Halloween WOW House: A Landmark Linked to the Black Dahlia Murder

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The ultimate Halloween WOW House is easily one of the spookiest and fascinating to ever hit the market in Los Angeles.

The John Sowden House built by Frank Lloyd T. Wright, Jr. is an architectural and historic landmark. Like much of Lloyd Wright’s work, it’s quintessential to the tale of LA architecture. But it’s also tied to a much darker part of LA’s story - the infamous Black Dahlia murder.

The house at 5121 Franklin Avenue in Los Feliz belonged to Black Dahlia murder suspect, George Hill Hodel, Jr.

See the home's full listing page here.

Hodel, a physician known for performing Hollywood’s abortions, lived in the house in 1947 when Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia was killed. His son, a retired LAPD homicide detective, claims Hodel tortured, murdered and dissected Short and many others in the basement of the Sowden House. He spent years compiling a case against his father, who died in 1999.

Beyond his son’s suspicions, details of the LAPD’s case came to light in 2004, when an old Black Dahlia file was discovered in the vault at the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office outlining the case against George Hodel.

A bug planted in Hodel’s home during the Black Dahlia murder investigation allegedly captured the sounds of a woman screaming and caught Hodel admitting to the Black Dahlia killing.

"Supposin' I did kill the Black Dahlia," he reportedly said. "They couldn't prove it now."

Steve Hodel wrote about his case against his father in “Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder” and continues to blog about it. He claims a cadaver dog and soil analysis tests from the yard confirmed the presence of human remains.

And now, the landmark house is back on the market.

From Wright’s Mayan Revival period, it has the look of a gaping jaw threatening to swallow the surrounding Los Feliz neighborhood. The 5,600 square-foot home is priced at $4,795,000. It’s had more than $1.6 million in renovations and features a courtyard pool.

• Address: 5121 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 also known as the Landmark Sowden Residence
• Price: $4,795,000
• Square feet: 5,600
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 4 Full and 2 Half Baths
• Built: 1927
• Features: The home is based around a central courtyard, and has been completely renovated to feature modern amenities while staying true to architect's original masterwork. It has maid's quarters, and a detached office and garage.

This listing originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.

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