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Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger are being criticized for demolishing a historic home in Los Angeles. The couple purchased the home last year, demolishing it, and beginning renovations for their new home in the lot.
The Los Angeles home was purchased for $12.5 million in January of last year. The place was designed by Emiel Becsky and architect Craig Elwood, who was a popular figure, known for leaving his imprint in homes in Los Angeles through the ‘60s and ‘70s. The home was featured in publications and was often toured by guests due to its Modernist design.
Before the Schwarzenegger-Pratts purchased it, it was the residence of Sam and Hilda Rolfe. Sam was a prominent Hollywood figure, known for creating the TV series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” The couple lived there for 30 years.
According to permits obtained by Robb Report, Pratt and Schwarzenegger’s new home is being designed by Ken Ungar, with there being plans of building of a pool and an outdoor cabana.
© GettyImagesThe public reacts to the news
Admirers of Los Angeles architecture and of preservationist efforts have taken to social media to share their feelings, claiming that Pratt and Schwarzenegger are a part of a larger trend that is uninterested in preserving history. "Unbelievable the notoriously onerous City of LA [that] doesn't allow anyone to do anything that makes actual sense," wrote realtor Julie Chang on X. “Allowed this midcentury modern house to be TORN DOWN.”
"It's sad to see icons of modernism needlessly destroyed by insensitive McMansion seekers,” wrote designer David Hill.
