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Wright in Racine
Hollyhock House: From private to public use
Posted by:
mhertzberg on
May 13, 2008 at
3:39PM CST
Hollyhock House: From private residence to public site Photos and text (c) Mark Hertzberg  Jeffrey Herr noticed a slight commotion at the front door of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House. A young couple, hoping to tour the house with their baby, was trying to maneuver a bulky stroller through the door. Herr, who is curator of the house for the Department of Cultural Affairs of the city of Los Angeles, was firm, but gentle, as he told them that strollers are not permitted in the house. The couple with the stroller represents the challenge of running a world-famous house museum in the middle of a public park, in the middle of a metropolitan area. Aline Barnsdall donated Olive Park, including the house and two small homes, known as Residences A and B, to the city in 1927. Residence A, also known as the Director’s House, is not open to the public. Residence B was demolished in 1954.
Residence A
Low fencing separates Hollyhock House from the surrounding lawn. Some 12,000 people tour the house every year. The public is welcome, but some limits have to be set. Herr knew that the stroller could not maneuver far through the house. “It could have only moved a short distance, before being blocked by steps or ropes. Our docents are nice people. They try to accommodate, and I try to encourage everyone [the docents] to think of the visitor as a guest in your house, because it is your house when you are presenting it, within limits.” Though some tours present unique and unpredictable challenges, there are some things that probably do not change with Wright tour groups anywhere. Herr continues. “I think probably our biggest challenge, and this would vary from house museum to house museum, is keeping the group together. People tend to wander off. In Hollyhock House, that is so easy to do. It’s hard to keep people together. I have occasionally seen a stray person and said, ‘May I help you?’” He explains that they cannot take self-guided tours, as he escorts them back to their group. Nina Marsh, center, is a docent at Hollyhock House Hollyhock House has about 40 volunteer docents, about half of whom gives tours regularly, Herr says. “That’s a very small core to staff a full month of tours, Wednesday through Sunday. You need at least two a day, and that doesn’t include our special tours for larger groups, which book to come during the non-public hours. It’s really quite a responsible operation to try to keep up with the interest.“Public institutions often have to rely on volunteers. It’s still very difficult and getting more difficult, to find not just qualified volunteers, but volunteers at all. Once you have those volunteers, God bless them, you are subject to the demands of their lives, which often means you can be at the last minute left without a docent to give a tour. As a public institution you have published hours, but a public institution, especially like for the city of Los Angeles, there is just no excuse acceptable [to cancel a tour] and so we have to be able to somehow fill in here.” Sara Cannon, the Director of Museum Education and Tours Program, is sometimes called on to fill in when there are no volunteers. She is proud of the docents. “The docent program is going strong. There have been docents here at least since the 90s, and it is a tradition for the house.” Hollyhock House is one of the dozen Wright properties successfully nominated last fall by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, for inclusion on the US Park Service's list of buildings being considered for UNESCO's World Heritage List of significant buildings and sites. That news comes with the expectation of even more visitors, Herr says. “All reports from other sites is that your visitor numbers increase exponentially.” Docents are recruited through a variety of methods, including word of mouth and e-mail. They go through a 20 hour, five-week training session. They are loyal to the house, Herr says. “We have some docents who have been here since time immemorial. They started when they were younger, and some of them are really senior citizens, now.” Wright visitors come from around the world. Herr is particularly fond of older guests who are eager to share memories of the house and of the park. “We will get someone on a tour who came to the park as a child, and so they will have specific memories, and sometimes, to our benefit, photographs they offer to give to us. We have to love those guests. It’s very interesting, because sometimes their memories are oral history and it is the only piece of information we have for that piece of the puzzle.” The park opened to the public in 1927. “You still have people who were around in the 40s or took classes in the 50s.” Not everyone comes to Barnsdall Park to see Wright’s architecture. On a recent weekday, a group of people were practicing kick-boxing near the house. A family was eating a picnic next to the fence around the house. 
 “This is the Theodore Barnsdall Memorial Park,” Herr explains, “and it was Aline Barnsdall’s vision that it be used by the public and specifically for cultural purposes. To that extent, her vision is very much alive. I am particularly enthusiastic about all other individual uses the park gets for all sorts of activities. These are very passive activities, and that is important. Where we run into a challenge is where large groups want to use the park because there is an impact on the physical property and on the programming of the park and the use by all those individuals. That is challenging to try to maintain the mission and not try to impact the physical and other aspects.” Herr attended last fall’s Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy annual meeting, which examined the challenges that come with turning private homes into public spaces. Some Wright stewards cringe at the attention that their homes get, but not Herr. “It’s great that there is that much attention and that much use.” SLIDE SHOWS; Hollyhock House exterior photos: Residence A: RESOURCES: Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy: http://www.hollyhockhouse.net/index.htm
No reservation required. For groups larger than ten people, reservations are required. (Please see Group Tours note below.) *Wednesday through Sunday 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 & 3:30 PM (Pacific) $7 - General audiences $3 - Students & Seniors Free - Children under 12 (when accompanied by adult) Tickets for tours can be purchased at the Municipal Art Gallery. Closed on all major holidays No photography is allowed during tours Group Tours of Hollyhock House * Due to city and fire codes, groups larger then 10 can not be accommodated during regular tour hours as spaces must be left available to the general public. As larger groups require additional docents to meet, greet and conduct tours, reservations are mandatory. We welcome groups of all sizes, but advanced notice of at least 2 weeks is necessary as group tours of 10 or more people are conducted at special times. Please contact the Office. Tuesday 10:00, 11:00 AM, Noon, 1:00, 2:00PM (Pacific) Wednesday - Saturday (some Sundays) 10:00, 11:00 AM (Pacific) $15.00 - General audiences $10.00 - Students & Seniors Free - Children under 12 (when accompanied by adult) Tickets for group tours can be purchased at the Municipal Art Gallery. Closed on all major holidays No photography is allowed during tours For information, contact: Gabe Cifarelli 323-644-6269
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