Michael Kovac/Getty Images
- Chris Pratt and his wife demolished a 1950s LA house to make way for a new mansion.
- The couple paid $12.5 million to acquire the "Zimmerman House," designed by architect Craig Ellwood.
- Ellwood's daughter said it could have been shown "some honor" before its demolition.
Chris Pratt and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, faced backlash last week following reports that they had demolished a historic 1950s house in Los Angeles to build a sprawling new mansion.
Now, the daughter of the architect behind the original house has weighed in, saying the home could have been shown "some honor" before its unceremonious demolition.
The property, situated in Brentwood, was designed by Craig Ellwood and is known as the "Zimmerman House."
Pratt and Schwarzenegger paid $12.5 million for the house in an off-market deal last year, per Robb report.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, Ellwood's daughter, Erin Ellwood, called the house a "time capsule" that preserved a midcentury modern design that's said to be vanishing across the US.
Julius Schulman | © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
However, she said she didn't "feel bitter" and could understand why the Hollywood couple wanted to live there, as Schwarzenegger's mother, Maria Shriver, reportedly lives on the same street.
"I understand the love of family, I understand wanting to be close to my mother or my mother-in-law," she said. "I understand being a multimillionaire and wanting to build exactly what I want and keep my family close. I get all that."
"Unfortunately, it involved tearing something down," she added.
With the demolition complete, Pratt, 44, and Schwarzenegger, 34, are now in the process of building a 15,000-square-foot, two-story home on the lot, Architectural Digest reported. It will designed by architect Ken Ungar.
On their plans to transform the lot, Ellwood said: "I think it would have been really cool to keep it and do something ... add to it in a really interesting, innovative way. But you know, maybe this just isn't their style. I mean, it clearly isn't if they're building a farmhouse."
Representatives for Pratt and Schwarzenegger did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
The Zimmerman House
Julius Schulman | © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
The Zimmerman House was a 2,770-square-foot home named after its first owners, Martin and Eva Zimmerman. It had all of the hallmarks of a midcentury modern home: Floor-to-ceiling glass windows, open floor plans, and a stone fireplace.
The home also featured a garden curated by celebrated landscape designer Garrett Eckbo. It has likewise been razed to make way for Pratt and Schwarzenegger's new mansion.
The Eichler Network, a website focusing on midcentury modern homes in California, has shared photos of what appears to be the leveled Zimmerman House.
Ellwood said she would have appreciated it if the house was given some kind of sendoff so that architectural students and enthusiasts could see it one last time.
"Is there something more creative that could've been done in the process of taking it away that could've given it some honor?" she said, also suggesting that Pratt and his wife could have given back to the architecture community by donating materials.
"I think what people are responding to is [the home] is like this time capsule," Ellwood added. "I think that's what hurts people so much — is that there aren't that many great ones."