Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Park

Wine Tasting Fridays at Barnsdall Park bring a little culture, a little community and a lot of LA personality in the shadow of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House.

While repasts flow from local magnets of taste: including Silverlake Wine, and food from Let's Be Frank, Mandoline Grill, Canter’s, and La Guera Tamalera (or bring your own picnic), new vintages will be uncorked and celebrated. The $20 fee benefits a host of programs and projects sponsored by the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation, including free Sunday art classes for children, and capital improvement projects like the Barnsdall Monument Sign.

The Friday wine tasting series go from 5:30 to 8:30 pm and also present a chance for visitors to catch a guided tour of the inside of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, the Hollyhock House, led by house docents. Tickets that include a tour can be purchased in advance for $35 (the additional $15 fee for the house tours goes directly to the restoration needs of the Hollyhock House.)  Tours start at 5:45 pm, 6:15 pm, and 7 pm.  Both wine tasting space and tour space are limited so reservations are essential (tix at http://fridays.barnsdall.org).

JUST WRIGHT

Hollyhock House is Frank Lloyd Wright’s first Los Angeles showpiece, built between 1919 and 1921. It shows his grappling for regionally appropriate styles in design for what was a Los Angeles just beginning to rise in its stature as an entertainment capital and fitfully indulged in a variety of Art Deco architectural elements. Wright coined it “California Romanza.”

The dry, temperate climate, gave Wright the chance to combine the indoors and outdoors in designing Holllyhock House. In addition to the central garden court, each major interior space adjoins an equivalent exterior space, using glass doors, porch, pergola or colonnade. Rooftop terraces exaggerate the living spaces affording magnificent views of the city.

The house takes its name from the favorite flower of Aline Barnsdall. Hollyhock representation may be found on the roofline, walls, columns planters and furnishings. In 1927, Aline Barnsdall gave Hollyhock House and eleven surrounding acres to the City of Los Angeles for use as a public art park in memory of her father, Theodore Barnsdall.Today, surrounded by a modern theater and art galleries, Hollyhock House is the centerpiece of a cultural and community arts complex in Hollywood.

HelloHollywood Tip: Visitors can tour the house at a variety of times beyond Friday wine tastings, although not necessarily with a knowledgeable docent. The house is open to tours Wednesdays through Sundays 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 pm for $7. Tickets for tours can be purchased on site at the Municipal Art Gallery. 

- by Lark Ellen Gould, Los Angeles Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Lark Ellen Gould

Lark Ellen Gould has penned seven books on Las Vegas and Los Angeles as a veteran news and travel writer. Her work appears in the L.A. Times, Elite Traveler, Travel Agent Magazine and other national forums. She lived in Boston for many years, earning her masters degree and then traveling the globe for stories. Today she lives in LA and still travels the world on assignment while filling the pages of her travel site: www.wheredaily.com, along the way.