Yet, the debate dragged on, and on, and on. Legal filings. Arguments. More debate. Oh, and it's not as if Jobs wanted to simply destroy one mansion to build an even bigger mega mansion. Nope.
He wants to replace the Jackling home with a decidedly understated 6,000 square foot home instead.
All of this came to a head this week with thetown council approving, by a 6-1 vote a plan to deconstruct the current home (which activists claimed Jobs was destroying anyway by what they called "demolition by neglect). Silicon Valley venture capitalist Gordon Smythe, who founded Propel Partners, has stepped in as Jobs' white knight, taking possession of the home's pieces and who will be given five years to find a piece of property to rebuild it. For his part, Jobs will spend about $605,000 for the "de-construction."
Smythe tells our local paper, the San Jose Mercury News, that he'll preserve the original 10,000 square feet of the home with Woodside getting dibs on the pieces of the home he doesn't use.
But wait, this isn't quite over yet: A Superior Court judge has given "Uphold Our Heritage" a few weeks to fight the dismantling agreement.
I get the whole preservation thing, but when he bought the home it wasn't "historical" then. It's arguably (obviously) not really all that historical now. It might even be more "historical" because of its connection to Jobs personally. The "abomination" has been how long this has been dragged through the process. Such a waste of time. Let him build. Leave him alone. The new Jobs' home will be comfy, cozy, and "historical" for a new generation.
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