When oil heiress Aline Barnsdall decided to build a unique theater community in LA, she gave Frank Lloyd Wright his first LA commission. His Hollyhock House and the park she donated for the arts are still with us.

Located in east Hollywood, this park is one of the most overlooked attractions in LA. At its center is Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, built between 1919 and 1921. Originally designed to anchor a theater community—Barnsdall's original plan also included a theater, a director's house, a dormitory for actors, studios for artists, shops and a motion picture theater—the residence was the first structure Wright built in Los Angeles. As a result, Wright's structure takes LA's Mediterranean climate into heavy consideration, successfully combining indoors and outdoors with the aid of a centrally located garden court, porches, pergolas and rooftop terraces. In 1927, to honor her father's passing, Barnsdall donated the house and eleven acres of surrounding land to the city of Los Angeles to be used as an art park. Today, the park houses the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, which focuses on the work of contemporary Socal artists, and the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, which welcomes indie acts like Neko Case and Calexico. Meanwhile, the park's Great Lawn is home to the Independent Shakespeare Company's free performances in the summer months.