Chris Pratt and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, have come under fire for demolishing a historic mid-century mansion in Los Angeles to build their new home. The 1950 Zimmerman house, designed by renowned architect Craig Ellwood, was purchased by the couple last year for $12.5 million. The property, located in the Brentwood neighborhood, was once home to the late Hilda Rolfe, the widow of The Man From U.N.C.L.E co-creator Sam Rolfe.
The couple’s decision to demolish the historic home has sparked outrage among preservationists and architectural enthusiasts. The Los Angeles Conservancy, which is dedicated to preserving historic buildings, had warned of the demolition earlier this year, adding that the residence was “highly intact and a noteworthy example of modernist design from this era.”
The Eichler Network, which provides news and updates about mid-century Californian homes, also disapproved of the project. “At the same time as architectural homes are being marketed as high-end, collectible art, others are being torn down to build new,” said writer Adriene Biondo. “Perhaps a historic-cultural monument designation could have saved the Zimmerman house, or allowed the necessary time to delay demolition. Tragically, calls for preservation fell on deaf ears.”
Despite the criticism, Pratt and Schwarzenegger have moved forward with their plans, and the Zimmerman house has now been cleared to make way for their new single-story modern farmhouse, which is set to be 15,000 square feet in size. It is set to feature a secondary unit, a pool, and a three-car garage.
The new home has been designed by architect Ken Ungar, who typically specializes in high-end modern farmhouse-style properties. Pratt, 44, and Schwarzenegger, 34, have been in a relationship since June 2018, and they married in Montecito, California in 2019. They couple share two daughters.
