John Sowden House facts for kids
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John Sowden House
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John Sowden House, 2008
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| Location | 5121 Franklin Avenue, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California |
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| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style | Mayan revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000151 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 14, 1971 |
The John Sowden House is a famous home built in 1926. It is located in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California. This unique house was designed by Lloyd Wright, who was the son of the well-known architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
People often call it the "Jaws House" or the "Franklin House." This is because its front looks like a Mayan temple or the wide-open mouth of a great white shark. The house is also special for its detailed concrete blocks, which are called textile blocks.
Exploring the House's Design
The original owner, John Sowden, was an artist. He asked his friend, Lloyd Wright, to build his home on Franklin Avenue. The house uses special concrete blocks that have patterns inspired by the ancient Mayan people. These decorative blocks are even found on some inside walls.
When you go to the front entrance, it feels a bit like a cave. You walk through sculpted copper gates. Then, you go up a narrow staircase to enter the house. The building is shaped like a rectangle. All the rooms open into a large central courtyard. This courtyard is about 22 feet wide and 68 feet long.
Originally, the courtyard had a 32-foot-long pool and a fountain. These were removed before 1940. There were also two water organs made of textile blocks. Sadly, these were destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930s. This was likely the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.
The style of the Sowden House is similar to other homes Lloyd Wright's father designed. These include the Ennis House, Hollyhock House, Storer House, Samuel Freeman House, and Millard House. These houses also used concrete textile blocks and Mayan-inspired designs.
When these Mayan revival homes were first built, many critics did not like them. They thought using concrete blocks, which were cheap, for fancy homes was strange. However, opinions have changed a lot since then. Today, these houses are considered very important landmarks. They are even listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. People now praise their striking and new style.
The Sowden House is seen as one of Lloyd Wright's most important buildings. When he passed away in 1978, the Los Angeles Times newspaper called it the best of his homes. The sharp lines of the house's front truly make it look like a shark's mouth. This is why it's known as the "Jaws House" in Los Angeles. It has also been described as looking "cultic" and "brooding." The Los Angeles Times also called it a "quasi-Mayan-style mansion." They said it looks like something from another world, standing out on Franklin Avenue.
The Sowden House was the last home built by the Wrights in this special style. However, Lloyd Wright did use a similar Mayan-style roof line for the first "shell" of the Hollywood Bowl. That structure was made of wood and only lasted one year.
Updates and Changes
In 2001, the Sowden House was put up for sale. It has seven bedrooms and four bathrooms. It also has about 5,600 square feet of space. Xorin Balbes bought the house that year for $1.2 million. He said the house was "a wreck" when he bought it. He then spent $1.6 million to restore it.
During the restoration, Balbes fixed the old stonework. He also changed the kitchen area into one large, open space. New, modern bathrooms were added. He also put a pool and a spa in the central courtyard.
Some of these changes caused debate. Lloyd Wright's son, Eric Lloyd Wright, praised the new kitchen. However, he did not like the pool and spa in the courtyard. The house's rooms all open onto this long central courtyard. It was originally an open lawn used for performances. Eric Wright felt it was a "mistake" to add a pool and spa there. An architectural historian, Dana Hutt, also criticized the changes. She felt the pool and some new Asian design elements did not fit Wright's original Mesoamerican design.
The house has been sold a few times since these renovations. In 2016, it was listed for sale again. It was sold to Dan Goldfarb in January 2018.
