Guest Opinion: Kudos to Steve Jobs for thinking out of the box Guest Opinion: Kudos to Steve Jobs for thinking out of the box (September 14, 2005)

By Kathryn Masson

The magnificent Jackling House in Woodside, now owned by Steve Jobs, will be the subject of a hearing on September 23.

The mansion was designed by revered 1920s architect George Washington Smith, whose fine design skill is responsible, in large part, for the solid beauty of Santa Barbara's architectural character. Mr Smith's work is found mostly but not exclusively in California, and is the most refined version of Spanish Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture to date.

Architectural historians and architects acknowledge Smith's importance. Woodside is fortunate to claim one of the most magnificent and large-scale of Smith's projects in America. The Jackling House is, of course, included in the forthcoming biography and comprehensive catalog "George Washington Smith: Architect of the Spanish Colonial Revival" by Patricia Gebhard (Gibbs Smith Publishers, December, 2005).

In "Santa Barbara Style" (Rizzoli, 2001) I feature five beautiful Smith-designed residences (out of 20), including the much visited "Casa del Herrero," because of Smith's significance to Santa Barbara architecture and his seminal influence on the style that most influenced residential architecture in the 1920s and is still most popularly used (in various forms of authenticity) in California today.

Whatever the outcome on September 23, I hope that a win-win solution can be found that will benefit the Jackling House. If part one is Mr. Jobs' idea to relocate the house and share moving expenses, part two was the process of finding a willing and able candidate to relocate and refurbish the estimable building. Richard Pivnicka, an experienced award-winning developer, is that right person in the right place at the right time, who makes it absolutely possible for Mr. Jobs to get the building moved.

Considering the large financial scope of the project, Mssrs. Jobs and Pivnicka have the bottom line in mind, but it is gratifying to learn of Mr. Jobs' pragmatic, out of the box, and unusual idea of paying part of the cost while letting someone else move the house. What is important now is that all bids for the proposed work be openly scrutinized by neutral auditors to guide a rapid and fair deal.

Today, owners of George Washington Smith houses attest to their liveability in the 21st century and their consistantly high real estate values, making it always worth the money, time and effort to refurbish them.

One Santa Barbara couple who owned a Smith original told me "We replaced all the details according to the original specifications, and it made the spaces come alive. We plan to enjoy living in our 1921 GWS home for many years."

Similarly, the Woodside Jackling House could enevitably succeed as a beautiful, 21st century home and a preserved architectural masterpiece thanks to the good faith of all concerned. I am sure preservationists and lovers of California's architectural history will applaud.
Kathryn Masson is the author of "Santa Barbara Style" (Rizzoli Publications, 2001) which features five homes designed by architect George Washington Smith. She lives in Santa Barbara.

INFORMATION

A San Mateo County Superior Court judge is expected to decide September 23 whether Woodside town officials acted legally when they granted Steve Jobs a conditional demolition permit for the Jackling house. The lawsuit, Uphold Our Heritage versus the Town of Woodside, was filed by a group of historic preservationists in January.

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