Jackling House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jackling House |
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c. 2007, with boards over its windows and doors
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| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Town or city | Woodside, California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 37°24′59″N 122°15′30″W / 37.416502°N 122.258434°W |
| Named for | Daniel C. Jackling |
| Opened | 1925 |
| Demolished | February 2011 |
| Owner | Steve Jobs (1984–2011) |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | 17,250 square feet (1,603 m2) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Grounds | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 30 |
The Jackling House was a large, beautiful mansion in Woodside, California. It was designed in 1925 for a wealthy copper miner named Daniel Cowan Jackling. The house was famous for its Spanish Colonial Revival style, which was very popular in California. Even though many people thought it was an important historic home, its last owner, Steve Jobs (who co-founded Apple), had it torn down in 2011. He wanted to build a new, smaller home there, but he passed away before he could.
Contents
The Jackling House Story
Building a Dream Home
The Jackling House was designed by a famous architect named George Washington Smith. He was known for creating the Spanish Colonial Revival style. This style became very popular in California and the southwestern United States. Smith helped design many important homes in the 1920s.
Daniel Jackling was a very successful copper mining businessman. His home showed off his wealth and his family's needs. The house was huge, about 17,000 sq ft (1,600 m2) (that's like 17 regular houses!). It even had a special pipe organ built inside it. The house also featured a large courtyard, open-air balconies, and many connections between the inside and outside spaces.
New Owners and Changes
After Daniel Jackling's wife, Virginia, passed away in 1957, the house was sold in 1958. The large plot of land around it, which was almost 194 acres (79 ha), was divided up. The Jackling House had three other owners before Steve Jobs bought it in 1984. He paid $3.5 million for the property.
Efforts to Save the House
Why Preservation Became an Issue
Steve Jobs lived in the Jackling House for about ten years. After that, he rented it out for a while. But starting in 2000, he stopped taking care of the house. This meant it was exposed to the weather and started to fall apart. In 2004, Jobs asked the town of Woodside for permission to tear down the house. He wanted to build a smaller, more modern home on the land.
However, some local groups wanted to save the historic house. They formed a group called "Uphold Our Heritage" (UOH). This group believed that the house was an important cultural landmark. They argued that California law says historic buildings shouldn't be destroyed if there are other ways to save them. They also said that tearing down the house wouldn't really benefit the public.
Court Battles and Decisions
In January 2006, a judge agreed with "Uphold Our Heritage." The judge said that Steve Jobs could not tear down the house. Jobs tried to appeal this decision, but higher courts also agreed that the house should not be demolished. In April 2007, the Supreme Court of California refused to hear his appeal, meaning the earlier rulings stood.
In 2008, Jobs tried again to get permission to demolish the house. The Woodside Town Council finally gave him permission in May 2009. But there was a condition: Jobs had to allow the house to be carefully taken apart and moved somewhere else. In February 2010, a couple named Magalli and Jason Yoho offered to move the mansion to their own five-acre property in Woodside. Magalli Yoho felt a special connection to the house because it reminded her of a Spanish Colonial Revival mansion she lived in as a child in Peru.
On March 8, 2010, another judge upheld the town council's decision, allowing Jobs to tear down the house. However, "Uphold Our Heritage" appealed this decision in April 2010. This appeal temporarily stopped any demolition permits from being issued. The group still hoped the house could be moved and saved.
Demolition and What Was Left Behind
Later in 2010, the judge again upheld the council's decision to allow the house to be demolished. The pipe organ was carefully removed from the house in January 2011. The entire mansion was then torn down the next month, in February 2011.
Nothing new was built on the site. Steve Jobs passed away later that year, on October 5, 2011. His wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, later suggested a new building for the site in 2016.
The Woodside History Museum now has an exhibit with furniture, maps, and photographs from the Jackling House. The town of Woodside collected 150 items from the home before it was destroyed. These items were valued at over $30,000. The town council decided to offer these items first to the town itself, then to the owners of another house nearby that was also designed by George Washington Smith. After that, the items would be offered to a museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Any remaining items would then be sold to the public in a silent auction.
