The John Sowden House, an architectural anomaly nestled on Franklin Avenue in the otherwise sun-kissed Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, has captivated and mystified onlookers since its construction in 1926. Designed by Lloyd Wright, son of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright, this Mayan Revival style residence stands as a testament to architectural innovation and a silent witness to a dramatic and at times, sinister slice of Hollywood history. Often dubbed a “gothic pile,” a “cultic” structure, or even the “Jaws house” due to its imposing and unconventional facade, the Sowden House has more recently gained notoriety for a far darker reason: its alleged connection to the infamous Black Dahlia murder.
This compelling narrative is deeply rooted in the intertwined legacies of fathers and sons, beginning with the arrival of a young Lloyd Wright in Los Angeles at the behest of his renowned father, Frank Lloyd Wright, in the late 1910s. For several formative years, the younger Wright collaborated with his father on numerous projects, including the iconic Hollyhock House in Los Feliz. However, in 1924, the elder Wright, feeling creatively constrained, departed Los Angeles, famously declaring to his son, “I’m fed up here. You’re young enough to take Los Angeles.” Lloyd took his father’s words as both a challenge and an opportunity, embarking on a journey to forge his own distinct architectural identity in the sprawling city.
Determined to distinguish himself from his father’s monumental shadow, Lloyd Wright carved out an impressive career, pioneering avant-garde designs like the celebrated orchestral shells for the Hollywood Bowl and crafting remarkable structures such as Wayfarer’s Chapel in Palos Verdes, the Samuel-Novarro House, also in Los Feliz, and the Otto Bollman House nestled in the Hollywood Hills. His innovative approach and unique vision cemented his place as a significant figure in American architecture, independent of his father’s legacy.
Amidst the blossoming landscape of 1920s Los Feliz, a haven for silent movie stars and burgeoning middle-class professionals, retired artist John Sowden and his wife Ruth sought to create a distinctive home, a stage for their social gatherings and amateur theatrical productions. They commissioned Lloyd Wright to bring their vision to life, desiring a residence that would be both a showplace and a private sanctuary.
The result was the John Sowden House, a Mayan Revival fortress that defied convention. Featuring a built-in stage, a clandestine secret room, and a serene central courtyard brimming with exotic flora, the house was constructed using ornamented concrete blocks. These blocks were not merely decorative; they represented an advancement upon the block-building techniques pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright at the Ennis House nearby. The elder Wright himself lauded his son’s “treatment of the block that preserves the plastic properties of concrete as material,” acknowledging Lloyd’s innovative refinement of the technique.
The unique John Sowden House quickly became a local landmark, a source of curiosity and speculation in Los Angeles. A 1938 Los Angeles Times article captured the public’s fascination, noting how the home “sure makes persons from the hinterland stop and stare on their trip to Hollywood.” Lloyd Wright, in the article, described his creation as “sculptural architecture,” designed to seamlessly integrate with the landscape. The Times writer recounted a typical bewildered reaction to the house’s imposing façade:
“My goodness, I wouldn’t want to live in a place like that,” one viewer gasped.
“That darned stuff might come tumbling down on you while you was trying to open them gates to get in the house.”
The perceived precariousness of the structure, however, was an illusion. As the article clarified, “There is no danger of the mass of stone and cement tumbling down. The entire building is constructed of steel placed both horizontally and vertically,” ensuring the fortress-like home’s enduring stability.
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In 1945, the John Sowden House transitioned to a new chapter in its history when it was purchased by Dr. George Hodel. Dr. Hodel was far from ordinary. A sophisticated and brilliant physician, his VD clinic catered to Los Angeles’ elite, and his social circle included luminaries like Surrealist artist Man Ray and film director John Huston. Hodel, drawn to the enigmatic allure of the “gothic pile,” moved into the Franklin Avenue residence, soon joined by his ex-wife Dorothy and their children.
Hodel’s son, Steve Hodel, later a retired LAPD detective, vividly recalled the almost mythical atmosphere of growing up in the labyrinthine John Sowden House:
Once through the gate, you turned immediately to your right and continued up a dark passageway, then made another right turn to the front door. It was like entering a cave with secret stone tunnels, within which only the initiated could feel comfortable. All others proceeded with great caution, not knowing which way to turn. Growing up in that house, my brothers and I saw it as a place of magic that we were convinced could easily have greeted the uninvited with pits of fire, poison darts, deadly snakes, or even a giant sword-bearing turbaned bodyguard at the door. Right out of Arabian nights.
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However, the fairytale-like mystique of the secluded John Sowden House masked a darker reality. Steve Hodel’s recollections also included accounts of frequent beatings in the basement at the hands of his father, and the house became a venue for drug-fueled, hedonistic parties and orgies, often held in George Hodel’s gold bedroom.
