lloyd wright's maya-inspired 'derby house' listed for sale in los angeles

the ornamental derby house by frank lloyd wright jr.

The Lloyd Wright-designed Derby House with its Maya-inspired architecture hits the market in Los Angeles. The work was designed by the eldest son of Frank Lloyd Wright, who had made a name for himself as one of the best-known architects in Southern California. Built in 1926 for businessman James Derby, the residence was listed on the National Register of Historic Places half a century later.

With a facade of intricate, geometric patterning built of precast concrete blocks, the work rises from the hills of Glendale as an iconic example of Mesoamerican form.

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an historic masterpiece in los angeles

The Derby House by Lloyd Wright is listed for nearly $3.3 million (find it here). The dwelling emerges from the oak and eucalyptus trees which cover its sloping site, and celebrates this verdant context with a yucca motif within its characteristic patterned facade. These stone screens — whose concrete blocks are cast in sand sourced from the Chevy Chase Canyon nearby — are replicated along the fireplace grates, french doors, closets, and garage door.

Inside, the residence hosts five bedrooms and three baths, all organized across over 3,200 square feet of living space on two levels. The interiors take shape with cathedral-style ceilings and windows, oak floors, and intricately patterned shadows when the sunlight filters through the stone facade.

inside the maya-inspired house

According to the listing, the Lloyd Wright Derby House is highlighted by a hexagonal dining room which integrates a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and a large bay window. Meanwhile, a double-height living space also features a fireplace which is encased in an ornamental, eight-foot-high gate of wrought-iron along with a loft-style library.

The owner of the house is Jeffrey Sanfilippo, CEO of Illinois-based John B. Sanfilippo & Son, who had purchased the house for $2.3 million in 2016.

the stone facade transforms the sunlight interiors with patterned shadows