Historic house 'essentially flattened'

The demolition of Jackling House -- a Woodside, California mansion owned by Apple CEO Steve Jobs -- is well underway, says local newspaper The Almanac. Efforts are reported to have begun on February 14th, and are expected to take about two weeks to finish. The house is already effectively flattened, a source connected to the demolition claims.

The building is a historic one, having been designed for copper baron Daniel Jackling by famous architect George Washington Smith. A number of artifacts have been saved by Woodside as a result, including moldings, woodwork and roof titles, along with unique items such as an organ, a copper mailbox and a 50-foot flagpole. A photographic record of the house has moreover been made, a condition of the demolition permit. The town holds right of first refusal to the artifacts; next in line are the San Mateo County Historical Association, and the George Washington Smith collection at the art museum of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Jobs has owned Jackling House since the early '80s, but has been trying to get it demolished since 2001 with the purpose of building a smaller and more modern home in its place. Opposing him have been preservationists including a group called Uphold Our Heritage, which won a 2004 lawsuit, and also a subsequent appeal by Jobs. After modifying plans however, the CEO was able to win a judgment in March 2010, and a permit on February 7th.

[Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber]

by MacNN Staff