The landmark Ennis Brown house in Los Feliz has been ruled "uninhabitable" due to a crumbling retaining wall. Inspectors estimate that about $500,000 in rain and mud damage has already been incurred. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the house was built in 1924 using more than 24,000 textured concrete blocks. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and awarded landmark status by the state and the city of Los Angeles. In 1980, owner Augustus O. Brown donated the house to the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage, which has been raising money to save the residence. The trust's website has numerous photos and more information; even before the rains, the home's custodians had issued an urgent plea for help to the preservation community. Meanwhile, a few miles west in Laurel Canyon, a new slide has closed Laurel Canyon Boulevard and more homes there have been red-tagged.
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