Sowden House Publicity LA Weekly "Most Haunted" Featured Today Coincidentally (?) on George Hodel's 110th Birthday New Owners Give a 3D Tour

October 10, 2017
Los Angeles, California
(Today would have been Dr. George Hill Hodel’s 110th Birthday)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click to LA WEEKLY article, “Most Haunted House John Sowden House” by Jason McGahan here.

 

New Owners have removed heavy landscaping and opened up the front street view of the residence

Take a 3D Tour Click Here

 

Take a 3D Tour of thanks to the new owners.

8 Comments

  1. Kathy G. on October 11, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    Hi Steve, I think the house looks even more menacing without the foliage although without the foliage more sunlight is let in. Without the foliage it seems like the viewer is being drawn to an alter at the far end to be sacrificed to a dark god. On the inside, I noticed someone put a dog cutout over the fireplace and a surreal type picture of a woman’s face with slashes(?) of red hair across it. This is a sad place now where many do not rest in peace. When there are too many coincidences there are no coincidences re October 10th. They misspelled the family name over and over as well in the article. I’m not sure much could be done to ever remove the aura of murder of this house and grounds. Those poor women.

  2. Amanda on October 11, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    You may know this, but I saw yesterday there is a new book that has “solved” the Dahlia case …… https://www.hachette.com.au/piu-eatwell/black-dahlia-red-rose

  3. Laura on October 14, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    I notice that the house is on the market, and has been under contract for some time. I have it on my watch list to see what price the sale closes at. It IS a beautiful house, and has such a storied history, both bad and good, that it will always fascinate both history and architecture buffs, so people wonder why it changes hands so often and lingers on the market for so long when it is available, while more ordinary homes sell quickly for comparable prices or more. .However, I’m not sure there is anything supernatural at work here. It could be that this house is just too difficult and unconventional to live in and maintain. Houses by the Wrights, both father and son, have this way of imposing a particular style and way of life on you, and people really want a blank slate on which they can impose their own style. Additionally, Lloyd Wright & Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian block houses are hellish to maintain- those Aztec-patterned concrete blocks are just as expensive maintain as any intricate terra cotta facade, and you almost have have your furniture custom-designed for it to work with the architecture.

    Or, maybe, people just don’t want to live in a really prominent house that is notorious for being the probable site of a vile crime, because they get sick of people knocking on their doors requesting tours, or constantly parking in front of the house or prowling the property in search of “clues”. The Clutter house in Kansas, where the prominent farmer and his family were murdered in 1959, is an example- the present owners have been trying for years to unload it for $300K or less, with no takers.

    • Steve Hodel on October 14, 2017 at 7:12 pm

      Laura: My understanding is it has just recently closed with the new owner. Don’t know what the sale price was, but I think the asking was around 4.85M. Yes, definitely a limited buyer base. Both because of the unusual design and its “history.” Also, as you say, the constant flow of strangers wanting “see inside” would be a real turnoff.

  4. Marius on October 15, 2017 at 3:16 am

    Hi Steve,

    I was wondering. You wrote that cadaver dogs alerted when brought to the house i 2013. the basement. And that soil samples were collected, turning up positive for human remains?!. Did they ever dig in the basement soil to see if remains were retrievable? if no, why not?

    With the renovation going on It would have been the right occasion for doing this.

    • Steve Hodel on October 15, 2017 at 3:22 am

      Hi Marius: The renovation was done back in 2002. Buster the cadaver dog and the follow up soil analysis didn’t happen until 2012 and 13. No permission to dig on the property or at the rear upslope. LAPD claimed they were “too busy to do any followup”. The woman that owns the property on the upslope, actress Laura Prepon, denied access permission so could not move forward. Best, Steve

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