Chris Pratt and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, faced backlash last week following reports that they demolished a historic 1950s home in Los Angeles to build a sprawling new mansion.
Today, the daughter of the architect behind the original house spoke out, saying the house could have been given “some honour” before its unceremonious demolition.
The property, located in Brentwood, was designed by Craig Ellwood and is known as the “Zimmerman House.”
Pratt and Schwarzenegger paid $12.5 million for the house in an off-market deal last year, according to the Robb Report.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Ellwood’s daughter, Erin Ellwood, called the house a “time capsule” that preserved a mid-century modern design that is said to be disappearing in the United States.
Craig Ellwood, Zimmerman House (Los Angeles, California), 1953. Jules Schulman | © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
However, she said she didn’t “feel bitter” and could understand why the Hollywood couple wanted to live there, since Schwarzenegger’s mother, Maria Shriver, reportedly lives on the same street.
“I understand the love of family, I understand the desire to be close to my mother or my mother-in-law,” she said. “I understand that I’m a multi-millionaire and I want to build exactly what I want and keep my family close. I understand all of that.”
“Unfortunately, that meant tearing something down,” she added.
With the demolition complete, Pratt, 44, and Schwarzenegger, 34, are now building a two-story, 15,000-square-foot home on the land, Architectural Digest reported. It will be designed by architect Ken Ungar.
Regarding their plans to transform the land, Ellwood said, “I think it would have been really cool to keep it and do something… add to it in a really interesting and innovative way. But you know, can -maybe it’s just not their style. I mean, it’s clearly not the case if they’re building a farm.
Representatives for Pratt and Schwarzenegger did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment.
The Zimmerman House
Living room of the Zimmerman House designed by Craig Ellwood (Los Angeles, California), 1953. Jules Schulman | © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
The Zimmerman House was a 2,770 square foot home named for its original owners, Martin and Eva Zimmerman. It had all the hallmarks of a mid-century modern home: floor-to-ceiling glass windows, open floor plans, and a stone fireplace.
The house also included a garden curated by famed landscape designer Garrett Eckbo. It was also razed to make way for Pratt and Schwarzenegger’s new mansion.
The Eichler Network, a website focused on mid-century modern homes in California, has shared photos of what appears to be the leveled Zimmerman House.
Ellwood said she would have appreciated the house receiving some sort of farewell so that architecture students and enthusiasts could see it one last time.
“Is there anything more creative that could have been done in removing him that could have given him some honor?” she said, also suggesting that Pratt and his wife could have given back to the architectural community by donating materials.
“I think what people respond to is that (the house) is like this time capsule,” Ellwood added. “I think that’s what hurts people so much, is that there aren’t a lot of great ones.”
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