A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own image.
Joan Didion
Community pressure has swayed the owners of Richard Neutra‘s Kronish House to postpone plans for demolition, and has also prompted the city of Beverly Hills to draft legislation to preserve its architectural history. The house been spared until at least October 10 in order to give community activists time to devise a plan for its restoration. In a related, ground-breaking action the Beverly Hills City Council has asked the city’s Planning Commission to enact a first-ever historic-preservation ordinance.
The home, which sits on 2 acres juts off Sunset Blvd., received attention in April when it was sold as a $14 million “tear down.” While the property’s former owner, fraudster Aaron Yashouafar, deserves no defense for his architectural insensitivity, it is worth noting that after decades of neglect the property can be reasonably considered as beyond repair.
The home and its owners demolition plans have sparked vigorous debate about historic preservation both locally and internationally. Nearby cities Los Angeles and Pasadena already have historic-preservation ordinances in effect.
From LA Times “LA NOW” blog: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/08/neutras-kronish-house-gets-a-reprieve.html
