Jackling House moving

Steve Jobs may finally be in a position to divest himself of Jackling House, writes the Silicon Valley Mercury News. While the Apple CEO recently won a vote allowing him to demolish the mansion in favor of building a smaller home, continuing opposition has been anticipated from Uphold Our Heritage, a local preservation group which notes that the house represents one of the last examples of a Spanish Colonial Revival-style edifice. The group has previously called for the building to be renovated, even though the costs would potentially exceed those of building a new home.

Under a new proposed scheme, investor Gordon Smythe of Propel Partners would arrange to dismantle Jackling House and reassemble it at another location. The Woodside Town Council spoke in favor of the idea at a Tuesday meeting, calling it the "best preservation-oriented solution to emerge" so far. Jobs has agreed to pay $604,000 of the deconstruction costs, an amount substantially lower than what some estimates of a full restoration would impose.

Smythe explains that his interest is simply in the style of the architect, George Washington Smith. Two main obstacles are said to stand in the way of the plan: the first is Uphold Our Heritage, which could choose to pursue more legal resistance. Smythe has the option of leaving his deal with Jobs should more litigation arise. The investor must also find a new location for the building, and arrange to store parts temporarily once a site is settled on.

by MacNN Staff