Celebrity trouble:

Pratt & Schwarzenegger destroy architectural jewel

Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt have been married since 2019 - now they are causing a stir with a building project.(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Jesse Grant)

In Los Angeles, the building project of Hollywood star Chris Pratt (44) and Katherine Schwarzenegger (34) is causing a stir. The very likeable Hollywood couple had an architectural gem from the 1950s demolished to make room for their own dream home.

The so-called Zimmerman House by architect Craig Ellwood in the Brentwood residential district was considered a design gem. In 2023, Pratt and Schwarzenegger purchased the property for around 12 million euros. Instead of restoring the house, however, they decided to demolish it.

Architecture lovers shocked
The couple's decision sparked horror among architecture lovers and on social media. The house had been in excellent condition and had typical 1950s design features such as floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden fittings and elegant furniture. 

Why this villa?
Why did it have to be the historic villa? According to speculation, the property was in the immediate vicinity of Katherine's mother Maria Shriver's house. So Pratt and Schwarzenegger have the grandmother of their two little girls right next door.

The new house in the modern, Californian farmhouse style is to have three full floors for the family and include a backyard swimming pool and a pool house.

Criticism and incomprehension
Critics criticize the couple's lack of taste and appreciation for architecture. They argue that it would have been possible to build on an undeveloped plot instead of destroying an architectural heritage.