skyewiay Road in Brentwood Heights, is the only Usonian-style building in Los Angeles.
But the architectural gem is now vacant and deteriorating, putting it at risk of being lost to “demolition by neglect.”
“The house sits deteriorating, and has for several years been a major concern for its neighbors. Decay of the original redwood has been observed from the street for some time. The long span of the carport is warped and its distinctive pillars are rotting,” the Los Angeles Conservancy said.
“‘Demolition by neglect’ is a term used when a historic property deteriorates through deferred maintenance until it suffers permanent damage or becomes structurally unsafe,” the group added on.
Neighbors have also reported seeing wild animals inside the crumbling home, according to KTLA.
The property’s deterioration has raised alarm over the fate of one of Wright’s rare Los Angeles creations — a home that was once considered a landmark of the city’s architectural history.
The Sturges Home is a 1,200-square-foot home that features a living-dining room, two bedrooms, one bath and a kitchen. It also has a 21-foot deck that extends over the canyon.
Designed during the economic difficulties of the Great Depression, Wright’s Usonian homes focused on affordable and efficient style for middle-class families.
The original owners, George and Selma Sturges, were inspired by a January 1938 issue of “Architectural Forum” that was devoted to Wright’s work. The Sturges then asked Wright to commission their home and the building was completed the following year.
After the couple sold the house in 1951, it bounced between three different owners before actor Jack Larson and film director James Bridges bought it in 1967. Bridges passed away in 1993, but Larson continued to live in the home until his death in September 2015.
It is now owned by a non-profit organization called All Right Now Foundation and has been listed as a Historic-Cultural Monument.
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