Seller Story: Ruth Ross Estate, Los Angeles, CA
Built in 1957 by Eric Lloyd Wright, grandson of the famed architect Frank, the Ruth Ross house overlooks the Silverlake Reservoir, and is known in the Los Angeles neighborhood as a jewel of Mid Century Modern design. A longtime Silverlake resident, Ross (1933-2016) was an arts patron and political science professor whose resume included positions at CSU Long Beach, UC Santa Barbara and Claremont Men’s College. During one point in her career, she taught at her alma mater, Thomas Starr King Middle School, and it was there that she met Rupert Pole; one of two husbands of lionized essayist Anaïs Nin. The women struck up a friendship. “Anaïs encouraged Ruth, who had purchased a Spanish-style casita in Silverlake, to have Wright, who was then an apprentice to his grandfather, build on top of it,” notes the new owner. (Nin knew Wright through her mother, who had married him). “This is the first home he built on his own.”
Not only a Silverlake landmark, the home also served as a gallery for Ross to display her own collection of Native American and Primitive art. The new owner is selling items from that collection, along with furniture, jewelry and books, including various tomes of Frank Lloyd Wright and a first edition from Anaïs Nin. “I love the story behind the house, it has amazing history," he says. "And I love Ruth’s story as well. I love seeing her books in the offices, and Hallmark cards she received on her desk. I feel like I’m connected to it in some way.”
Collection of Frank Lloyd Wright Books
Set of Four Modern Dining Chairs
Stained Glass Wall Hanging
Bulova Frank Lloyd Wright Decorative Floor Clock
Ceramic Vessel with Hand Painted Designs
David Johns Acrylic on Board Painting
Teak Patio Bar Table
Potawatomi Painted Gourd Vase
Garden of Eden Hand Sewn Textile
Folk Art Ceramic Hand Painted Horse
Pair of Wooden Frank Lloyd Wright Light Switch Covers By Uni-Art Marketing
"Pictorial History of the World" by James D. McCabe
Hand Painted Longhorn Cow Skull
Wanpen Watercolor on Paper from Thailand
Native American Style Pit Fired Stoneware Vessel
Tarahumara Style Violin and Bow
14K Yellow Gold, White Sapphire, and Synthetic Ruby Dangle Earrings
Antique Folding Travel Desk
Amado M. Pena Signed Art Print
Hand Made and Decorated Planter
Vintage Handbuilt Stoneware Pot
Amado M. Pena Watercolor on Paper
Hand Woven Native American Style Area Rug
Collection of Frank Lloyd Wright Books
Handwoven Native American Style Baskets
Chinese Reticulated Celadon Vase with Stand
Vintage Framed Bullriding Serigraph
Ceramic Pot with Metal Stand
Hand Painted Native American Vessel
Boaz Wakes Up and Sees Ruth at His Feet Lithograph After Marc Chagall
Mission Style Stained Glass Table Lamp
Vintage Mid Century Modern Rolling Tray Table
Hand Carved Monkey Curtain Tie Backs
J.R. Meyers Acoma Pottery Jar
Hopi Style Kachina Doll
Hand Thrown Stoneware Native American Style Bowl
Hand Carved Sepik River Sculpture
R & L Watkins Column Shelf Clock
Vintage Footed Hope Chest
Abstract Paper Mache Sculpture
Pair of Danish Modern End Tables
Native American Style Sterling and Leather Concho Belt
Huichol Style Wall Piece
Ittuk Ainalik Inuit Serpentine Carving
Abstract Dancing Bull Sculpture
After Frank Lloyd Wright "Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers" Glass Screen
9K White Gold and Tanzanite Stud Earrings
1930s Sessions Banjo Clock
Vintage Copy of "The Illiad of Homer" by W.C. Bryant.
Native Northwest Style Painted Wood Whale Art
After C. B. Gruel Silkscreen on Rice Paper
Hand Painted Coil Built Native American Vessel
Do you have a sense of what Ruth was like?
Remembrances describe her as dedicated to many women’s causes, and she was a huge supporter of the arts. She was a patron of the Barnsdall Art Park and the Shoenfeld Endowed Scholarship Fund for Strings Students at USC.
Tell us about the architecture of the house.
It’s a timeless Mid-Century classic with a great indoor/outdoor feel.
What’s your favorite part of the property?
More than anything, I love the study. There’s a huge book collection, and many pieces there as Ruth left them. She lived in that house for 60 years, and you really feel it when you go into the study. You feel the history of the house. It has all of the Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin books; she considered both authors friends.
