When the Freeman House — one of three famous Frank Lloyd Wright Mayan Revival-style homes in Los Angeles — returned to the open market with a relist in September, it arrived with a significant price cut that took its ask from $4.25 million to $3.25 million.

The property finally sold this winter, but the University of Southern California, which owned it, let it go for far less than even the reduced price: when it closed recently, the transaction registered at $1.8 million. As a condition of the sale, the buyer is required to allow public tours four times a year.

Aside from the conservation easement, reasons for the low sale price are likely rooted in cost of upkeep and design style. The 2,884 sq. ft. house is not a low-maintenance structure, one would expect; the unique concrete blocks have to be fabricated when they’re needed. The style is also quite rigid, however interesting, a ponderous and eerie amalgam of the cultural and historical that conjures undertones of mystery and a peculiar atmosphere of temporal conflation.

The Ennis House, Wright’s L.A. Mayan Revival that became famous for its role as an interior set in the 1982 sci-fi flick Blade Runner, required millions in structural restoration after it was acquired by billionaire and L.A. residential architecture hound Ron Burkle…and changed hands at a similarly discounted price when it sold in 2019. The house is tagged with a conservation easement that allows the public to access it 12 times a year.

Other FLW-designed Mayan Revival homes in Los Angeles: The Hollyhock House, the Samuel-Navarro House, and the Storer House.

Photo credit: Freeman House Photographic Portfolio. Dan Soderberg.