A historic Los Angeles home designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright is slowly crumbling \u2014 after allegedly being left to rot into a haven for wild animals.<\/p>\n
The 1939 Sturges Home<\/a>, located at 449 North Skyewiay Road in Brentwood Heights, is the only Usonian-style building in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n But the architectural gem is now vacant and deteriorating, putting it at risk of being lost to \u201cdemolition by neglect.\u201d<\/p>\n Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s historic 1939 Sturges House has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect in Brentwood. Los Angeles officials have ordered repairs to the vacant architectural landmark.<\/p>\n The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sturges House is pictured in May 2026.<\/p>\n American architect Frank Lloyd Wright on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 1935. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d the Los Angeles Conservancy said<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Demolition by neglect\u2019 is a term used when a historic property deteriorates through deferred maintenance until it suffers permanent damage or becomes structurally unsafe,\u201d the group added.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s section drawing for the Sturges House, 1939. Los Angeles Conservancy<\/p>\n Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s plan for the Sturges House in 1939. Los Angeles Conservancy<\/p>\n Neighbors have also reported seeing wild animals inside the crumbling home, according to KTLA<\/a>.<\/p>\n The property\u2019s deterioration has raised alarm over the fate of one of Wright\u2019s rare Los Angeles creations \u2014 a home that was once considered a landmark of the city\u2019s architectural history.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Architect Frank Lloyd Wright is seen in his studio and home in Talisien, Spring Green, Wis., on Friday, April 4, 1980. An archive of more than 23,000 architectural drawings and other material is being moved permanently to the Museum of Modern Art and Columbia University\u2019s Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library in New York. AP<\/p>\n Designed during the economic difficulties of the Great Depression, Wright\u2019s Usonian homes focused on affordable and efficient style for middle-class families.<\/p>\n The original owners, George and Selma Sturges, were inspired by a January 1938 issue of \u201cArchitectural Forum\u201d that was devoted to Wright\u2019s work. The Sturges then asked Wright to commission their home and the building was completed the following year. <\/p>\n The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sturges House on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. L.A. Conservancy Archives<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n It is now owned by a non-profit organization called All Right Now Foundation and has been listed as a Historic-Cultural Monument. <\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/p>\n California Post News<\/strong>: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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