Jul 14, 1971
John Sowden, House - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance A work of art unique in its combining of planar surfaces with dense ornamentation; the separation of sheer wall from ornament is reminiscent of the Mexican Plateresque per in which ornament was concentrated at the portal. Although Lloyd Wright, the architect, worked later with his father on the construction of textile block houses, his own work in this medium is highly personal; it relates more to the buildings of the German Expressionists, particularly Hans Poelzig, whose ornament was particularly dense. His direct influences are his father, Frank Lloyd Wright and Irving Gill, in whose office he worked; Gill’s sheer walls without projections can be clearly seen in the facade of the Sowden house and Lloyd Wright's own house; the freedom ' of the plan is indebted to his father and the presence ornament. Relates to Frank Lloyd Wright's period 1916-1926, This does not account for the unusual combination of richness and chasteness, which have produced an almost unclassifiable and highly original design.
John Sowden, House - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance A work of art unique in its combining of planar surfaces with dense ornamentation; the separation of sheer wall from ornament is reminiscent of the Mexican Plateresque per in which ornament was concentrated at the portal. Although Lloyd Wright, the architect, worked later with his father on the construction of textile block houses, his own work in this medium is highly personal; it relates more to the buildings of the German Expressionists, particularly Hans Poelzig, whose ornament was particularly dense. His direct influences are his father, Frank Lloyd Wright and Irving Gill, in whose office he worked; Gill’s sheer walls without projections can be clearly seen in the facade of the Sowden house and Lloyd Wright's own house; the freedom ' of the plan is indebted to his father and the presence ornament. Relates to Frank Lloyd Wright's period 1916-1926, This does not account for the unusual combination of richness and chasteness, which have produced an almost unclassifiable and highly original design.
Jul 14, 1971
Posted Date
Mar 22, 2022
Historical Record Date
Jul 14, 1971
Source Name
United States Department of Interior - National Park Service
Source Website
Sowden House, 5121 Franklin Ave Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA
This house, designed by Lloyd Wright in 1926, is built around a central court which originally contained an elaborate fountain. The house is entered through a cavelike opening whose textured concrete units create a striking contrast to the planar surfaces flanking it. These blocks are repeated in the central court.
Sowden House, 5121 Franklin Ave Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA
This house, designed by Lloyd Wright in 1926, is built around a central court which originally contained an elaborate fountain. The house is entered through a cavelike opening whose textured concrete units create a striking contrast to the planar surfaces flanking it. These blocks are repeated in the central court.
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2021
Source Name
Library of Congress
