Hollyhock House is located on the northern slope of Olive Hill, a knoll within Barnsdall Art Park in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States.

[8][9] The designs of several other buildings in the park, including a gallery, theater, and junior arts center, are inspired by that of Hollyhock House.

[24][25] Barnsdall originally wanted to build the theater in San Francisco,[23] but she had changed her plans once more by early 1918, when she decided to construct a theatrical complex in Southern California.

[78] As work continued, Wright directed his team to find ways to reduce the main house's cost, and he became increasingly displeased with the contractors.

[19][87] Two of Barnsdall's friends, the art collectors Louise Arensberg and Walter Conrad, moved into Residence A during 1923,[61] though it is unknown if anyone stayed there afterward.

[63][94] A. C. Parlee was hired as the general contractor,[94] but city officials quickly ordered workers to stop construction due to building code violations.

[84][98] That December, Barnsdall offered to donate Hollyhock House to the Los Angeles Public Library and some of the land around it to the city's Department of Recreation and Parks.

[63][118] The California Art Club moved into Hollyhock House on August 31, 1927, with a reception attended by 1,000 people;[119] it began inviting regular visitors two weeks later.

[130] The California Art Club also wanted to expand its space by roofing over the central courtyard, though Lloyd Wright instead suggested extending the galleries on the house's south wing.

[63] A judge ruled in 1941 that Barnsdall could take back ownership of Residence B, while the city of Los Angeles could keep Hollyhock House and the rest of the estate.

[140] Hollyhock House was dedicated on November 4, 1948, in honor of James William Clune Jr., a soldier who had been killed in World War II.

[176] Eric Lloyd Wright, Frank's grandson, later recalled that the renovation had come amid increasing public interest in his grandfather's work.

[178] A citizen sued, claiming that the fundraiser violated both the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and a state law prohibiting unauthorized political activity in public buildings,[179] and Snyder later agreed to pay $250 to settle the suit.

[205][206] The city government hired the landscape architect Peter Walker[206][207] and local preservationist Brenda Levin to design a master plan for the park and house.

[218] The project included renovating the interior, removing mold and termite-infested wood, replacing corroded pipes and rotting woodwork, and fixing leaks.

[223][224] The city government provided a matching grant of $1.935 million,[55][224] and the National Park Service gave another $489,000 through the Save America's Treasures program.

[219] As such, in 2017, the Los Angeles City Council provided funding for the creation of a virtual reality tour program,[81][231] which was completed the next year.

[234][239] The balcony doors, the fireplace, and two sofas in the main house's living room were restored during the closure,[240][241] as were the art glass, cast stone, and woodwork.

[141] The house was designed in a style that Wright characterized as "California Romanza",[153][206] borrowing from a musical term translating to "freedom to make one's own form.

[257] In general, non–load-bearing interior walls are made of wood studs coated in plaster, while the wooden floor planks are fitted together in a tongue-and-groove pattern.

[292] The ceiling of the living room, measuring 12 feet (3.7 m) high,[261] slopes upward and has oak moldings,[288][292] along with bronze and light green bands.

[312][318] The cages are arranged in a straight line and have concrete water tables, concrete-slab floors, stucco walls, and flat roofs.

[317] A trough extends east from the house, connecting with a concrete pool and a dry streambed; this was part of a watercourse that Wright had designed for the property.

[176] The Topanga Messenger said the house "was built as a showpiece, yet maintains an intimacy throughout",[337] while another local newspaper called it "large, heavy, boxlike".

[256] When the house reopened in 2005, the Daily Breeze of Hermosa Beach, California, wrote that the building was "rich, complex, intriguing and at times even awe-inspiring.

"[143] The Architectural Record wrote that Hollyhock House "stands in an arena of its own",[254] and Christopher Hawthorne of the Los Angeles Times regarded it as "underappreciated and largely misunderstood".

James Steele, an architecture professor at the University of Southern California, said the building was often viewed as "a folly that was totally out of character and context of his work".

[341] A reporter for the Los Angeles Times wrote that the house had "one of Wright's least appealing domestic interiors" and that the surrounding grounds were as "depressing" as a convenience-store parking lot.

[52] In 1959, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) deemed Hollyhock House as one of several buildings designed by Wright that merited the highest levels of architectural preservation.

[135][356] The New York Times wrote in 2005 that the Hollyhock House "represented a turning point in Southern California architecture", since it had helped start the careers of Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, and Frank's son Lloyd.