Historic Structures Report for Residence “A” at Barnsdall Park

Under contract to the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, LSA prepared a Historic Structures Report of Residence “A” an auxiliary residence designed in 1921 for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall by the firm of Frank Lloyd Wright. The residence is part of the National Historic Landmark Aline Barnsdall Complex, a grouping of buildings and structures on Olive Hill in east Hollywood that together represent a Wright’s first commissioned work in Los Angeles and the beginning of his “Romanza” period, characterized by the broad use of cast concrete textile blocks. Barnsdall Park is a Los Angeles City Park run jointly by the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Cultural Affairs Department.

To prepare the Historic Structures Report, LSA subcontracted with Chattel Architecture, Preservation, and Planning, structural engineer Mel Green, conservator Charles Kibby, and cost estimator Cumming Corporation to develop a detailed developmental history, detailed description of current conditions, and treatment recommendations focused on two possible re-use scenarios. To determine the re-use options, LSA organized a visioning workshop led by facilitator Susan Carpenter, which brought together several City department heads, Council representatives, and members of stakeholder organizations. The one day workshop allowed these decision-makers to collectively weigh the benefits of each potential re-use, come to a consensus on the most beneficial options, and combine them in a way that respected the historical nature of the building while meeting programmatic goals. The resulting Historic Structures Report provided a road-map for successful preservation and reuse of the building, along with order-of-magnitude costs that can be used for future grant-writing and local government planning.

Client: Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering

Location: Los Angeles City and County