The marriage formed by the actor Chris Pratt (Minnesota, 44 years old) and the writer Katherine Schwarzenegger (California, 34 years old), daughter of the actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, has raised blisters among architecture lovers. The reason? Their decision to demolish a historic modernist house from the mid-20th century to build an extensive mansion of more than 4,500 square meters that they want to convert into their new home in Los Angeles.
This is the Zimmerman House, dating from 1950, designed by American architect Craig Ellwood in the Brentwood neighborhood of the Californian city. The couple bought it last year for $12.5 million, after it had been the home of the late Hilda Rolfe, widow of the series' co-creator. The CIPOL agent, Sam Rolfe. The landscaping of the residence, which has appeared in magazines such as Progressive Architecture, was the work of the American landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, considered one of the pioneers of modern landscaping. All of this could be seen in the property's promotional video, from December 2022, in which a house full of light, well preserved, with large windows, wooden floors and furniture from the middle of the last century was seen.
Now the Zimmerman House — which had five bedrooms and three bathrooms — is a pile of rubble. The single-story building has been demolished and the surrounding land has been cleared to build in its place a huge country house for the Pratt-Schwarzenegger couple, married since June 2019 and with two daughters together. Architect Ken Ungar, a specialist in high-end modern rustic-style residences, will be in charge of designing the couple's new house, which will have two floors, according to the specialized media. Architectural Digest. At the moment, it is known that the property is next to the street of Schwarzenegger's mother, the journalist Maria Shirver – other neighbors are Arianna Huffington and Sofia Richie -, and that it will have a garage with space for three cars and a secondary building near the pool.
Last January, the Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that seeks to save and protect historic buildings in the city, already warned of the imminent demolition. “The residence appears to be very intact and to be a notable example of modernist design of the time,” lamented the organization, which also explained on your Instagram profile that the house had been identified as potentially historic, but had not been granted protection. “It is not clear what is motivating this demolition, as it is not for sale and has not been transferred to its former owner. There are viable alternatives to demolition. Help us by contacting the owner and asking the councilor to immediately begin the designation of a Historical-Cultural Monument,” the organization requested in January, unaware of the recent acquisition by the couple.
The Eichler Network, a service and product network aimed at people who own mid-20th century homes in California, also criticized the destruction of the property. “At the same time that architectural houses are marketed as high-end collectible art, others are being demolished to build new ones,” he said. architectural expert writer Adriene Biondo in the organization's newsletter. “Perhaps a historic-cultural landmark designation could have saved the Zimmerman House, or given the time needed to delay demolition. Tragically, calls for preservation fell on deaf ears,” he lamented.
Before making this controversial decision to install his new family home, the actor from films like Guardians of the Galaxy either Jurassic World and the author of The Gift of Forgiveness: Inspiring Stories of Those Who Have Overcome the Unforgivable They lived in a Pacific Palisades mansion for which the interpreter paid $15.6 million in 2018 and to which the writer moved when they strengthened their relationship. The luxurious residence was located in an exclusive neighborhood in which there were only five other houses, it had wooden beam ceilings and doors that rose from the floor to the ceiling to open completely. The couple enjoyed the property until 2023, when they sold it for $32 million, which has allowed them to buy the Zimmerman House, destroy it and now build it as they wish.
#controversial #decision #Chris #Pratt #Katherine #Schwarzenegger #demolish #historic #1950s #house #build #mansion