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Woodside’s historic Jackling house, designed for copper baron Daniel C. Jackling in 1925 by architect George Washington Smith and slowly deteriorating due to a lack of maintenance, has friends who want to preserve it for posterity. Now, another has gone on the record with support.
The San Francisco-based western office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation has sent a letter to the Town Council underscoring its support for a plan by Woodside residents Jason and Magalli Yoho to take the summer mansion apart and reconstruct it a couple of miles away.
The Trust considers the Yohos’ idea “well thought out and professional,” according to an April 7 letter to the council from Uphold Our Heritage, a preservation-minded group that has fought in court for years to save the house from destruction.
A bold plan, perhaps, but one that will go nowhere without the agreement of Jackling house owner and Apple Corp. chief executive Steve Jobs, and the relevant permits from the town. To date, the town has not received a plan from the Yohos asking for a permit to move the house, Assistant Town Manager Kevin Bryant said in an interview.
Mr. Jobs is free to apply for a demolition permit to replace the house with a modern family home now that a San Mateo County Superior Court judge has put an end to Uphold Our Heritage’s years-long legal battle to stop him. Uphold can still appeal the judge’s decision, Town Attorney Jean Savaree said.
Mr. Jobs’ view is not known, but Uphold Our Heritage is trying to convince him via his “friendship” with former vice president Al Gore, according to a letter on Uphold’s Web site.
The letter, at this link, details Uphold’s efforts and urges Mr. Gore to discuss the matter with Mr. Jobs in hopes of “a more civic and creative result than demolition. We believe you could make a persuasive argument for pursuing a worthy and achievable alternative.”
Among the letter’s signers is Tim LeCain, author of “Mass Destruction: The Men and Giant Mines that Wired America and Scarred the Planet,” published in 2009, whose first chapter looks at Mr. Jackling’s influence and his Woodside house, including a photograph.
TEAR IT DOWN!
With the money build a memorial for all of the young people who have lost their lives in the MID EAST!
This is a very poor example of the architect’s work. It is downright plain and if anyone takes the time to see his houses in the Santa Barbara/Montecito area and read opinions of this clunker, they will see that the local townspeople are just being obstinate and foolish and will not let up. Particularly the Yoyo couple.
The home that Mr. Jobs builds in Woodside will be far more historic than the Jackling home… by any measure.
Those who wish to collect the remnants of the Jackling house should ask the owner if they can back up a truck and get it. It will save a few bucks in demolition costs.
I would pay to watch these folks try and disassemble the Jackling house. It will be funny as hell. From everything I’ve read it is so full of termites and dry rot that it will disintigrate as soon as they start to try and take it apart.
Right, here’s a letter from the National Trust for Historic Preservation saying the house is worth saving and that this is a good plan, but R.GORDON, Pogo and Menlo Voter know better… really, ha!
MtBikeLady:
Menlo Voter is a builder, so I bet I know better than you how viable disassembly of this building is or isn’t
Menlo Voter – I bet that you don’t.
Please, you’ve never even seen the house, but, sure, you know much more about this type of project than, I don’t know, the NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION. I’m sure this is all new to them…
Right on, MtBikeLady!
Any of those folks ever actually get their hands dirty taking a building apart? I bet not.
…please…
You weigh-in with an opinion on a project when you’ve never seen the house…
Who is more credible, NTHP vs. Menlo Voter, seems simple to me…
Do you do all your bids that way? Good luck.
No I don’t do all my bids that way. I learned a long time ago not to listen to architects, engineers and other know-it-alls when it came to whether something could actually be done. Most of them have never actually built anything and have no idea what is involved. Engineers, architects and other know-it-alls frequently make estimates of what something will cost based on how they think it will get done and they are frequently wrong. Often by an order of several magnitudes. I still say I’d love to watch when they start trying to disassemble the house.
