Architectural Ramblings — The Sowden House

Posted on March 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 3, 1938, Sowden House  
  Drawing by Charles Owens/Los Angeles Times  

The Sowden House by architect Lloyd Wright at 5121 Franklin Ave. is on the market for $4.2 million.

You may recall that this was the purported murder HQ of Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel during his supposedly bloody rampage across the city, in which he killed with impunity (the Black Dahlia, Jeanne French and the Red Cars) after coercing authorities into silence by threatening to reveal which prominent Angelenos had (gasp!) VD. 

Yes, venereal disease is a far worse crime than murder, at least according to “Black Dahlia Avenger,” “Most Evil” and  whatever may be next (Jimmy Hoffa? Judge Crater?) in the “Evil Genius”  franchise.   

ALSO

 A virtual tour of the home.

The Nuestro Pueblo feature on the home.

Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel on the Daily Mirror

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
This entry was posted in #courts, 1947, Architecture, art and artists, books, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo, Real Estate. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to Architectural Ramblings — The Sowden House

  1. Arye Michael Bender says:
    March 21, 2011 at 10:07 am

    Long before knowing The Sowden House was a Wright gem, I got one of my first genuine Hollywood thrills when I drove by it for the first time close to fifty years ago. I knew immediately that it was ‘the house on haunted hill’. Even thought I spied Vincent Price skulking and vamping in the bushes on Franklin. Turned out only to be a plastic skeleton on a wire.
    Just Googled to reaffirm my memory, only to discover that it was not the Sowden, but another Wright in the hills. I may never forgive William Castle for allowing me to pull the wool over my own eyes again.

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