If you remember watching Harrison Ford in "Blade Runner" or Vincent Price in "House on Haunted Hill" you may have noticed the house shared by both movie sets, the Ennis House.

Built in 1924 by Frank Lloyd Wright, this is one of 4 fine examples of Textile-Block houses in Southern California. Built in the Deco Modern style, the Ennis House was closed to the public in 2005, having been damaged by the Northridge earthquake a year earlier.

The Ennis House Foundation, a private conservancy, is the house's owner and its mission is to stabilize the damage and restore the Ennis House so it may reclaim its rightfully deserved place in architectural history and Hollywood movies.

I have written another article on a Frank Lloyd Wright home, the Zimmerman House in Manchester, NH. These are two homes on opposite coasts, each constructed differently.

The Ennis House was a new method of construction by Frank Lloyd Wright. Using concrete blocks held together only by mortar and steel reinforcements, the problem with crumbling concrete began at the onset and would continue to plague the house until this day.

The Zimmerman House, on the other hand, was built of brick masonry and is the only private residence in New England that is open to the public. The Currier Museum of Art has done a wonderful job in preserving the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America's greatest architects.

The Ennis House Foundation estimates the repairs to cost $10 million. Any contributions to their effort would be greatly appreciated. Just think, you may be responsible for its restoration and therefore it could be the movie set in a future Hollywood box office hit. You too can make a difference.

To contribute to the Ennis House Foundation, e-mail: support@ennishouse.org.

This is a marvelous all inclusive book, "Frank Lloyd Wright-The Houses" available here from Amazon.com.


The PBS film, "Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick" is available here from Amazon.com.