Diane Keaton, producer Joel Silver, designer Mimi London, Leonard Bernstein, Christina Ricci, and other celebrities have all lived in homes designed by America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Could you be next? If you’ve always wanted to own one of his masterpieces, get ready to write a big check faster than a speeding bullet, and leap tall prices in a single bid because a West Los Angeles historical property owned by the late actor Jack Larson (AKA Jimmy Olsen in the 1950s television series “Adventures of Superman”) and accomplished film director James Bridges (“Urban Cowboy,” “The China Syndrome”) will be on the market for the first time in 50 years.
On February 21, Los Angeles Modern Auctions’ upcoming Modern Art & Design event will auction the 1939 house – known as the George D. Sturges Residence -- for a price estimated to be between $2.5 and $3 million. The sale will benefit The Bridges/Larson Foundation, founded by James and Jack, who purchased the residence in 1967. They then commissioned the celebrated modernist architect John Lautner, who supervised its original construction, to restore the structure in 1970. Avid supporters of the arts, the pair also commissioned and were gifted several artworks by David Hockney, Alex Katz, and Joe Brainard plus a signed lithograph of Jane Fonda by Andy Warhol, each of which will also be individually auctioned on February 21. A total of 75 lots will include original furnishings by Frank Lloyd Wright, and decorative pieces from Larson and Bridges’ personal collection.
Deemed a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument on May 25, 1993, the tiny 1,200 square foot house sits on two lots totaling 17,000 square feet in the heart of the wealthy Brentwood neighborhood. The home’s auction will be in conjunction with Sotheby’s International Realty, and marks LAMA’s first property representation in a fine art catalogue. “Although there is a precedent for selling architecture in an art auction, rarely has a property of this caliber serviced,” says Peter Loughrey, LAMA’s founder. “ The location, name recognition of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the jewel-box proportions of the house will appeal to a large number of buyers. This is truly an opportunity to live inside a work of art.”
