Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House may soon be closed by the public, and will be appointed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site if the City Council passes budget cuts proposed by the City Council.
The architectural landmark, located on the top of Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood, is managed by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs, and two full-time staff members toured Thursday, Friday and Saturday and handled the maintenance of the building, an early example of modern California architecture.
The mayor's proposed budget attempted to end the nearly $100 million shortage by ruling part of more than 1,600 city employees, two employees ruled one of the two positions and ruled two open positions at Hollyhock House.
The Department of Cultural Affairs has been interviewing candidates for open positions and making an offer for the work of the art manager. But after the mayor released her proposed budget, the department had to revoke the proposal and stop other job interviews.
"A full-time employee will not be able to manage the tour plan and save, so he will need to be suspended until additional full-time employees can be restored," said Juan Garcia, a spokesman for the department.
In large part, due to huge budget shortages caused by rising personnel costs, soaring legal spending and a slowdown in the local economy, department heads have been testifying to the City Council’s Budget Committee to see how the mayor’s proposed cuts will affect city services.
The Department of Cultural Affairs will face 14 layoffs and cancel 10 vacancies out of 91 total positions. The cuts could also lead to the closure of the Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center.
Oil heiress Aline Barnsdall commissioned Hollyhock House in 1918. She had never lived and donated it to the city in 1927.
In 2019, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only artificial world heritage site on the West Coast.
The home closed for more than two years during the common 19th pandemic and reopened in August 2022 after a major renovation.
The huge fireplace brings together four classical elements of the earth, air, fire and water, and brings together the artistic glass balcony doors of the master bedroom.
The architect believes that he believes that two Wright-designed sofa tables that he believes are “part of the house design itself” were reinstalled.
These improvements also include major restoration of the hotel.
Speaker Garcia said UNESCO's designation requires four full-time employees in the House. The ministry has asked the city council to restore three positions in its final budget, which must be adopted by June 1.
"The proposed staffing cuts will seriously affect the management of Hollyhock House and subvert the city's benchmark staffing commitment made by the City of Los Angeles as part of the website's 2019 World Heritage List inscription," Garcia said.
Proposed cuts shocked protectionists.
“UNESCO World Heritage Status is a very honor to cultivate, not lost by bringing public access,” said Kim Cooper, one of the two people behind Esotouric secrets of the tourism company and the preservationist blog, Los Angeles. “Hollyhock House is the only home in Wright’s Los Angeles home to tour and has recently recovered at a huge cost.”
The MP Hugo Soto-Martínez, who represents the region, said that the status of the house must be maintained given the upcoming Olympics and World Cup.
"We are exploring all options through the budget process to save our dedicated Hollyhock home staff and retain their protected identity," he said in a statement.