In 1949, the shadows deepened when Hodel’s teenage daughter, Tamar, fled the John Sowden House. When questioned by police, she cited the “depressing” home life and “all the sex parties at the Franklin House” as her reasons for leaving. Her accusations escalated, alleging that her father and other adults had raped her during a party at the residence.
George Hodel’s response to police questioning was unsettlingly bizarre. Claiming to be immersed in “the mystery of love and the universe,” he described the accusations as “unclear, like a dream,” questioning whether he was being hypnotized or hypnotizing others. A subsequent police raid of the John Sowden House uncovered pornography and other questionable materials. Despite the gravity of the accusations and the unsettling atmosphere surrounding Hodel, he was acquitted after launching a smear campaign against his own daughter. Shortly after, he sold the John Sowden House and left the United States, seemingly escaping the shadows that had begun to engulf him and his infamous residence.
For decades, the John Sowden House retreated into relative quietude under the ownership of the Mazur family. George Hodel passed away in 1999, seemingly closing a dark chapter in the house’s history. But the story of George Hodel and the Sowden House was far from over.
After his father’s death, Steve Hodel, delving into his father’s belongings, unearthed photographs of a striking dark-haired woman. He became convinced that these were images of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia, whose gruesome and unsolved 1947 murder had become a chilling legend in Hollywood lore. Long-suppressed memories and whispers linking his father to nefarious deeds resurfaced. Family members and old acquaintances offered fragmented pieces of a disturbing puzzle, suggesting George Hodel’s potential involvement in the Black Dahlia murder and the death of an unidentified “secretary.”
Over years of relentless investigation, Steve Hodel became convinced that his father was not only the Black Dahlia’s killer but was also responsible for a string of brutal, unsolved murders in Los Angeles during the 1940s. He further believed that the John Sowden House itself, specifically its basement, served as a potential location for some of these horrific crimes. In 2003, Steve Hodel publicly unveiled his findings in his book, Black Dahlia Avenger, thrusting the John Sowden House back into the spotlight, now inextricably linked to one of Hollywood’s most enduring and gruesome mysteries.
This sensational new narrative, paradoxically, amplified the house’s allure and market value. The John Sowden House had already begun its transformation from private residence to sought-after showplace in 2001 when real estate entrepreneur Xorin Balbes purchased it from the Mazur family for $1.2 million. Balbes, immediately captivated by the house’s unique energy, invested $1.6 million in renovations, adding a pool to the central courtyard, applying metallic bronze and silver finishes to interior walls, modernizing the kitchen, and incorporating Asian-inspired decorative elements.
Lloyd Wright’s son, Eric Wright, himself an architect, offered a nuanced assessment of the renovations, deeming it “a mixed bag,” but acknowledging that “most of the work he did is very good.” Balbes transformed the John Sowden House into a hub for high-society events, fashion shows, and reality TV productions, living within its walls for a decade before selling the 5,600-square-foot property in 2011 to Stephen Finkelstein for $3.85 million. In 2018, Dan Goldfarb, founder of Canna-Pet, a CBD company for pets, acquired the John Sowden House for $4.69 million. He and his wife, Jenny Landers, currently utilize it as a distinctive venue for fundraisers and exclusive gatherings.
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But does the legend of the monstrous doctor and his fortress home hold any truth? Following the publication of Black Dahlia Avenger, LA Times reporter Steve Lopez revisited long-archived police transcripts related to the Black Dahlia murder investigation. He unearthed evidence confirming that George Hodel was indeed a suspect and discovered that the John Sowden House had been bugged by the District Attorney’s office in the aftermath of the incest allegations.
One chilling transcript appeared to record the sounds of a woman being assaulted in the basement, followed by the sounds of digging. Later that same night, a recording captured George Hodel in a phone conversation with a German friend, where he chillingly stated:
“Supposin’ I did kill the Black Dahlia,” the good doctor said. “They couldn’t prove it now. They can’t talk to my secretary anymore because she’s dead.” (Intriguingly, no verifiable evidence of this “secretary” has ever surfaced.)
In 2013, Steve Hodel further claimed that a cadaver dog detected the scent of human remains in the basement and behind the John Sowden House, adding another layer of chilling intrigue to the ongoing mystery. Despite these claims, no excavations have been conducted at the property as of 2015.
Perhaps the most haunting and ambiguous answer to the enduring questions surrounding the John Sowden House comes from a more anecdotal source. Years after George Hodel’s departure, a transient woman appeared at the back door of the house. She possessed remarkably detailed recollections of George Hodel’s all-red kitchen and gold bedroom and displayed an intimate familiarity with the house’s layout. “She looked quite old,” the then-owner recounted to Steve Hodel. “I spoke to her and she said, ‘this house is a place of evil.’” This unsettling encounter encapsulates the enduring mystique of the John Sowden House, a place where architectural brilliance and dark Hollywood history continue to intertwine, leaving an indelible mark on the Los Angeles landscape.
Sowden House
5121 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles, CA
