Nestled on a 24-acre compound in the mountains high above the Malibu Pier are the work and living spaces of 85-year-old Eric Lloyd Wright, grandson of iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
About two dozen lucky locals registered for the Arts Commission’s Salon Series #4 took a tour of Wright’s architectural studios last week, beginning with Wright talking about his life, his work, the site, and its various buildings and features.
Wright explained that his father, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. (aka Lloyd), a landscape architect living in West Hollywood in the 1950s, spent years looking for the perfect build site, even using topographical maps to locate the right combination of ocean and valley views. Lloyd finally purchased his perfect spot, the same piece of property that Wright lives on today, in 1956.
“The chaparral was 14 to 20 feet high – so high you couldn’t see rocks or the shape of the land underneath,” Wright said. “It was undeveloped, virgin land.”
Building a road in to the property “was like cutting the Khyber Pass,” he laughed. “He bulldozed the road through, but he was never able to build his house.”
The Wright family is perhaps the most recognized legacy in architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright spearheaded the building of textile concrete “block”-type houses in California in the 1920s and was also known for designing “Prairie-style” homes in states like Illinois and Wisconsin. The famed architect is recognized today as a visionary of urban planning as well. His son, Frank Lloyd Jr., made his name in designing homes throughout Southern California, many in Hollywood and Los Feliz.
Eric Lloyd Wright’s work on the Malibu property demonstrates his approach to organic architecture, with office buildings and living spaces constructed to fit into the landscape, and recycled, reused and reincorporated building materials. A natural pond on the property was enlarged. Large outcroppings of red rock were left as a backdrop. A natural barbecue area was created with a waterfall between oak trees, a bar and simple decking on the ground. The pièce de résistance is a monument-like unfinished concrete dwelling with killer views.
Eric Lloyd Wright was living in Topanga when he inherited the property from his father.
“I put two trailers together for my office and began commuting to work there. It was beautiful,” he said.”
He eventually moved.
“I have a loving wife (Mary, a watercolor artist) who’s endured tremendous hardships to live in this environment,” Wright said, “We’ve gone through about eight fires … but we both love nature.”
Unfortunately, his earlier architectural drawings were lost in the 1993 fire. But his father’s and grandfather’s drawing collections had been donated to the UCLA archives, where they safely remain to this day.
As his architecture business grew, Eric Lloyd Wright expanded by building a structure that incorporated the two trailers inside – both of which are still used and functional. That area now serves as the main studio and reception area.
Further expansion required additional space.
“We discovered [steel shipping] containers and never looked back,” laughed Kevin Parkhurst, project manager and design coordinator.
Studio rooms were built between the containers, as Wright “doesn’t like the look of a container just standing alone.” Fiberglass roofs were also installed to let light through.
“We call it ‘Malibama’ up here,” Parkhurst joked. “But we do have a CDP (coastal development permit) and plenty of fire department access.”
The architectural firm, Eric Lloyd Wright & Associates, primarily conducts design architecture for residences, working with other architect firms on the actual construction. The group also specializes in restoration of grandfather Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpieces, especially when it comes to replacing the special stonework.
Parkhurst led the group on a tour of the design areas and explained some of the current projects. One is the Simo Santapukki residence in Finland, a rock star who wanted his home to be part of the landscape. A technical discussion of the building’s green design included the use of insulated concrete forms, radiant slabs and roofs with plants.
Other projects use the latest in thin film solar technology, Piur recycled foam and recycled steel mesh, as well as structural bamboo, a renewable resource.
“We call it ‘grow your own house,” Parkhurst said. “We’re using cones of bamboo with mortar and rebar. It’s not an add-on, it’s structural bamboo.” The first all-bamboo structure was recently built in Eugene, Ore.
“The residences are anything but rectangular,” Parkhurst pointed out. “They’re completely designed to fit into the landscape contours and elevations.”
The last stop, the actual Wright residence which was begun in 1984 but never finished due to family “inertia” according to Parkhurst, is a real study in what might have been.
