The Sowden House in Los Feliz: Lloyd Wright's Concrete Block Landmark on Franklin Avenue

Stand on the sidewalk at 5121 Franklin Avenue and the house rises in front of you as a stepped pyramid of patterned concrete block, with the entrance set in the middle of it. That is the Sowden House, designed by Lloyd Wright and built in 1926. The City of Los Angeles lists it as Historic-Cultural Monument #762 and it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a private residence, so the sidewalk is as far as a visit goes. Please do not disturb the property.

The Los Angeles Conservancy describes the street-facing facade as a stepped pyramid arranged to emphasize the central entrance. Visitors pass through copper gates cast with a stylized leaf-and-water motif, then climb scissor-style stairs to the main door. Almost everything about the house is organized around that sequence from the street to the interior, which is unusual for a home and one reason the house holds its status.

Lloyd Wright designed the house, per the Conservancy. He was the son of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Conservancy lists the style as Wrightian. Wikipedia's entry lists it as Mayan Revival and records the year built as 1926.

Lloyd Wright had collaborated on his father's textile block houses, and the Conservancy notes the Sowden House uses patterned concrete blocks in the same spirit. Wikipedia adds that this was the last residence the Wrights built in this style. The nearest relative is the Ennis House on Glendower Avenue, a short distance to the northeast in the hills above Los Feliz Boulevard, where Frank Lloyd Wright designed and Lloyd Wright built. The Samuel-Novarro House in The Oaks is Lloyd Wright's other Los Feliz landmark, from 1928.

The plan is a rectangle with four connected wings around an enclosed central courtyard, per the Conservancy. Wikipedia gives the courtyard's dimensions as 22 feet by 68 feet and says every room opens onto it by way of a narrow corridor. The courtyard was designed for open-air gatherings and for musical and dramatic performances, per the Conservancy. In other words, the house turns its back on the street and opens to the middle.

Wikipedia records two courtyard features that no longer exist. A 32-foot pool and fountain were removed sometime before 1940, and two water organs built of textile block were destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930s. Both details come from a secondary source, so treat them as background rather than as a checklist for the house today.

The Conservancy records a substantial renovation in 2001. Here is what it covered.

• Systems. Lighting, plumbing and electrical were updated.
• Blocks. Many of the deteriorating concrete blocks were repaired.
• Courtyard. A swimming pool and spa were added.
• Plan. Several rooms were reconfigured.
• Facade. The original street facade remained intact.

The last point is the one that matters most for the house's status. The Conservancy holds an easement that protects the historic exterior, including the courtyard. A renovation that updates the inside while leaving the facade and courtyard intact is the kind of work that easement is designed to allow.

The house sits on Franklin Avenue, and the sources for this post do not place it inside any one of the named neighborhoods this site covers. Here is what they do say. The City's SurveyLA report for Hollywood describes Laughlin Park as sitting south of Griffith Park between Los Feliz Boulevard and Franklin Avenue, which makes Franklin Avenue the southern edge of that gated enclave. The Sowden House stands on Franklin Avenue itself, at the foot of the hillside rather than inside a gate.

The Conservancy lists the address at zip 90027 and the community as Los Angeles. Wikipedia places it in the Los Feliz section of the city. For a buyer, the practical reading is this: the house sits on the avenue that runs along the base of Laughlin Park and close to the neighborhoods we cover on our Los Feliz areas page. It belongs to Los Feliz as a whole rather than to one enclave.

Three layers of protection sit on this address.

1. City Historic-Cultural Monument #762. The City's monument list records the Sowden House at 5121 Franklin Avenue, designated August 13, 2003. That designation makes it a qualified historic property for the City's Mills Act program.
2. National Register of Historic Places. Wikipedia records the listing date as July 14, 1971 and the reference number as 71000151. The Conservancy confirms the house is listed in the National Register.
3. The Conservancy easement. The Conservancy holds an easement protecting the historic exterior, including the courtyard. An easement is a recorded agreement that stays with the property through every sale, so a buyer inherits it along with the house.

The Conservancy's page also files the house under its City of Los Angeles Mills Act Program listing. The Mills Act is a revolving 10-year contract that can reduce property taxes in exchange for the owner using the savings to rehabilitate and maintain the historic character of the property. Per the City's 2019 program brief, the contract transfers to new owners on a sale and binds all of them, officials inspect the property periodically and new single-family applications carry a $1.5 million assessed value limit with an exemption path that requires a Historic Structure Report. Whether this house holds a contract is a question for the recorded documents, not for this post. This section explains how the programs work. It is not tax or legal advice. For your own situation, talk with your CPA or attorney as well.

Stated as what to do.

• Read the easement before the floor plan. The exterior and courtyard are protected. Plan any change from that fact outward, and ask the Conservancy what review applies.
• Confirm the monument number on the City list. Listing remarks can be wrong. The City list is the record. Our guide to buying a historic home in Los Feliz walks through the lookup.
• Ask for the 2001 permits. A renovation that touched plumbing, electrical, block repair and the plan should have a paper trail. Ask for it in escrow.
• Treat the block as a material with a history. The Ennis House needed 4,000 blocks replaced in its restoration. Bring in someone who has repaired textile block before.
• Keep the timeline inside your contingencies. Do the research while you still have room to decide.

Rooster Homes is a Los Feliz, Los Angeles real estate team led by Brandon and Sarah Arlington (DRE #02051216). We keep every landmark house in the neighborhood on one map, with its monument number and source, on our Los Feliz historic homes page.

Rooster Homes starts with the record. Rooster Homes is a Los Feliz, Los Angeles real estate team led by Brandon and Sarah Arlington (DRE #02051216). Brandon has been licensed since 2015 and holds the ABR designation for buyer representation. For a house with an easement and two designations, the documents come before the tour so the tour is spent on the house.

See how our buying process fits that research in, then let us know what works best for you. We will coordinate our schedule around yours.