Chris Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger are getting BASHED for buying and demolishing a “potentially historic” home in Los Angeles!
According to Robb Report earlier this month, the couple bought the Zimmerman House in the Brentwood neighborhood of El Lay off market for $12.5 million in January 2023. Pretty quickly, they went straight into demoing the midcentury building — and we don’t mean minor renovations. They knocked the whole thing down to start fresh!
This has some people fed up considering the place was originally designed by the famous architect Craig Ellwood after being commissioned by Martin and Eva Zimmerman in 1949 (hence the nickname). The place had been photographed for Progressive Architecture magazine, so it’s not like it was some random property that just happened to be a relic from an older era. It had history — history Chris and Katherine just didn’t care about, evidently.
Related: Chris Pratt Says He ‘Fantasizes’ About Getting Revenge For His Kids!
One reason the home had been kept intact for so long is probably because it was kept in the same family for decades! The previous owners were Sam Rolfe (the co-creator of hit TV shows like The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Have Gun — Will Travel) and his wife Hilda, who remained in the home for 30 years after his death in 1993. She recently passed — and thus entered the now-embattled stars!
Apparently, the husband and wife were drawn to the location because it is close to Katherine’s mother, Maria Shriver. It’s literally steps away! But they had a whole new vision for the property, reportedly hiring LA architect Ken Ungar to come rebuild the place. He’s known for modern farmhouse-style mansions — and that appears to be what will be going up on the spot.
Per the outlet, the two-story home will feature a backyard pool, a pool house or cabana, and a three-car garage. It’s unclear if they will be keeping a full-size tennis court that was part of the original Zimmerman design. Either way, the new place will be a far cry from its simplistic single-floor origins — and some folks are pissed about it!
Chris and Katherine were first called out by the Los Angeles Conservancy on Instagram back when they purchased the 1950 house, which they called “a noteworthy example of Modernist design from this era.” Obviously upset with the plans to see the place torn down, the account noted:
“The City’s SurveyLA program identified it as potentially historic, yet no protections are currently afforded.”
But at the time, the celebrity buyers weren’t public knowledge — which is probably why the efforts to stop the demolish went nowhere. But the controversy kicked into high gear this week on Reddit when a TikTok post went viral showing the inside of the building and pointing out the A-listers’ plans. See HERE!
Taking to social media as the news picked up traction, critics wrote:
“It’s sad to see icons of modernism needlessly destroyed by insensitive McMansion seekers”
“Maybe i’m different but i would have a hard time sleeping soundly if i spent $12.5 million on this house only to tear it down”
“Unbelievable the notoriously onerous City of LA doesn’t allow anyone to do anything that makes actual sense – Allowed this midcentury modern house to be TORN DOWN”
“Yet more proof that money can’t buy good taste”
“As if I needed another reason to dislike him”
“Modern farmhouse will never become a classic of design. No matter how many HGTV mavens want to make it so…”
The new property is still in the early phases of construction. Unfortunately, all this criticism has come too late since the damage has been done, literally. So far, neither Chris nor Katherine has opened up about the controversy.
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Do you think it was insensitive of the couple to tear down this old building? Or do they have a right to do whatever they please as the new owners? Sound OFF (below)!
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