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Steve Jobs gets permission to raze Spanish-style CA mansion

by Michael Grothaus Mar 16th 2010 at 1:30PM


The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Steve Jobs has won permission to tear down his mansion in Woodside, California. The historic home (built for mining magnate Daniel Jackling in 1925) sits on 6 acres of forested land; it has 30 rooms, 14 bedrooms and 13 1/2 bathrooms. Steve Jobs bought the mansion in 1984 and lived in it for 10 years before renting it out, but it has been vacant since 2000.

In 2004 Jobs applied for a demolition permit to tear the mansion down so he could build a newer one on the same spot. Though the Woodside Council said the building was a historic resource, they finally agreed with Jobs that restoring it would be expensive and "economically unworkable." That's when a group called Save Our Heritage stepped in. They filed a suit to block the demolition, and a judge and appellate court agreed that Jobs had failed to show that tearing down his house was the only viable option.

In May 2009, Jobs presented evidence to the council that it would cost millions of dollars more to renovate the mansion than to build his proposed new home. The evidence included an expert report on the continued deterioration of the building, which has suffered from rot, mold, decay, animal and bird infestations, and human vandalism; to top it off, the home is located 160 feet from a branch of the San Andreas Fault.

The court has agreed with Jobs again and he has been given permission to apply for a demolition permit. Woodside officials will need time to review the permit application and said that Jobs would be required to save objects of historic interest from the mansion and turn them over to the city. In the mean time, Save Our Heritage is considering appealing this latest ruling but hopes that Jobs will accept a new offer from a couple who have proposed that he dismantle the mansion and rebuild it on their property two miles away.

Last year AppleInsider posted a photo gallery of the mansion.

[Mansion photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber]

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The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Steve Jobs has won permission to tear down his mansion in Woodside, California. The...
 

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Brian

I really think that its his property and he knows better than anyone what to do with it or not................He took the right dicission.........................



Diversity Recruiting

March 19 2010 at 3:53 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
carbonadam

if that was my house and they did no let me do what ever i wanted to it, I'd burn it down and say oops. I left a candle burning by accident. Sorry. nothing i hate more than others telling me what to do with my property. I'd then piss on the ashes.

March 17 2010 at 6:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nick

Makes me wonder... what would it be like to live in a house that follows the same design scheme as an Apple store?

March 17 2010 at 2:01 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Nick's comment
artifex

I'd never have a glass staircase in my house, that's for sure.

March 17 2010 at 5:30 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
honorelsu

I don't buy the history thing. There has to be a point where you just move on.

March 17 2010 at 1:44 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mr. Brown

It's crap that some lobbyist group can keep a private party from tearing down a crap house. And that's what it is - a crap house.

Last time I read an article about the house, it was said average Californians and experts say there's really nothing historic about the house.

March 16 2010 at 11:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Shunnabunich

Boom!

Boom? Boom. Boom...boom. So—boom, boom.
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8L39UwOS-Y )

That shoop is perfect, dude. :D

March 16 2010 at 7:24 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John

I hate when I read these sort of things. Not because he is tearing down an old house, but because people that have no money invested in it insist that it has to stay. Sorry but if I buy a house and pay taxes on the property I should be able to tear it down. If you want me to renovate it, you pay the flippin bill or leave me alone.

March 16 2010 at 6:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
The Apple Doctor

I wish he didn't have to tear it down but rather find a buyer who wants to restore it, however, I do believe in a homeowner's property rights and I do not believe that others have the right to dictate what he must do with property he owns!

March 16 2010 at 5:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
SSteve

Ok, I'm going to be picky here. It's not "The San Francisco Gate," it's "The San Francisco Chronicle." "SFGate" is the Chron's website.

March 16 2010 at 5:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
TruthAboutMold

It's good to know that Steve Jobs doesn't have to live in a mold-infested house even though there are millions of Americans who aren't as fortunate. I hope Steve sees this comment and decides to help those less fortunate. He could help speak out on behalf of the American people and ask our government to take action. For accurate information about the health effects of mold, go to http://truthaboutmold.info.

March 16 2010 at 4:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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