Chris Pratt And Katherine Schwarzenegger Are Being Criticized For Reportedly Demolishing A "Historic" Home
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If you're in the mood for some extremely specific internet drama, look no further than Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger demolishing a historic Brentwood home.
The home in question was designed by the famed architect Craig Ellwood and was locally known as the Zimmerman House, after its original owners. It was commissioned in 1949 and originally stood as a single-story, five-bedroom, 2,770-square-foot, midcentury-modern home worth $12.5 million.
The most recent owners were Sam and Hilda Rolfe, the former being the co-creator of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and the home appeared to have been privately sold to Katherine and Chris after Hilda's death.
The Los Angeles Conservancy warned of the home's demolition in January 2023, writing on Instagram that the house "appears to be highly intact and a noteworthy example of Modernist design from this era." They continued, "The City’s SurveyLA program identified it as potentially historic, yet no protections are currently afforded." They further urged for "viable alternatives to demolition" and the house to be designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument.
Earlier this month, reports emerged that Chris and Katherine were behind the home's demolition last year. It's worth noting that the property is apparently across the street from Maria Shriver, Katherine's mother.
According to Architectural Digest, a 5,000-square-foot-per-floor "sprawling two-story home" will be in its place, with a three-car garage and pool house. It will be designed by architect Ken Ungar, known for his farmhouse style.
In response to the news, Craig's daughter Erin Ellwood told the Los Angeles Times, “I think it would have been really cool to keep it and do something...add to it in a really interesting, innovative way. But you know, maybe this just isn’t their style. I mean, it clearly isn’t if they’re building a farmhouse.”
One viral tweet on the platform formerly known as Twitter read, "This makes me so sad. Architecture is art. I guess if someone sells it to you, you can do whatever with it, but it’s historic and you’re rich. Maybe buy a different house?"
"Unbelievable the notoriously onerous City of LA doesn’t allow anyone to do anything that makes actual sense — Allowed this midcentury modern house to be TORN DOWN," a California realtor added online.
“It’s sad to see icons of modernism needlessly destroyed by insensitive McMansion seekers,” designer David Hill reportedly said.
What do you make of the hubbub? LMK in the comments.
