Saving Frank Lloyd Wright

It was announced last week that Southern California billionaire Ron Burkle is the new owner of the landmark Ennis House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

The house sits high in the hills above the Los Feliz district. It is the last and largest of Wright's four "textile-block" homes in the Los Angeles-area.

The Ennis House has been in bad shape for decades. Its uniquely patterned blocks are crumbling from earthquake and rain-damage. A non-profit foundation started to repair and restore the home, but fell short of the millions of dollars needed to finish the work. According to theLos Angeles Times, Burkle is committed to finishing the preservation.

In this edition of SoCal Rewind, Saul Gonzales takes us inside the Ennis House to learn what makes it so unique, and why it's in danger. This story first aired in March of 2004.

SoCal Rewind is an on-going series bringing you past reports on the issues of today. By drawing on KCET's extensive archive of Southern California news, culture and public affairs, we seek to inform current events by providing a little historical perspective, and maybe answer the question: Is there anything new under the SoCal sun?