The Ennis House (1924): Frank Lloyd Wright’s Mayan Revival Masterwork Above Los Feliz

The Ennis House is one of Los Angeles’ most unmistakable works of architecture. Completed in 1924 high above Los Feliz, it is the largest and most ambitious of Frank Lloyd Wright’s textile block houses. With its carved geometric patterns, stepped terraces, and monumental presence, the house feels like an artifact from another world. Yet it is also pure California, made from blocks cast with crushed granite taken directly from the hillside. No other home in the city blends myth, experimentation, and cinematic atmosphere with this level of command.

Origins: Wright’s most ambitious California experiment

By the early 1920s, Frank Lloyd Wright was developing a new form of construction that merged structure and ornament into a single idea. He called it the textile block system. In Los Angeles he found an ideal environment to test it. The mild climate allowed indoor and outdoor living to blend. The hills provided dramatic sites. The expanding film industry embraced bold new forms. Into this landscape stepped the clients, Charles and Mabel Ennis, who hired Wright in 1923. Charles Ennis, a successful men’s clothing merchant, wanted a home with a commanding view and a sense of permanence. Wright delivered both.

Construction began in 1923. Each concrete block was cast in a wooden mold to create a raised geometric pattern inspired by a Greek key motif. Wright’s son, Lloyd Wright, supervised the on site work, managing the terracing and the complex casting required by the steep hillside. The house was finished in 1924 and immediately stood apart from every other residence in the city.

Architecture: a monumental sculpture made of light and pattern

The Ennis House is considered the largest and most elaborate of Wright’s four textile block houses. Its massive facade steps down the hill in layered planes, giving it a sculptural quality that recalls ancient temples. As the sun moves, the thousands of patterned blocks create shifting shadows and a hypnotic rhythm. The use of decomposed granite from the site ties the structure directly to the land.

Inside, the drama continues. The two story living room remains one of Wright’s most striking California spaces, complete with a monumental fireplace and built in seating. A full wall of leaded glass windows echoes the block pattern and fills the room with filtered light. Wright intended every visual surface to participate in the architecture. Wood, concrete, copper, and glass form a single language. The effect is immersive and theatrical.

Early decades: beauty and challenges

Almost from the beginning, the house struggled with moisture. The decomposed granite used in the blocks absorbed water, causing deterioration during storms. The steep hillside and long retaining walls added structural stress. Later owners, including Augustus O. Brown in the 1930s, undertook significant repairs. Even so, architectural critics and photographers admired its daring. Mid century photographs by Julius Shulman helped cement the home’s place in architectural history.

Cinematic fame: how Hollywood adopted the Ennis House

The Ennis House has become one of the most recognizable filming locations in the world. Its most iconic appearance is in Blade Runner from 1982, where the interior served as Rick Deckard’s apartment. The block pattern, seen through neon and shadow, helped define the entire look of the film. Directors use the house because it can evoke mystery, power, strangeness, ancient ritual, or futuristic decay. That quality makes it both timeless and cinematic.

The house also appeared in the original House on Haunted Hill from 1959, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twin Peaks, Black Rain, and many commercials and music videos. Few houses carry this kind of cultural influence.

Decline and the long path to restoration

By the late twentieth century the structural problems were severe. Water infiltration damaged the blocks and their steel reinforcement. The 1994 Northridge earthquake caused major cracking. The home was listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of the one hundred most endangered sites worldwide. Emergency stabilization took place with help from FEMA, which provided a 4.5 million dollar grant, and the Getty Conservation Institute.

In 2011, businessman Ron Burkle purchased the property for 4.5 million dollars with a commitment to complete restoration. The project cost an estimated 16 million dollars and included replacing and repairing thousands of blocks, restoring foundations and terraces, rebuilding retaining walls, and restoring leaded glass. In 2019 the house sold for 18 million dollars, reflecting its renewed condition and global architectural importance.

Context: a house that mirrors the identity of Los Angeles

• 1920s: Hollywood expands and Wright experiments with a radical new form of American architecture. Moorcrest is one of the most emblematic early-Hollywood hillside homes.
• 1930s to 1950s: Structural challenges appear, but fascination with the house grows.
• 1960s to 1980s: The house becomes a cinematic icon, shaping global ideas of Los Angeles.
• 1990s to present: A major preservation success story that restores the house to its original power.

Why the Ennis House matters

• Architectural innovation: The most complete realization of Wright’s textile block idea.
• Cultural reach: One of the most influential houses in cinema and design, especially through Blade Runner.
• Restoration success: A rare example of a fragile architectural experiment being fully saved.
• Enduring symbol: A landmark that continues to inspire architects, filmmakers, and historians. The home is a private residence today.

What it feels like inside today

The house is quiet and meditative. Light moves in geometric patterns across the floors. The leaded glass windows glow in late afternoon sun. From the terraces, the Los Feliz hills roll outward in soft layers. The blocks feel textured and ancient. The house feels both rooted in the land and separated from time itself.

All home images here are artistic illustrations used for education and historical commentary.