Issue date: January 20, 1999
House must be moved from Ellison complex
By BARBARA WOOD
Larry Ellison should soon be able to finish his fish pond.
The town of Woodside is close to agreeing to allow a historic home on Mountain Home Road, where Oracle CEO Ellison is building a $40-million Japanese-style retreat around a 2.7-acre pond, to be dismantled with only its original elements preserved.
The future of the 1913 house -- designed by famed architect Julia Morgan -- is not as bleak as it sounds, however. Mike Kilroy, who divides his time between a home in the Woodside Glens neighborhood and a home in Southern California, has agreed to take the pieces and reassemble them into a home that may end up closer to the original than the remodeled version that now exists.
Mr. Kilroy, a 35-year-old businessman who works in wireless communication and real estate, will pay a substantial bond to guarantee the house will be rebuilt.
The Julia Morgan house is in the way of the completion of the Ellison complex, which is styled after country estates built for Japanese nobles near Kyoto in the 16th century. When finished, boats will ferry guests across the pond, which will not only feature koi, but also an island and waterfalls.
Saving the home, one of the town's conditions of approving Mr. Ellison's plans in July 1996, has been one of the few sticking points in carrying out the project. After numerous attempts to find a new site for the home proved unsuccessful, Town Planning Director David Rizk said he is working on the final details of a plan to allow the house to be dismantled.
Thalia Lubin, chair of the town's History Committee, said she had hoped that the house could be saved on the property. "We regret that we've come to this. I would have hoped that Larry would have incorporated this architectural and historic treasure into his scheme," Ms. Lubin said.
Once the house has been taken apart, which Ellison construction manager Ken Morrison says should be completed by April or May, the area can be graded.
Among the parts of the house to be saved are flooring, doors, windows, closets, ceilings, trim pieces, stairs, fireplaces, paneling and exterior bricks. Most of the parts not deemed original will be reused or recycled, Mr. Morrison said.
Mr. Kilroy said when the house "is resurrected, if you will," he plans to use the original house plans to reassemble the salvaged elements as well as to reproduce elements which no longer exist. He said he hopes to end up with a home in a "spirit that's true to the era."
Architects' plans identifying the original elements of the house and specifying exactly how they will be removed, identified and stored were prepared by representatives of Mr. Ellison and refined in a report by a second set of architects late last year.
A plan incorporating the work by both sets of architects must still receive final approval by Planning Director Rizk.
Mr. Kilroy hopes to rebuild the historic home on a 10.5-acre site on Marva Oaks Drive, off Raymundo Drive. If he can't gain approval for that site, he will find another property on which to place the house, Mr. Kilroy said.
"In many senses (Marva Oaks) is an optimal site for the house. I'm hopeful that that site is not totally ruled out," he said. The project is complex and needs the cooperation of the town if it is to succeed, he said. "It's also the type of project that's only worth doing if it can be done right."
Mr. Kilroy said he believes the 6,000-square-foot home is "a gem in many respects."
"It's architecturally beautiful and it's historically important and it's important to the character and flavor of the town," he said.
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