Design aficionados and architecture enthusiasts are up in arms over the latest Hollywood scandal, which involves Guardians of the Galaxy alum Chris Pratt, his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, and a historic 1950s mansion—or rather, what’s left of it.
Despite being a fan favorite during his turn on the hit workplace comedy Parks and Recreation, there’s no denying that Chris Pratt has struggled to maintain his popularity in recent years. Not only did the actor garner criticism for shady comments he made alluding to he and ex-wife Anna Faris’ firstborn son, but he was also crowned the internet’s “least favorite Chris” after people came through with pretty damning receipts that saw him supporting an “infamously anti-LGBTQ” church, among other things.
Regardless of whether the general populace has well and truly fallen out of love with Pratt, the Jurassic World star has done some serious damage control in recent years, with his marriage to Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019 being a particularly wholesome component of his “goofy dad” persona and family man charm. But this latest incident might’ve just landed him in hot water—again.
Chris Pratt’s new L.A. home is making headlines for all the wrong reasons
Earlier this month, Architectural Digest reported that Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger had purchased an illustrious 15,000-square-foot house (known simply by the common people as a mansion) in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. And now, it looks like the couple is joining the ranks of the beige baby fanatics and white paint-worshiping furniture flippers, because of course, they just had to ruin it. Apologies in advance to all the midcentury modern fanatics out there.
Per a Robb Report article published on April 8, the couple almost immediately took a bulldozer to the existing structure to make way for a brand new farmhouse, essentially flattening the one-acre lot. While this might not sound especially egregious on the surface, it turns out the original home (originally dubbed the Zimmerman House) was designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood in 1949 and acted as a sort of time capsule of this iconic era of American history for over seven decades.
According to permit records obtained by the publication, the new dwelling will stand two stories tall and will allegedly include a basement, backyard swimming pool, and other classic rich people amenities. Famed L.A. architect Ken Ungar was brought on board to design the home, and yeah, from the looks of it, his labor doesn’t come cheap—one of his properties is currently listed for $24 million. In this economy?!
Since the initial destruction, this much larger McMansion is supposedly inching closer to completion, understandably drawing ire from the internet as Pratt and Schwarzenegger look to size up for their family of four. Oh, and did we mention that the home just so happens to neighbor a two-house compound owned by Schwarzenegger’s mother, Maria Shriver?
Understandably, social media users are up in arms about the demolition of the Craig Ellwood-designed Zimmerman House, with many taking to Twitter to dunk on Pratt and Schwarzenegger’s decision to demo it in favor of a new build.
Yep, this latest mishap isn’t doing much to bump Pratt up in the “Hollywood Chris” ratings. However, many internet commentators did defend the actor’s decision to tear down the existing structure as it is, at the end of the day, his land and his money. Plus, as unfortunate as it might be, this kind of stuff happens every day, often flying under the radar.
One of Marilyn Monroe’s homes—also located in Brentwood—was narrowly (and temporarily) saved from demolition by the Los Angeles City Council last year, though the property still has yet to earn landmark status. A nearly 100-year-old Tudor-style home was also torn down in the L.A. neighborhood of Hancock Park back in 2019, much to disdain of locals, proving that the issue of preservation isn’t exactly new.
Still, if retro-chic isn’t your vibe, then maybe just … don’t buy a historic home?
(featured image: Amazon Prime Video)
