I'll never understand why people go ga-ga over something like this. I've seen better chicken coops in backyards.
“....ordered that the property owner...” So much for property rights.
He should have contracted with an arsonist to burn it down.
I'll never understand why people go ga-ga over something like this. I've seen better chicken coops in backyards.
Hope he loses money. Yet another developer who thinks the rules do not apply to him. The common homowner would have handled this according to zoning laws and process, especially before destroying the house!
Plank #1 of the Communist Manifesto: Abolition of private property rights.
Winbigler House Early Los Altos Hills was a farming and orchard community. Some farms built substantial manor houses. In 1914 Palo Alto realtor William Cranston bought a 20-acre parcel of land in Los Altos Hills at what is now the corner of Fremont Road and Campo Vista Drive.The property included a big red barn and an old shingled farmhouse, which was called the Red Barn House. Two Cranston children, daughter Ruth Eleanor and son Alan - who would become United States Senator from California - roamed the area in childhood.
In 1922 the Cranstons sold the property to Dr. C.C. Crane. Crane demolished the old farmhouse and erected an elaborate manor 8,000-square foot manor in the style of a French chateau (Winbigler-House).
In 1946 Donald Winbigler and his wife Mary Elizabeth, a professional classical Spanish dancer, purchased the property. Winbigler was born in Illinois in 1909. After graduating from Monmouth College in 1931 he earned a doctorate in speech and drama at the University of Iowa, and came to Stanford as an assistant professor in 1940. In 1945 he was appointed Registrar by Stanford University President Donald Tressider. In 1950 he was appointed Dean of Students, a position he held during the tumultuous 1960's. Winbigler was known for being fair-minded to all sides, and presided over basic changes in the university-student relationship. The Winbigler House, as it became known, and the surrounding property, with an apricot and plum tree orchard, became a popular subject for local artists. Neighborhood children supposedly called the house "The Castle."
After Winbigler's wife died in 1998, he moved to the State of Washington to be near his son Myles. In 1999 the Winbigler House was sold for $4 million to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Gordon Campbell and Maria Legeti. In the year 2000 Campbell and Ligeti applied to the Town of Los Altos Hills Planning Commission for permission to remodel and renovate the Winbigler House. A permit was granted, subject to conditions. A letter dated September 19, 2000, to the owners from Planning Director Carl Cahill stated "The existing home shall not be moved, relocated or demolished without prior site development review and approval by the Planning Commission."
In 2001 Los Altos Hills residents saw that the stately Winbigler House had been moved off its old foundation and was sitting on jacks. The original foundation was being replaced by an expanded basement and 5-car garage. Architect David Bogstead, Walnut Creek, said the old foundation was not seismically safe, and was musty. He assured residents that "The overall goal is, when it's done, it looks like it's always been there." Additionally, two-story would will be attached to the house's sides and rear. Other additions included a caretaker's residence, a studio-workshop, swimming pool, and tennis court. The new structure might comprise 36,000 square feet.
In August, 2002, residents were even more startled. Although the permit was for incorporation of the house into the new design, the Winbigler House was demolished instead. Demolition became a cause célèbre. Planning Director Cahill issued a stop-work order immediately after learning of the demolition. Residents blamed Town Council members for being negligent, turning a blind eye to such demolition, as it would be easy to get permission for a fait accompli. Mayor Bob Fenwick responded that there was no such policy. Ligeti and Campbell tried to minimize the matter. In one of their earliest public responses, Ligeti said she had simply overlooked the $52 demolition permit; and the new structure was to be a reproduction of the original one. Besides, the house could not have been saved. Walls were buckling, she said, and there was dry rot and termite damage. As the alternative to building a whole new structure would have been subdivision, she said "We're doing a great service to the community."
On September 12, 2002, by unanimous vote, Los Altos Hills planning commissioners levied a fine of $27,000 on Campbell and Ligeti, accusing them of arrogance for tearing down the Winbigler House. Ligeti deflected the matter as insignificant, compared with what was going on the rest of the world - the September 11, 2001 attacks; AIDS; the possibility of war in Iraq. "This ain't a big problem." It wasn't a demolition, but "a reconstruction disassembly." She said it was all just a procedural mistake that she hadn't gotten a demolition permit; it was far from clear, however, that she would have gotten one. Ligeti and Campbell had supposedly wanted to show the commission rotten timbers from the old house, which justified why it couldn't be saved, but didn't. The matter was complicated by an impending local election. Bill Kerns, a candidate for Town Council, called the demolition "a blatant betrayal…of the community's trust." Townspeople overwhelmingly denounced the demolition. Other actions by the Planning Commission included denying a site development permit and a review of building inspection documents to determine why staff hadn't seen the demolition coming. The city attorney was directed to see if the architect could be barred from working in Los Altos Hills.
On December 19, 2002, after an appeal by Ligeti and Campbell, the Los Altos Hills Town Council voted 4-1 to uphold the Planning Commission's actions. In 2003 construction began at the site of a new structure, 45 feet higher than the original. Then it stopped. The property was sold to Pinewood School, which applied in October 2004 to remove the unfinished structure. Pinewood School's new quarters were never built, however. We see the property here today.
Addendum: Los Altos Hills issued a stop-work order on the property and, eventually, levied a $27,000 fine for the unauthorized removal of the house. Campbell-Ligeti responded with a $500,000 lawsuit, claiming the town had approved a housing plan that included removal of the house, and the ensuing stop-work order was "arbitrary and capricious."
In the June 21, 2006 settlement, the town and Campbell-Ligeti agreed to the dismissal of all claims, and the town agreed to waive the $27,000 penalty. Neither side admitted fault.
Pinewood School purchased the property from Campbell and Ligeti in 2004 as a possible site for its upper school. A negative reaction from neighbors changed Pinewood's plans, according to President Scott Riches. Pinewood placed the Winbigler property on the market in January 2006 for $15.5 million.
Well, at least the judge didn’t sentence the defendant
to be the plaintiff’s butler.
The good news is...labor will be cheap. There are plenty of illegal day laborers hanging out at the Home Depot.
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It was an ugly, insignificant house.
Welcome to San Fran, where the homeless have rights, but homeowners don’t. When the next earthquake hits San Fran, let’s not rebuild...
If it were Hillary’s house, what would she have done?
Would the planning commission have taken any action against Hillary?
These preservation rules are unconstitutional. If the city wants them preserved, they should be required to buy them.
“In a unanimous 5-0 vote...” Sad but true. Do not destroy historic homes without getting city permission. Neutra homes are rare and very expensive. Eichler are numerous and worth preserving. The Neutra home in Palm Springs is amazing. There are 300 Eichler homes in Fullerton, another 300 in Thousand Oaks and another 300 in Santa Clara. Mid Century is popular because it focused on the family. The chucklehead who destroyed the Largent house is ignorant and yes, very wealthy.