Actually, I have been in the house – in fact, pretty recently. It’s a complete mess. It is what lawyers call an “attractive nuisance.” It should have been torn down YEARS ago and it’s only through Mr. Jobs vigilance that some kid didn’t wander into the area and get hurt.
But MtBikeLady, while you freely accuse me of not knowing anything (and I’ll put my credentials against yours), you fail to address my assertion that any home Mr. Jobs builds will be far more historic than this mess. And remember, no homeowner has a legal obligation to restore anything…
The NTHP is something the MtBileLady should look into.
Just using “National” in its initials give it credence like all of the historical societies across America.
They find one “expert” like this one who has decided the decaying monster has historic value, and she wets her lycra.
With a little research you will find that there is a very large profit margin involved and the monies are never accounted for in an especially large piece of crap like this one.
I too, have taken people through the house and property, and it is just a joke.
The fixation people have to make their “communities” like upscale Woodside seem more important than they are, is strictly the NOUVEAU aspect of the fa fa pretentiousness of these people who have nothing to do but pedal their way through life.
Steve Jobs should be allowed to do what he wants with his own house- he bought it. If someone else wants to buy and preserve it, that’s a viable option, but for gosh sakes- why do other people think they have a right to tell Steve what to do, and/or expect him to pay for it? Does that make it O.K. to lean on Steve to preserve it for our benefit just because he has money? Appalling. And if all that weren’t enough, the house has long since deteriorated past the point of being worth saving, which should make this whole issue moot.
MenloVoter – if you cannot see the irony in your comments, there is no hope
POGO and R.Gordon (I’ve got a $10,000 BS meter that lights up around you two)
1. No need for credentials, we crossed swords in the past POGO, you’ve already shown me the depth of your prowess (or lack thereof).
1. you’ve NOT recently been in the house. It’s closed and private property.
2. there is a legal obligation…but, it’s not worth my time
3. Please do not reproduce. Your gifts of cynicism, paranoia, bitterness, fear, self-importance, and self-righteousness, apparently without any of the counter balancing insights, should not propagate throughout the population or we’ll blow ourselves to kingdom-come.
Knute – all reasonable comments, but you’re not up to speed.
Mtbikelady:
there are none so blind as non-builders tring to tell builders how to build.
MtBikeLady –
I’m not aware that we’ve ever “crossed swords” in the past. If we did, I’m sorry it wasn’t more memorable.
I’m not sure why you think I haven’t been to the property – I’m far from alone. Like many others in our town, I ride horses and it’s very easy to view the home, barn, etc. from the trail. It’s clearly gone to seed and in incredible state of disrepair. You can actually walk on the property (from the creek side) without much effort.
And I definitely maintain that there is no legal obligation for a property owner restore their house. I hope you will have the integrity to cite an appropriate law – that shouldn’t be asking a lot.
Finally, your incredibly crude and cheap shot about reproducing says far more about you than my children.
Hilarious! The article states the NTHP “considers the Yohos’ idea “well thought out and professional”. Next paragraph: To date, the town[Woodside] has not received a plan from the Yohos.
Among the selling points in NHTP’s letter:
Why dump tons of historic house rubble into landfill when it’s as easy to let someone save it? [The house they will have to tear down to make room for the Jackling hse is not more landfill rubble?]
BUT, this is the best part: This couple has committed to the highest standards of preservation. Highlights of the Yohos’ Proposal:
“Rehabilitation will be headed by our nationally recognized and award winning General Contractor.”
Now that’s rich. Meanwhile if anyone bothers to check out the ‘couples’ record-to-date of building code violations with the Town of Woodside, you might find “award-winning” and “nationally-recognized” more than a mere flight of fancy.
Bottom line: I don’t think the NTHP has done any due diligence on their prospective ‘preservationists’.
Since that story was written — in fact, before it was written — the Yohos had submitted a plan to the town, I was told in an interview by Ms. Yoho.
At the writing of the story, I did not know of this and had no way of contacting the Yoho household.