Steve Jobs wants new home to stay home in
The world knows that Steve Jobs is home on medical leave from from Apple, but not everyone knows that the Apple CEO is working hard to tear that home down and build a new one.
For years, Jobs has been trying to get permission to tear down his historic 14-bedroom family home and replace it with a more contemporary structure. Jobs has long argued that a complete restoration of the house would cost an unreasonable amount. Preservationist critics of the demolition of the old structure have so far successfully blocked his efforts in court.
Yesterday there was another contentious meeting of the Woodside, CA Town Council to discuss the issue. Jobs did not attend the hearing and was represented by attorney Howard Ellman, who said, “I don’t think he would be strong enough if we were here until 1 a.m., and I think there’s a strong possibility of that” referring to the heath of his client. He was proven right when the meeting ran very late into the night.
The house in question, all 17,000 square feet of it, was built by San Francisco copper magnate Daniel C. Jackling and has reportedly had a number of famous guests over the years, including Shirley Temple, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton’s family. Jobs does not live in the house, which has become quite dilapidated; he lives instead with his family in Palo Alto, CA.
Jobs first applied to demolish the property in 2001, according to a story in the San Jose Mercury News. By 2001, he had been granted a permit to tear down the huge house, which he as called “one of the biggest abominations of a house I’ve ever seen.” Preservationists objected to the decision and challenged the issuance of the demolition permit. They have been successfully challenging the demolition in court ever since.
At issue is whether or not the structure can be completely returned to its former glory at a “practical” price. Jobs says the refurbishment would cost $13.3 million dollars, an estimate that opponents say is artificially inflated. There has even been talk of moving the house far north to the Napa Valley wine country, although proponents of that plan wanted Jobs to cover the costs of the move.
* photo by Scott Haefner
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April 29th, 2009
This is news? Jobs wants a new house? Well, I dunno. Do you suppose we will get updates everytime he wants the lawn cut? Or the soffits painted? Or the carpet replaced? Gee, just consider the possibilities.
April 30th, 2009
Someone who sells billions of dollars of products on his “cool” image, scheming to carry out a plot worthy of Mr Burns on The Simpsons, is news.
“Tear down this neighborhood of… outdated buildings… Smithers, and put up some easily-maintained cement cubes.”